Comparative Life-Cycle Analysis of Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol and North American Ethanol

The purpose of this study is to compare the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and net energy balance associated with ethanol produced from sugarcane in Brazil and corn and cellulosic ethanol from North America on a life-cycle basis. Because Brazilian ethanol would need to be imported, GHG emissions and energy associated with international logistics are taken into account. The conclusions from this analysis indicate that sugarcane ethanol is considerably better than corn ethanol even when considering the energy associated with importing ethanol from Brazil. Despite the many disparate conclusions amongst existing ethanol life-cycle studies, there seems to be a consensus that both cellulosic and sugarcane ethanol could provide substantial environmental benefits when compared to corn ethanol and gasoline. As the technology for the production of ethanol from cellulosic sources matures, more options will become available.