5/18/2009

Robert Michael BoddeyResearch Scientist, Embrapa Agrobiologia

Sustainability of the sugarcane/bioethanol production cycle:

A strategic priority at Embrapa.

Workshop on the Impact of New Technologies on the Sustainability of the Sugarcane/Bioethanol

Production Cycle.Campinas, SP, May 15th, 2009

http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2006/12/17/sugarcane-against-the-blue-sky.jpg

Brazilian Agriculture: before the 1970s

Low agricultural production and productivity

Production concentrated in the South and Southeast

Accelerating Urbanization

Poverty in the rural areas

Food shortages (crises de abastecimento)

Lack of specific knowledge of Tropical Agriculture

International markets in expansion

Poor institutional infrastructure (agricultural research, education, markets,

communications, government institutions etc.)

The task: move from a traditional agriculture to one based on science and technology.

Central administration

The National System of Agricultural Research

13 Product

centres

9 Thematic

centres

3 Special services

17 State research systems

15 Eco-regionalcentres

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Embrapa Africa

Embrapa Venezuela

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Labex

EUA

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Labex Europa

Labex

Asia

Established in 1973Employees –

8,498

Scientists (total) –

2,153Scientists (PhDs) –

1,615 (~75 %)

Budget 2008 –

~R$ 1.4 billion

Embrapa: General

Information

Vinculada ao Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento

5/18/2009

V Plano Diretor

: Stategic

Objectives

SO2: SO2: Attain a new competitive technological level in Agro-

energy and bio-fuels

SO3:SO3:Intensify the development of technologies for the sustainable use of the different biomes and the productive integration of all regions of Brazil

SO4: SO4: Explore the biodiversity for the development of products with a high added value for the exploitation of new segments of the market

SO5: SO5: Contribute to the advance of the frontiers of knowledge and incorporate this acquired knowledge in new and emerging technologies.

SO1: SO1: Guarantee competitivity

and sustainability of Brazilian Agriculture

2008-2001-2023

5/18/2009

Improved genotypes: Tropical Crops and

Livestock

–

Soybean (photoperiod)

–

Maize/sorghum, P efficient, acid tolerant

–

Tropical fruits and adapted temperate fruits

–

-

Zebu cattle, swine e poultry, etc

•

Improvement of pasture quality–

Brachiaria

(impacts on beef and dairy

production)

–

Fibres

and timber/cellulose (cotton, Eucalyptus)

Sandra Santos, Embrapa Pantanal

Paulo Kurtz, Embrapa Trigo

Innovation and Technology: Tropical Agriculture

5/18/2009

Reduction of post-harvest losses

Agricultural mechanization Precision agriculture

Agro-ecological zoning

Biological nitrogen fixation

Biological control of pests and diseases

Zero tillage

Integration cropping/pasture/forestry

Sitophilus

zeamais Paulo Kurtz, Embrapa Trigo

Fernando 2006

Innovation and Technology: Tropical Agriculture

5/18/2009

Cassava (40 t/ha), beans, maize, soya ...

Innovation and Technology:Actions with Economic Impact

Fernando 2006Paulo Kurtz Paulo Kurtz

Production systems and genetic improvement

5/18/2009

Organic vegetable production

Innovation and Technology: Actions with Social Impact

Technologies for small scale agriculture: Programs: Mais

Alimentos, Programa

Balde

Cheio, Septic tanks, Programs for Seeds and seedlings, Production quality ...

Aldeias: Jaguapirú

and Bororó

Production systems

Solutions: Barraginhas, ...

Mini cotton mills

Targeted public: Family agriculture, Settlements, Traditional and Indigenous Communities, Quilombos, ...

