Brazilian sugarcane ethanol has been promoted for years as the world&rsquo;s most environmentally friendly biofuel. Policies have been created worldwide which give sugarcane ethanol preference over corn ethanol due its perceived lack of environmental impacts. In the U.S., this has led to a situation whereby domestically produced corn ethanol is being exported to Brazil while at the same time Brazil is exporting its sugarcane-based product to the U.S. to meet low-carbon blending requirements. But now, <a href="http://www.ucmerced.edu/sites/www/files/public/documents/brazil.pdf" target="_blank">a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Merced</a> and recently published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change offers a differing view of the true environmental impacts of Brazilian sugarcane production.
&ldquo;There is a big strategic decision our country and others are making, in whether to develop a domestic biofuels industry or import relatively inexpensive biofuels from developing countries,&rdquo; UC Merced professor Elliott Campbell said. &ldquo;Our study shows that importing biofuels could result in human health and environmental problems in the regions where they are cultivated.&rdquo;
Lead author Chi-Chung Tsao, a university graduate student, along with Campbell and fellow professor Yihsu Chen found that the amount of sugarcane cropland burned in Brazil every year has not been accurately reported. In fact, despite some efforts on a regional level to discourage the practice, more than half of Brazil&rsquo;s sugarcane fields are burned every year. The result is a reduction in air quality that can offset sugarcane ethanol&rsquo;s benefits over petroleum, according to Campbell.
The effects of burning sugarcane fields have been monitored by satellites, but the researchers found that the small spatial scale of individual fires has led to an incorrect assessment of the environmental impact posed by burning the cropland. By revising regional estimates to take this into consideration, the study's authors showed that burned areas could be up to four times greater than previously estimated, which suggests that the impact of sugarcane ethanol on the environment could be much greater than previously believed.

A UC Merced study shows the burning of sugarcane crops prior to harvest can cause significant air pollution.

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The effects of burning sugarcane fields have been monitored by satellites, but California researchers found that the small spatial scale of individual fires has led to an incorrect assessment of the environmental impact posed by burning cropland.

Study exposes sugarcane ethanol's environmental flaw

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Study exposes sugarcane ethanol's environmental flaw