The priority of the company is to increase the ethanol production with investments of around $1.9 billion. In collaboration with their partners, the company is looking to produce around 1.5 billion gallons in 2015 which is about 12% of the market. The company will be the top producer in the domestic market if they reach this goal.

Petrobras will use 70% of the investments in the ethanol segment to make new ethanol, construct plants, put up distilleries, and renewal of the plantation. The investments will be done with partners like Nova Fronteira, Total Agroindustria Canavieira, and Guarani.

On the biodiesel segment, the company is looking to maintain its domestic share of around 25% of the market thru their $00 million of investments. Petrobras has about 5 plants today with biodiesel volume expected to hit 700 million every year.

The $300 million that will be poured into research will be used primarily to develop second gen ethanol for industrial production.

Based on the European Commission’s report that was made public just last week, the various alternatives to fuel have increased its potentials to successfully replace the fuel made from fossil sources that are decreasing by the minute. This translates that transportation might rely on these fuel alternatives that could sustain us by year 2050. Moreover, this adds that by year 2050, we could be looking at transportations means that are free from oil use and CO2 emissions. This is because we need to reduce the CO2 emission’s effects on the environment and address the looming problems of energy supply.

Groups remain enthusiastic that the combined technology of biofuels and lithium-on batteries or fuel cells could replace the oil made from fossils. These two remain as our main options to alternative fuels. Other options include the use of LPG, biomethane, natural gas, and other synthetic fuels.

Later this year, the initiative on these alternative fuels will be released back-to-back with revised policies made by the Commission. The group aims to come up with long-term plans that would successfully meet the energy demands of the transport system with various fuel alternatives that can sustain us by year 2050.

The panel takes into consideration that different mode of transportation requires different types of alternative fuel in terms of amount and power. The alternative fuel’s compatibility with the current infrastructure is also taken into consideration. Based on the reports, the only way to lower or even emit the CO2 emissions caused by transportation is to use alternative fuel.

In the recent scientific study, the international group of scientists found a system of extracellular enzymes that occurs uniquely in the rot fungus species. This particular enzyme is believed to be a potential ingredient in the production of more cost-effective biofuels.

To be more specific, this particular enzyme system, according to the analysis, can work around the polymer lignin structures of the plant matter. Brown rot has the ability to effectively unbind, breakdown and ferment the sugar units in the plant matter.

In other words, with the help of brown rot, wood can be harnessed as distilled, liquid biofuel in the future.

Not a lot of organisms can breakdown the plant’s lignin into manageable chemical units for biofuel production. The lignin is part of the plant’s protective system that shields it from pests. One of the exceptions is the basidiommycete fungi, wood decayers that include white and brown rot.

Before this study, brown rot was considered a “pest” in the US timber industry, wreaking havoc on an economically significant number of timbers every year.

This recent study was conducted by no less than 50 authors from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL).

It was earlier reported on the online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) last February 4, 2009.