Cotton

5/18/2009

1. Management, organization and Land-use monitoring.

2. Management and valorization and economic evaluation of

hydric

and forest resources

3. Integrated sustainable systems for impacted areas and for alternative uses

Image VCP

Ulisses

Silva

J.A.

araújo Filho

Image VCP

Innovation and Technology: Actions with Environmental Impact

Brazil: The only country in the World that offers 2/3 of its territory for preservation

5/18/2009

Sustainable Agriculture for food and fuelDendê c/culturas intercalares’

Ricardo lopes et al., CPAA

Innovation and Technology: Conservation of the Environment

Reduction in fossil energy inputs by substitution of agro-chemicals by biological processes (e.g. biological control of pests and diseases and biological N2

fixation)

Integration of the bio-energy and food crops

Intercrops with African oil palmRicardo lopes et al., CPAA

Castor oil crop

5/18/2009

Biofuels: Challenges and responses

5/18/2009

Production systems: criteria for sustainability

Soil Plant Climate

Traditional

areas

Areas

of expansion

Expansion of the area forSugar cane production

Excluded

areas

5/18/2009

“Of all of the liquid biofuels, only Brazilian ethanol produced from sugarcane has been consistently competitive in recent

years, without the necessity of continuous subsidies”

Report of FAO -

UNO, on the theme:

“Helping to construct a world without hunger”Rome, June 2008.

Matéria-prima para etanol: cana-de-açúcar

Field N budget for a typical cane variety growing in São

Paulo State (burned cane)

Yield 84 tonnes/ha

Total N (kg N /ha/yr) in:

Cane stems ………………………

42 kg

Trash/senescent leaves*………. 52 kg

Flag leaves (left in field) ………. 62 kg

Total aerial tissue ………………156 kg

Removed by burning and exported to mill …

94 kg

Added as N fertilizer 65 kg N/ha

Balance = minus 29 kg N ha (not counting leaching, volatilization and erosion losses)

Rainfall and dry deposition inputs estimated for Piracicaba

as <9 kg N/ha#

*More than 90 % lost on burning#Lara et

al., 2003, Environ. Pollution

121: 389-399

Sugarcane and maize with no N fertilizer on sandy N-deficient soil (Seropédica, RJ)

Biological N2

fixation in Brazilian cane varieties

1958 –

Johanna Döbereiner & Aliades Ruschel find new species of N2

-fixing bacteria associated with sugar cane (Beijerinckia fluminense)

1972 –

N2

-fixing (nitrogenase) activity detected associated with sugarcane

roots (Dart, Day Döbereiner)

1974 –

Day and Döbereiner, discovery of Azospirillum spp. associated with sugarcane (etc.).

1987 and 1992 –

N balance and 15N-enriched fertilizer studies show large contributions of BNF to sugar cane in pots and a large tank (20 x 6 m –

Lima, Urquiaga, Boddey, Döbereiner)

1986 –

1988 Discovery of two new “endophytic”

N2

fixing bacteria –

Herbaspirillum seropedicae

and Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Baldani, Cavalcante, Döbereiner).

2001 –

On-farm studies with 15N natural abundance show different cane varieties on different plantations able to obtain between 0 and 60¨% of their N from BNF (Boddey, Polidoro, Alves, Resende, Urquiaga).

2008 –

Complete genome sequenced of G. diazotrophicus

(FAPERJ) and Herbaspirillum seropedicae (UFPR et al.).

Contribution of biological N2

fixation to different sugarcane varieties determined with 15N isotope dilution

and N balance*

*Data from

Urquiaga, Cruz & Boddey, 1992, Soil

Sci. Soc. Am. J. 56:105-114

Sugarcane variety

CB 47-8

9

CB 45-3

NA 56-7

9IA

C 52-1

50SP

70-1

143

SP 71

-799

SP 79

-231

2S.

