Sustainable production, this is the "mantra" that guides various sectors; among them, agribusiness. The environment is the livelihood of those who live in the countryside, and the most demanding markets are "on the foot" of those who do not adapt to the new standards. That's where biofuels come in.

Learn more about the impact of fossil fuels, the importance of biofuels and how the demand for this product affects Brazilian agro.

Why is it important to abandon the burning of fossil fuels?

What if it were possible to prevent one in five deaths in the world? That's the importance of replacing fossil fuels in the globe's production matrix —and biofuels are a bet to improve global health.

The figures are from a study published in the scientific journal Environmental Research. The research was drawn up from a partnership between Harvard University, University College London, the University of Birmingham and the University of Leicester.

What the Americans and the British have discovered is that 8 million people die every year in the world from the burning of fossil fuels. This represents 20% of all deaths recorded annually, except for the pandemic period.

At the conclusion of the study, other data on the subject are confirmed: respiratory diseases have grown along with pollution caused by the burning of coal, gasoline and diesel. Examples of this are asthma, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and premature death.

This impact on health occurs because the particles expelled in this process are extremely thin and are therefore not retained by the nasal filter that the human body naturally presents. Once in the lung, they lodge deeply and cause chronic problems.

The impacts of carbon emissions listed by the group of scientists are not new, but have allowed safer conclusions. That's because the researchers mapped the atmosphere of our entire planet and measured the pollution of each of the pre-delimited satellite areas, differentiating carbon emissions from other aerial waste.

Why do high-tech companies bet on biofuels?

Faced with the problem that burning fossil fuels represents, large technology companies have been researching a way to replace them with new energy sources that are sustainable. And so far, biofuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol, are more interesting alternatives.

A recent example of this effort came from a joint action between Bosch, Nissan, Volkswagen and the Alcohol Manufacturing Industry Union in the State of Paraíba (Sindalcool-PB). This partnership aims to improve the model of ethanol-powered fuel cell technology, a method that consists of a chemical reaction whereby ethanol hydrogen is separated and generates electricity "alone", ensuring energy for the car without the emission of pollutants.

How do biofuels impact Brazilian agribusiness?

It is not only the Amazon that deserves the nickname of "world lung". Brazil has expertise in the production of biofuels that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and respiratory diseases by 90%. And everything indicates that the Brazilian agro still has a long journey in the planting of energy solutions.

According to data from Sindalcool-PB, between 2003 and 2021, Brazil tripled sugarcane planting, which rose from 200 million to 600 million tons. Thanks to this, 46% of the fleet that circulates in the country currently uses ethanol.

The idea now is to bring this experience to the world from multinational automakers. Brazil is unique in ethanol production capacity, both in planting, logistics and sugarcane processing, having many applications. The environment and Brazilian agribusiness gain, which is consolidated in the leadership of the sector in the midst of the scenario of high commodities.

Source: Canal AGRO