Petrobras Inks Biofuels Partnership With KL Energy

Under a joint development agreement, the U.S. arm of Brazilian energy firm Petrobras will optimize KL Energy’s cellulosic ethanol process to use sugarcane bagasse, the residue that remains after sugarcane processing, as a feedstock. KLE is demonstrating its process, which involves thermomechanical pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis, at a plant in Upton, Wyo., that uses Ponderosa pine as a feedstock. Petrobras will provide $11 million to test the technology on bagasse. According to Petrobras, the new process has the potential to increase ethanol output from sugarcane by 40%.