Overcoming Challenges the implementation of Biobusiness in Brazil: Basis of business technology incubation in Embrapa

Embrapa Agroenergy – The rich Brazilian biodiversity, the expansion of markets, population growth, globalization and the prediction of the scarcity of natural resources are incentives for business development in the field of biological sciences – Biobusiness. To realize them are being created new companies to participate in a growing market and that, besides the specific demands for new products and services, has to attend a social and economic demands, and concerns in parallel with the environment and rational use of natural resources.

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Simulating land use and agriculture expansion in Brazil: food, energy, agro-industrial and environmental impacts

FAPESP – Brazilian agro-industrial output has experienced a cycle of strong expansion. The awareness that the era of cheap oil has reached an end and the growing energy concerns made the search for viable alternatives to hydrocarbon-based fuels into a global priority. The role of biofuels and bioenergy has shifted from a solution for reducing Green House Gases (GHG) emissions to the cause of rising food prices, environmental degradation and even threatening global food security. At the same time, increasing income in developing countries has brought millions of people to increase their levels of food consumption, boosting international demand. National demand for agricultural products has also increased, pushed by biofuels (mainly ethanol) and grains for food and feed production. Within this context, Brazilian agricultural industry has responded to the world’s need for food, feed, fiber and biofuels by both improving its yields and expanding cultivated area and investments. To analyze this issues properly, in partnership with FAPRI (Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute), ICONE developed an economic model called Brazilian Land Use Model (BLUM). The present application proposes the use and development of the BLUM for the food versus fuel debate. The BLUM will be sufficiently general to forecast all the main agricultural products in the entire national territory and, at the same time, detailed enough to deal with the (very) different regional characteristics of national territory. With this project, ICONE wants to answer to the following questions: what will be the growth in sugarcane planted area to respond to a growing demand? How will it affect land use change? What will be the main positive and negative environmental impacts? Is there any policy to be implemented by the government or the private sector to improve the rational use of the land? The research on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) methodology is under continuous development. The BLUM has been improved to generate results on land use change instead of only land allocation. However, the need for additional improvements has been identified, which is the aim of this project (AU)

Source: FAPESP,

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Science – “Full Coverage”

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt
The Science on-line magazine has an important review about all information of the Avian Influenza virus, since the Federal advisory committee has recommended that two research groups withhold key details from their pending publications on the H5N1. The Collection called “H5N1 Full Coverage“ and it includes “Commentary” and “Editorials”. For a look at the history of avian flu research as published in Science, since 2006, a special issue on avian flu, as well as selections the Science Classic archive is related…… Enjoy

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Brazilian company is the world’s second most sustainable

Biomass & Bioenergy – The 8th annual report of the Corporate Knights released in January, on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said that Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics company, is the 2nd company most sustainable in the world. The document mentions the 100 corporations that have been outstanding with regard to sustainability, three of which are Brazilian – Natura (2nd), Bradesco (61st) and Petrobras (81st).
Corporate Knights is a Canadian firm for media and finance, dedicated to promoting responsible business practices. To create the ranking, the company’s research group worked with about 400 candidates and selected the 100 most sustainable been of 11 environmental, social and governance issues.
The first place went to Novo Nordisk, the Danish drug company. The recipe for success: a neat philosophy in business, a significant reduction in carbon footprint and selling discount medicines to developing countries.
Natura stood out on the following criteria: energy productivity, measured as output per gigajoule of energy consumed, waste productivity, measured per ton of waste. According to Alessandro Carlucci, CEO of the company, “Our responsibility increases the size of our pride with such recognition.” That is, a continuous improvement.
In the race to include sustainability in the corporate world, Brazil is gradually reaching a good position among the industrialized nations. It is important that other Brazilian companies follow the good example and put the head in eco-efficient practices.

