Raízen reveals plans for second cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil

Brazilian sugarcane ethanol, sugar, and bioenergy major Raízen SA has recently disclosed that it will invest in the construction of a second cellulosic ethanol plant (E2G) with an installed production capacity of 82 million litres per annum, double the capacity of its first cellulosic ethanol plant at its Costa Pinto facility in Piracicaba, São Paulo (SP). The new E2G plant will be built at its Bonfim facility in Guariba, SP.

According to a statement on June 25, 2021, the new E2G plant will be integrated into the Bonfim Bioenergy park located in Guariba, São Paulo (SP), which in addition to the production of sugar, first-generation ethanol, and electricity from sugarcane biomass, also houses the company’s first biogas plant that was inaugurated in October 2020.

The announcement of the new plant meets the growing demand for the product in the international market, with 91 percent of its volume already sold under a long-term contract with a global energy player.

The E2G plant is expected to start operating in 2023. With the start-up of this second plant, Raízen’s total annual production capacity of cellulosic ethanol will be approximately 120 million litres making Raízen the only producer in the world to operate two industrial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants.