1. Sugarcane-based Ethanol
By: Nathan Mattingly, Connor Warholic, and Bradley Neumann

2. About Sugarcane Ethanol
Contains mostly water
Type of biofuel
By-products of this process are also utilized
Can be mixed with gasoline

3. Video

4. Topic Relevance Cleaner than fossil fuels Renewable
Still being researched
Expanding industry

5. History Began in Brazil
No light car in Brazil has run on pure gasoline for decades
Favored due to land-to-product efficiency and renewability
Testing for cane based biofuel began in 1903
By 1925, there were small amounts of Ford Model T’s running on ethanol

6. History (cont.)
1931, Brazil begins blending all fuel with anhydrous ethanol, 5% ethanol
Oil Shock of 1973; inspired more interest in ethanol, government spurred ethanol production by controlling prices
Interest dropped with decreasing crude oil prices, sugar cane back to free market
New fleet of flex fuel engines in 2003 allowed customers to use a blend of 25% ethanol or pure ethanol, resparking interest in ethanol
Efficiency increased by 3.5% (productivity per acre) each year from 1975 to 2005
Advancement is becoming limited due to drop in interest

7. Comparison of United States versus Brazil

8. Future Research
Looking into ways to reduce the greenhouse emissions from the ethanol such as the use of molasses in India.
Looking at the ways that energy can be saved when producing the sugar
Different sugar plant varieties

9. Future Research (cont.)
Modeling different areas in an attempt to calculate how much ethanol could be produced from an area
Finding new combinations of plants that could also help in producing ethanol from plants
Ex. corn

10. Conclusion
Sugarcane ethanol is a biofuel made from the fermentation of sugarcane
Very high energy output-to-input ratio
Has been relevant in Brazil for around a decade
The progress of sugar cane varies with the price of crude oil
Much left to discover in the anhydrous ethanol field
Efficiency, reducing energy input, reducing land requirements, other plants
Expected to expand to other areas such as India

11. References
Goldemberg, Jose, PhD, and Luiz Nogueira, PhD. "Sweetening the Biofuel Sector: The History of Sugarcane Ethanol in Brazil." Bioenergy Connection. Energy Biosciences Institute, n.d. Web. 19 Oct
Tsiropoulos, Ioannis, André P. C. Faaij, Joaquim E. A. Seabra, Lars Lundquist, Urs Schenker, Jean-François Briois, and Martin K. Patel. "Life Cycle Assessment of Sugarcane Ethanol Production in India in Comparison to Brazil." Int J Life Cycle Assess The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19.5 (2014): Web.
Gaugy, Peggy. "OSU Plant Dictionary00108OSU Plant Dictionary. Columbus, OH 43210, USA: The Ohio State University URL: Edu/plants.html No Charge." Electronic Resources Review 4.10 (2013): Web. 7 Oct
"7.2 Sugarcane Ethanol Production." Welcome! N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov

12. Questions?