Source: Biomass & Bioenergy, February 27th, 2012
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The greatest sustainable forests runner in Brazil

Biomass & Bioenergy- After 10 years of activities, the project “Runners of the Atlantic Forest” celebrating the formation of a large with 700 hectares forest corridor linking the two principal of Conservation’s Units biome in Pontal do Paranapanema (extreme west of Sâo Paulo), the Ecological Station “Mico Leâo Dourado” Black (ESEC-MLP) and the State Park “Morro do Diabo” (PEMD).
This is the first phase of the project started in 2002, by the IPÊ (Ecological Research Institute), with coordination of researcher Dr. Laury Cullen Jr. The objective is to conserve the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest through the restoration in Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserve (RL) of rural properties.
The project aims to reconstruct the landscape of a region well known for dispute over land ownership and the degradation for the green areas, today summarized as “patches of forest,” who harbor endangered species like the black lion tamarin, jaguar painted, the ocelot, among others.
“One of the problems for the survival of these species is precisely the loss of habitat and corridor is one of the ways to meet this need to travel between protected areas, both for food and for animal breeding,” said Laury Cullen Jr.
Altogether, 1.4 million of trees were planted to reconnect the southern portion of PEMD (37 thousands hectares) with one of four fragments of ESEC-MLP (7 thousand hectares). The last 93 hectares were planted in December 2011 and monitored by the IPE till establish themselves as forest. The corridor runs through the Rosanela’s farm, located between the two Conservation Units. The planted area was part of an environmental liability of the property, according to the current Brazilian’ forest code.
To choose the strategic areas for planting, the IPÊ follows his “Map of Dreams,” a study conducted by its researchers to identify priority areas for forest restoration, significant for the biodiversity, therefore, need to be reconnected. The next challenge now is to make a new corridor, the northern portion of the PEMD, planting 5 thousands hectares of forest in APPs and RLs of eleven major properties.
“To happen we need the support of the owners of these lands. The benefit is for all involved, as the major producers suited to your area according to the law, which brings economic advantages, especially to them; local communities gain by selling the seedlings their nurseries and forest is restored along with all the environmental services that all humans need, “added Cullen.
The planting of the corridor was conducted with support of Petrobras and BNDES, as well as International and National partnerships companies such as Natura, CESP, Duke Energy over a decade of work. In the restoration, the project has a working community involvement, with training of middle and small landowners in sustainable agriculture, environmental education, and development of community nurseries, many suppliers of seedlings for planting.

Source and Photo: Biomass & Bioenergy, February 13rd, 2012
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Algae: Biofuel’s new ally

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea – Article published in Science Magazine (January, 19th, 2012) reports that researchers at Bio Architecture Lab (BAL), of Berkeley, United States, modified genetically the Escherichia coli bacteria to extract sugar from brown seaweeds. The major obstacle to the achievement of these algae biofuels is that bacteria do not metabolize the immediate alginate component of algae rich in sugars. The researchers’ strategy was to clone an enzyme that degrade and metabolize this substance. E. coli – bacteria found in human digestive system and in some mammals – GM could not only process the alginate but also ferment it to produce ethanol. The sugar concentrated of the algae provides a significant amount of biomass that favors their use commercially. Another bright spot: the algae are cultivated at sea and not compete space with areas of food crops.

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Biorefinery of the future

Revista FAPESP – The ethanol production future seems to be more promising that all the predictions made so far. According to a study by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP), will be possible to fill in 2030 the entire fleet of vehicles in the world with ethanol and electricity produced in plants cane sugar.

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Energy and Waste Forests: Bio-oil and biochar

Embrapa Agroenergy – Using a eucalyptus wood in fast pyrolysis process, the Embrapa Agroenergy (Brasilia, Brazil), produced a bio-oil that can also be made from almost all types of organic materials.

