Novozymes agree to supply enzymes for Brazilian bagasse - bioethanol process - and Brazilian Politics dirty dancing

Novozymes has concluded a development agreement with CTC, (Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira)the Brazilian sugar cane industry’s technical center. Under this agreement Novozymes will contribute enzyme technology for developing bioethanol from bagasse.

Novozymes and CTC are collaborating on a research project to produce bioethanol from bagasse – the fibrous waste celulose residual product of sugar production from sugar cane.

When fully deeloped the process will provide higher ethanol yield in the production process from sugar cane, reduce energy inputs, optimize the process economy and energy balance. This will make less damnds on land use and reduce even further the emissons from ethanal production of the so called "greenhouse" gases.

This is seen as a landmark agrement and will be signed today the presence of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (1st Braz. Pres. to make it to Denmark ***) and Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of biofuel almost all of that from sugar cane and Lula is on a trip to get tariffs cut or removed. (See IHT report) Almost 40% of Brazil’s gasoline consumption is now covered by bioethanol, and the country also exports a large proportion of its production - which of course atracts a 62 cents a gallon import duty into the US and the EU has tariffs. (see Miami Herald report on WTO case by Brazil)

Prs. Lula had spent 2 days in sweden as a guest of Parliamentary President Per Westerberg and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt who announced the intention of removing their special tax on imported ethanol.

Sweden was the second stop on Lula's Nordic tour that began in Finland on Monday where Tarja Halonen, the Finnish president, said Brazil deserved a seat on the UN security council.

He landed in Denmark Wednesday evening and with his wife, Marisa Leticia was met by Queen Margrethe (in red hat) and was heading for Norway later in the day and then travelling on to Spain to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos.

Brazil and Nordic bloc trade increased by 80% since 2003 and reached (€2.8 billion) in 2006 claims the Brazilian Foreign Ministry.

CTC, located in Piraciciba in Sao Paulo, is supported by 160 companies producing sugar and alcohol who deal with 12,000 sugar cane suppliers. They have 300 employees in nationwide experimental stations.

The centres undertake research in logistics, and agronomy, including mechanic planting and harvesting, biotechnology, biological pest control, healthy seedlings, geoprocessing, satellite images, production environment charts, sugar and alcohol production, and power generation.

*** Pres. Lula's friend and ally, President of the Brazilian Senate, Renan Calheiros, has narrowly survived a vote today (behind closed doors and thanks to six vital abstentions) to expel him from office . This follows a lengthy corruption scandal in which had denied accepting bribes from a lobbyist in exchange for government contracts - but did admit using the lobbyist to pass on child support payments to his former mistress and his 2 year old daughter.

It got a bit rough inside and outside and a few punches were thrown and the un gentmanly Renan shouted at his former fellow Senator Heloísa Helena that she was a constant tax avoider to evade taxes taxes. She shouted back that he had never done such a thing and that Renan should wash his mouth out with disinfectant before he spoke of her.