bar

beri

S. sp

onta

neum

N a

ccum

ulat

ion

(g N

m-2)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

N from soilN from N2 fixation

Greenhouse Gas EmissionsGreenhouse Gas Emissions Emission of Emission of GHGsGHGs

during a journey of 100 km run by the same during a journey of 100 km run by the same

vehicle using three different fuels*vehicle using three different fuels*

Model Motor Fuel Consumption Km/L

Maximum power

GHGs kg CO2

Avoided emission

(%) S10 single

cabin 2.8 turbo Diesel 13.5 140 CV 29.69 --

S10 single cabin

2.4 flexpower Pure gasoline 10.4 141 CV 35.10 0

S10 single cabin

2.4 flexpower

Brazilian gasoline

(24% etanol) 9.5 141 CV 28.34 19

S10 single cabin

2.4 flexpower

Ethanol (sugarcane,

Brazil) 7.2 147 CV 6.92 80

The vehicle running ethanol from sugarcane emits only 20 % of the GHGs

which it would emit using pure gasoline

ORThe use of Brazilian bioethanol

promotes a mitigation of 80 % of the

GHGs

emitted when the same distance is covered using pure gasoline

Impact of GHG emissions of biological nitrogen fixation

Today a mean of approximately 60 kg N fertilizer are applied per

ha of sugarcane. The manufacture, transport and application of this quantity of N fertilizer emits 270 kg CO2

eq. On application to the soil, IPCC estimates that 1 % of the N (600 g) is emitted as N2

O, equivalent to an emission of 292 kg CO2

.Thus the total GHG emission = 562 CO2

eq.Nearly all other countries in the world use between 150 and 200 kg N fertilizer per ha. So BNF saves Brazil an emission from ~120 kg N (1100 kg CO2

eq) which would increase total GHG emission by 33 %.If further advances in BNF research results in the complete elimination of N fertilizer then present GHG emissions will be reduced by 17

%.

*

Manufacture, transport and application of 1kg N fertilizer emits

4.5 kg CO2

eq of GHGs

(IPCC, 2006)

Impact of change from burned cane to green-cane harvesting

Year1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000

Mea

n ca

ne y

ield

(Mg

ha-1

)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Rai

nfal

l (m

m)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800Cane burned Trash conserved

a

aa

a

a

aa

a

bb

b

b

b

b

b

b

Rainfall (mm)

aaa

a

aa

aa a a

Usina Cruangi, Timbauba, PE*

*Resende et al., 2006, Plant Soil 281: 337-349

Increase in soil C stocks on change to green cane harvesting = ~300 kg C ha-1

yr-1

over 16 years

Comparison of emissions of GHGs

from the manual harvesting of burned cane with the mechanized harvest of

green (unburned) caneEmission source Emission

CH4(g ha-1)

N2

O(g ha-1)

Fossil CO2(kg ha-1)

Total(kg eq.CO2

ha-1)

Manual harvest, burned cane

1. Cane burning 28,350a 735b - 1,865

2. Manual labour

and transport - - 328 328

TOTAL 2.193

Mechanized harvest, green cane

1. Fuel for harvester (diesel) 5.7 1.1 141 142

2. GHGs

for machine fabrication . - - 5 5

3. Manual labour

and transport 152 152

4. Mineralization of residues 471.4 146

TOTAL 445a

Based on IPCC (2006) methodology for the burning of 13.1 Mg ha-1

of agricultural residues at 80 % efficiency (2.7 kg CH4 Mg-1

burned).b

Based on IPCC (2006) methodology for 13.1 Mg ha-1 of sugarcane residues (0.07 kg N2

O Mg-1

burned).-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At present ~60% of cane is burned for manual harvest. If burning

is completely replaced by mechanized green cane harvesting the mitigation of GHG

emissions increases from 80 to 87%

Impact of GHG emissions on conversion of land to sugarcane production

1 ha of sugarcane produces today ~6,500 Litres

of ethanol which will fuel a journey by a pickup fuelled by 2.4 L flexfuel

motor approximately

46,800 km. This distance requires 4,500 L if pure gasoline is used.The total emission of GHGs

(N2

O, CH4

& fossil CO2

) by the 6,500 L of ethanol = 3,300 kg CO2

eq.The total emission of GHGs

by 4,500 L of pure gasoline = 16,430 kg

CO2

eq

Thus the total avoided emissions (“Carbon sequestration”) of 1 ha of sugarcane used for bioethanol

production =

13,200 kg CO13,200 kg CO22

haha--1 1 (3.6 Mg C ha(3.6 Mg C ha--11) year) year--11..