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Artificial hamburger meat reaches the consumer’s table

Avilcutura Industrial – The first hamburger with meat grown in the laboratory, the reproduction of muscle fibers generated from stem cells of cattle, can go to the table in October this year, said the project leader for the creation of artificial flesh of the German University of Maastricht, Mark Post at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, Canada.
According to the Financial Times, where news was published, the researcher wants to invite the famous chef Heston Blumenthal to prepare it – Blumenthal is owns the English restaurant The Fat Duck, elected in 2005 the best in the world by Restaurant Magazine. According to information published by the newspaper, the meat made in the laboratory, at least for now, it looks like a thick juicy rare steak of the steakhouse, because they have no blood. It is, instead, of a pale yellow and rosaceous. Therefore, the look is one of the points at which the Post team knows that they must concentrate efforts going forward.
If the fashion get, the technology could have major impacts for Brazil, the largest exporter of beef in the world. According to the researchers, one of the great advantages of producing meat on lab is the yield. In the field, only 15% of vegetable protein ingested by animals is effectively transformed into flesh. In the laboratory, there is a expecting to reach 50%. One of the curiosities about the production of meat in the laboratory is that, to grow, the muscle fibers must be worked out.
Therefore, they are bent and stretched in the disks on which it are produced and fed with vegetable protein and nutrients similar to those found in the diet of cattle. Until the process can be replayed on industrial scale, however, researchers still estimate to be necessary between 10 to 20 years. To increase the similarity and guarantee the taste of hamburgers, fat cells are also being tested in the laboratory and will be added to the muscle fiber.

Source and Photo: Avicultura Industrial, February 13rd, 2012
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Livestock and greenhouse gases

By Cacilda Borges do Vale

Portal Dia de Campo – The Climate change observed in this last century throughout the world is indisputable facts that cause controversy and speculation. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere are credited as the villains of global warming, but if they were not, there would be no life possible on Earth, because the temperatures were at least 30 degrees lower. The problem is to increase the concentration thereof. In fact, the main gases in the atmosphere are nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2), which together make up about 99% of the atmosphere. Since the greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and water vapor are present in small quantities.
These gases absorb infrared radiation emanating from Earth and not allow it to escape into space, keeping the Earth warm. The higher the concentration of gases is more difficult the heat exchange. The concentration of greenhouse gases has increased due to human activities such as the use of fossil fuels, biomass burning, etc., but also the agriculture and livestock is liable as a part of this increase and the potentiating of greenhouse effect, that could have serious consequences for life on Earth. Hence the importance of studying, clarifies record and finally take steps to mitigate the greenhouse effect in order to preserve biodiversity and quality of life on our planet.
Since Brazil is a major producer and largest exporter of beef has become the target of allegations of major world polluter. Cattle are capable of converting plants into meat and milk, but the anaerobic digestion of organic matter in the rumen, releases the methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent in causing the greenhouse effect than CO2. This gas is eliminated mainly through the mouth of the animal, therefore is the way that the animals cause the pollution. Less than 10% of the methane is removed from the gut.
A qualidade da dieta do animal tem uma forte influência sobre a emissão de metano e esta é uma das principais linhas de pesquisa para mitigar as emissões de GEE. O melhoramento genético de forrageiras visando uma melhor valor nutricional, juntamente com a gestão adequada para acumular forragem mais cedo e, se utilizado com os animais jovens irá reduzir significativamente as emissões de metano.
Thus, those who invest in training, recovery and management using improved cultivars will be able to increase the carrying capacity of grazing animals per unit area and more is reflected in younger plants in the field, which in turn are higher quality and digestibility producting less methane that is released to atmosphere. The intensification of this system results in higher production volume of live weight per hectare, finishing cattle sooner and with less environmental impact. It is good to get the useful and profitable.
It is important to remember that there are always advantages and disadvantages to each situation and, to find a sensible balance between them. If in one hand is necessary to feed a growing population with high-value protein as in meat and milk, it is also important to minimize the emission of methane and other gases with a more rational agriculture and livestock efficiently, generating forage cultivars with high nutritional value and effective for animals transform them. It is now possible to increase significantly the productivity of a pasture without having to deploy new areas. Pastures of better quality, efficient selection of animals on feed conversion and intensification of production system with finishing animals like bull early should be encouraged and even rewarded by bonuses of companies and governments aware. The Good Manufacturing Practices, encompassing the factors of production, social and environmental factors in cattle can minimize criticism and countering the barriers non-tariff to our valuable product and thus benefit the entire supply chain as well as the final consumer.

Source: Portal Dia de Campo, August 3rd, 2011

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