Presentation

Bioethanol Science and Technology Center (CTBE)'s 2^nd Workshop on the Impact of New Technologies on the Sustainability of the Sugarcane/Bioethanol Production Cycle aims at presenting and discussing the proposed research program on this subject. CTBE’s Sustainability Program will focus on the comparison between alternative processes for the production of ethanol from sugarcane (e.g., using low impact mechanization techniques at the agricultural side and introducing ethanol production through hydrolysis of residual sugarcane biomass) and the conventional one. The main purposes are to identify advantages and/or disadvantages of alternative processes and to evaluate the necessary actions in order to maximize benefits and reduce drawbacks.

During the period 2010-2013, the proposed Bioethanol Center's research activities on sustainability of bioethanol will be organized around the following research subjects: energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission balances; land use change (LUC); soil carbon stock changes and emissions of nitrous oxide; socio-economic impacts; water use and its impacts on water resources.

The Workshop will be held in November 11^th and 12^th, at the CTBE's facilities, in Campinas, Brazil. The Workshop itself will occur in two days (in four periods). Besides an introductory session, with two lectures that will set the scene on sustainability of biofuels in Brazil and abroad, the research activities will be presented and discussed in five consecutive sessions, each one devoted to the previously described research subjects. At the end of each session, there will be time for the participants to present suggestions and for the discussion of details.

Aiming at the interaction with the foreign invited experts, it is recommended that all presentations should be in English. It is not the organizer's intention to provide simultaneous translation.