Impact on GHG emissions of conversion of land to sugarcane production

A low productivity pasture grazed at 0.7 animal units (AU) ha-1

is estimated to emit 2,840 kg CO2

eq ha-1

year-1

(principally CH4

from rumen and N2

O from urine etc.). If there is no change in soil C stocks the change in GHG emissions is from pasture to sugar cane 2,840 to 3,300 kg CO2

eq. For the change from soybean/ maize cropping

to sugarcane the extra GHG emission becomes 3,300 -

1,720 = 1,580 kg CO2

eq.

When land under crops or pastures is planted to sugarcane the extra GHG emissions are unlikely to exceed 1.5 Mg CO2

eq year, which is minor compared to the mitigation (>13 Mg ha-1

yr-1) promoted by bioethanol

production

-

Improvement of soil management, fertilization, irrigation and control of plant insect and diseases.

-

New sugar cane varieties produced for their tolerance to hydric

deficit and salinity through traditional plant breeding techniques or biotechnology (GMs).

-

Isolation and selection of cellulolytic

microorganisms efficient for the hydrolysis of cellulose for ethanol production from bagasse and crop residues.

-

Monitoring of the impact of the use of residues of the ethanol industry in the soil C stock and GHG emission.

-

Optimization of the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation to sugar cane crop, selecting efficient varieties for different climatic conditions.

-

Understanding of the functional genome of diazotrophic

bacteria in the sugar cane crop.

-

Optimization of the production of sugar cane in the North and

North-East of Brazil.

SugarcaneResearch challenges of the Future: Embrapa´s

role

North Northeast

South/southeast-Central-west

Agroenergy

-

Exploitation of local species -

palms, babaçu, ...

-

Recovery of degraded areas

-

Generation of electricity in remote areas of difficult access

-

Boat fuel

-

Exploitation of abundant soybean oil

-

Area for the expansion of sugar cane and other energy crops

-

Reduction in costs of grain transport to the coast substitution of fossil diesel by biodiesel

-

Integrated crop/pasture/forestry production (ILPF)

-

Improvement of air quality in urban areas by the substitution of diesel by biodiesel

-

Exploitation of soybean and other oils produced in the region

-

Castor oil production by small holders –

family agriculture

-

Introduction of other energy crops -

e.g.

Jatropha

Regional motivations for the production of biofuels

-

Integrated crop/pasture/forestry production (ILPF)

-

Integrated crop/pasture/forestry production (ILPF)

5/18/2009

Obrigado!

More information

from bob@cnpab.embrapa.br

Recent publications available on-line

1. Soares, L. H. B.; Muniz, L. C.; Figueiredo, R. C.; Alves, B. J. R.; Boddey, R. M.; Urquiaga, S.; Madari, B. O.; Machado, P. L. O. A. Balanço energético de um sistema integrado lavoura-pecuária no Cerrado. Seropédica, RJ: Embrapa Agrobiologia, 2007, 28p. (Embrapa Agrobiologia, Boletim de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, 26). Disponível on-line em: http://www.cnpab.embrapa.br/publicacoes/download/bot026.pdf

2. Soares, L. H. B.; Alves, B. J. R.; Urquiaga, S.; Boddey, R. M. Mitigação das emissões de gases efeito estufa pelo uso de etanol da cana-de-açúcar produzido no Brasil. Seropédica, RJ: Embrapa Agrobiologia, 2009, 14p. (Embrapa Agrobiologia, Circular Técnica, 27). Disponível on-line em: http://www.cnpab.embrapa.br/publicacoes/download/cit027.pdf