MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil opens first corn ethanol plant; the country leads in sugarcane ethanol

Brazil is the biggest sugarcane ethanol producer globally. The US, meanwhile, is the top ethanol producer, relying mainly on corn as feedstock.

Brazilian company FS Bioenergia inaugurated a corn ethanol plant, the first in the country, to produce 210 million liters year. The plant was built by a joint venture between the local agro-company Fiagril and US-based Summit Agricultural Group with investments of BRL 450 million (US$ 141.1m), said the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Farming.

 Brazil is the biggest sugarcane ethanol producer globally. The US, meanwhile, is the top ethanol producer, relying mainly on corn as feedstock.

Located in the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso state, Brazil's first corn ethanol plant will also generate power and make other corn products like oil and bran. The plant will use fiber-removing technology during the ethanol production process, improving yield and efficiency by creating co-products rich in essential nutrients, the ministry noted.

President Michel Temer, present during the inauguration, said that this is just the first of other projects in line with Brazil's targets under the Paris Climate Accord.