Strategies to improve the environmental efficiency and the profitability of sugarcane mills

The Brazilian sugarcane industry is relevant in the country since the colonial period. Nowadays, there are sugarcane mills all over Brazil in a number over 350, which are responsible for generating jobs for the population and valuable products for the society. The development of this industry was is mostly due to governmental incentives, through several mechanisms. The last governmental program that aimed to boost ethanol production was the RenovaBio program. This program aimed to help the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Moreover, the RenovaBio also collaborates economically for the development of the ethanol industry by creating a new product, the decarbonization credit (CBio). This aspect is interesting because it provides a new possibility to increase ethanol company?s profits. Additionally, it shows that through improving process efficiency in all of the production steps (from agriculture up to product distribution) with positive impacts on environmental it is possible to increase profits. In this review, it will be discussed the potential of the CBio market and also suggestions to optimize ethanol and to increase ethanol production, reduce costs and improve environmental efficiency.