Novozymes (Copenhagen, Denmark; www.novozymes.com) announced today that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Brazil’s largest sugarcane crusher, Raízen Energia S/A (São Paulo, Brazil; www.raizen.com.br). As part of the agreement, Novozymes will supply enzyme technology to Raízen’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Brazil, scheduled to be operational by end 2014. The plant will be a bolt-on facility to Raízen’s Costa Pinto sugarcane mill in the state of São Paulo and will have the capacity to produce 40 million liters of cellulosic ethanol a year from sugarcane bagasse and straw.
To support Raízen in its efforts to advance cellulosic ethanol, Novozymes will develop enzyme technology optimized for Raízen’s process. Furthermore, Novozymes intends to establish new enzyme-manufacturing capacity in Brazil. The exact size, location and investment budget for this enzyme-manufacturing facility are not yet determined and will depend on the level of estimated demand for enzyme technology in Brazil.