Brazil and the world market in the development of technologies for the production of second-generation ethanol

Due to the environmental impacts of fossil fuels, agro-industrial residues have become a viable alternative for a more ecological production of fuels. This research aims to investigate Bra-zil's participation in the technology developments by using biomass to produce second-generation ethanol. Searches were carried out using technological information contained in patent documents applied worldwide. The results showed an increase in the number of patents applied between 2006 and 2015, but not enough for the sector to reach technological maturity to deal with the great chal-lenges faced by industrial plants on a commercial scale. Public investments have directly impacted the creation of inventions associated with second-generation ethanol. Among the players, Chinese public organizations stand out, as well as North American companies and, to a much less extent, Brazilian universities. Most private companies originated from traditional petrochemical sectors, evidencing a strategic movement of capital already established to meet the growing trends towards biofuels. Despite being the second-largest ethanol producer globally, Brazil has low national tech-nological development. Even though a recent downturn was felt, it is concluded that the sector faces a favorable scenario in the production of biofuels for the coming decades, based on new technolog-ical routes.(c) 2022 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Due to the environmental impacts of fossil fuels, agro-industrial residues are being explored as a viable alternative for eco-friendly fuel production. This research investigates Brazil's involvement in the development of biomass-based second-generation ethanol. Findings reveal an increasing number of patents applied between 2006 and 2015, but the sector still lacks the technological maturity to address the challenges faced by industrial plants. Public investments play a significant role in fostering inventions related to second-generation ethanol, with notable contributions from Chinese public organizations and North American companies, along with a lesser extent from Brazilian universities. Despite being the second-largest ethanol producer globally, Brazil has a low level of national technological development. However, the sector is expected to have a promising future in biofuel production based on new technological advancements.