RESEARCH & MILL: Industrial Processes

This tour includes the visit to the new Brazilian ethanol research center, to the industrial facilities of a traditional sugar mill, and to an important public institution devoted to sugarcane breeding and technology.

CTBE is the newest Brazilian bioethanol research center, integrated to the Brazilian Center of Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a private not-for-profit organization, linked to the Brazilian Federal Government.









The facilities of CTBE are located in Campinas, São Paulo. When completed, the 7900 square meters of infrastructure will house up to 50 permanent researchers, a similar number of visitors (graduate students, PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and associated researchers) and 90 technical collaborators. CTBE focus in five main research programs: Basic Science, Pilot Plant for Process Development (PPDP), Low Impact Mechanization for No-till Farming of Sugarcane, Sustainability, and Sugarcane Virtual Biorefinery. The starting point of the basic science program at CTBE is the Pilot Plant for Process Development (PPDP), beginning with sugarcane lignocellulosic biomass.

CTBE research program is designed to be highly collaborative with other Brazilian as well as international research organizations. The visit to CTBE is an opportunity to get acquainted with its modern facilities and qualified staff.

São João Mill (Usina São João - USJ) a pioneer mill of the São João Group, was founded in 1944 in the city of Araras (SP) and currently processes 3.7 million tons of sugarcane (with the capacity to mill 4 million) employing 2,100 workers. USJ cultivate around 40,000 hectares of sugarcane in its own land as well as on lands of partners and sugarcane suppliers. Its annual output is about 300,000 tons of sugar and 130 million liters of anhydrous and hydrous ethanol, and 60 000 MW of electricity to ensure self-sufficiency of the industrial plant.

Visitors will have the opportunity to follow the whole processing of sugarcane in a large industrial facility – from the crushing of cane arriving at the mill, to the production of sucrose and ethanol. The production and destination of wastes or by-products (vinasse, bagasse, filter cake, ashes) are also of interest to visitors.

 
The Inter University Network for the Development of Sugar and Alcohol - RIDESA is formed by several Brazilian Federal Universities, and was created with the purpose of carring on research aimed at improving the productivity of the sugarcane industry.

Ridesa infra-structure counts on 31 experimental stations strategically located throughout Brazil in states where the cultivation of cane sugar has higher importance. Besides these experimental stations, the network also carries out research on the campuses of seven Federal Universities, which allow the integration of graduate students and the formation of new scientists to work with sugarcane.

In the more than 20 years of operation, RIDESA placed great emphasis to the maintenance of the breeding program of sugarcane previously of the Federal Government Planalsucar program, having released 65 cultivars. Currently RB varieties (the acronym of RIDESA materials) are being used in more than 50% of the area cultivated with sugarcane in Brazil, reaching in some regions up to 70% of the area.

The visit will take place at the Center for Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCAR), in Araras, SP, one of the most important research centers of RIDESA network. Those attending this tour will learn about the breeding program and will have the opportunity to visit labs, nurseries and other research facilities.

Websites: http://www.bioetanol.org.br/english/ - http://www.usj.com.br/ - http://www.ridesa.com.br/

Day 1: August 18th, 2011
12:00 h	Departure from Campos do Jordão bound to Campinas
16:30 h	Visit to CTBE, Campinas
19:30 h	Departure from Campinas, destination Araras, SP
21:30 h	Dinner and accommodation in a 3-star hotel, with breakfast
Day 2: August 19th, 2011
7:30 h	Departure from the hotel bound for São João Sugarcane Mill; expected arrival time: 8:30 h
	Reception by mill staff at the plant. Visit to the industrial area, sugarcane quality laboratory; cane crushing yard, sugar and ethanol production plants; energy cogeneration facilities.
12:30 h	Lunch
13:30 h	Departure for UFSCar-RIDESA
14:30 h	Arrival at RIDESA. Visit to the laboratories; the breeding program of sugarcane; seedlings nursery and production of sugarcane commercial clones in greenhouses
18:00 h	Departure bound for Sao Paulo
21:00 h	Dinner (for those who go to São Paulo) and accommodation in a 3-star hotel in São Paulo, where the tour ends. For those not wishing to return to São Paulo the tour will end after 18:00h. They will be delivered to Campinas International Airport, or back to the hotel in Campinas (hotel and dinner not included in the tour price for those not returning to São Paulo).
Investment
US$ 380,00	Full tour (Campos do Jordão, Campinas, and return to São Paulo). Includes transportation in air-conditioned bus, meals, hotel in Campinas (Aug 18th) and in São Paulo (Aug 19th) and dinner on the way back to São Paulo
US$ 230,00	Tour ending in Araras. Hotel and Dinner on August 19th not included.