Food, fuels, electricity and materials from sugarcane in Brazil: costs, benefits and challenges.

The use of sugarcane as an energy source makes Brazil responsible for one of the most important renewable energy programmes in the world. Besides being an important strategic and cheap option, the partial substitution of ethanol for gasoline in the country's automobile fleet has a strong environmental appeal: it contributes to improving the air quality in urban areas and to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse-effect gases. Fuels derived from sugarcane, which include ethanol, sugarcane processed stalks, known as bagasse, and sugarcane straw are the driving force behind profound changes in Brazil's agriculture, industry and energy supply. These renewable fuels are already the second-most important source of energy in the country, accounting for 16% of the country's entire consumption, behind only petroleum. This paper presents the current status and future perspectives of the sugarcane agribusiness in Brazil, highlighting the advances in productivity, costs and exports, the environmental and social benefits of their products and the main challenges facing its future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]