Copersucar

About: Copersucar is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Bagasse & Diatraea saccharalis. The organization has 34 authors who have published 49 publications receiving 2404 citations.

Detailed Alignment of Saccharum and Sorghum Chromosomes: Comparative Organization of Closely Related Diploid and Polyploid Genomes

Abstract: The complex polyploid genomes of three Saccharum species have been aligned with the compact diploid genome of Sorghum (2n = 2x = 20). A set of 428 DNA probes from different Poaceae (grasses) detected 2460 loci in F1 progeny of the crosses Saccharum officinarum Green German x S. spontaneum IND 81-146, and S. spontaneum PIN 84-1 x S. officinarum Muntok Java. Thirty-one DNA probes detected 226 loci in S. officinarum LA Purple x S. robustum Molokai 5829. Genetic maps of the six Saccharum genotypes, including up to 72 linkage groups, were assembled into "homologous groups" based on parallel arrangements of duplicated loci. About 84% of the loci mapped by 242 common probes were homologous between Saccharum and Sorghum. Only one interchromosomal and two intrachromosomal rearrangements differentiated both S. officinarum and S. spontaneum from Sorghum, but 11 additional cases of chromosome structural polymorphism were found within Saccharum. Diploidization was advanced in S. robustum, incipient in S. officinarum, and absent in S. spontaneum, consistent with biogeographic data suggesting that S. robustum is the ancestor of S. officinarum, but raising new questions about the antiquity of S. spontaneum. The densely mapped Sorghum genome will be a valuable tool in ongoing molecular analysis of the complex Saccharum genome.

Integrated production of biodegradable plastic, sugar and ethanol.

Abstract: Poly 3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) and related copolymers can be advantageously produced when integrated into a sugarcane mill. In this favorable scenario, the energy necessary for the production process is provided by biomass. Carbon dioxide emissions to the environment are photosynthetically assimilated by the sugarcane crop and wastes are recycled to the cane fields. The polymer can be produced at low cost considering the availability of a low-price carbon source and energy.

Biomass Power Generation: Sugar Cane Bagasse and Trash

Abstract: I I The main objective of this project is to evaluate and develop the technology required in the complete fuel-to-electricity chain; starting with the cultivation and recovery of sugar cane by-product fuels, and ending with electric power generation with an advanced gasification system integrated with the sugar mill. Pilot plant gasification tests have been performed on bagasse and cane trash. Studies have also been made on the integration of a BIG-GT (Biomass Integrated Gasification-Gas Turbine) plant in a sugar mill and optimisation of the overall mill facilities. Introduction Development in the sugar cane industry is driven by the wish to convert the fuel value of bagasse and cane trash (comprising tops and leaves separated at harvest) to electric power. To realise this vast agrofuel potential, research and development of the entire system from the fuel supply chain, the thermal process, its integration in the sugar mill's combined heat and power system to export to the grid must be carried out and demonstrated at full scale. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) cofunded the project and, for the activities which began in the year 2000, the European Union (EU) and the Swedish National Energy Administration also provided financial support. TPS is a Swedish company that has developed a proprietary gasification process that can be used in conjunction with a gas turbine. This process will be demonstrated on wood fuel in the 8 MW ARBRE plant in the UK (Pitcher and Weekes, 2000), which is presently undergoing commissioning. Gasification of sugar cane bagasse and trash I Work contracted to TPS included tests in a 2 MW i I atmospheric pressure circulating fluidised bed (CFB) gasification pilot plant (Figure 1 ; Rensfelt, 1997). Three tests on bagasse pellets were performed during 1998 and 1999 and tests on loo'se cane trash were performed during 2000 and 2001. In the tests on pelletised bagasse, no tendencies of ash agglomeration were observed when the gasifier was operated at normal operating temperatures of up to 900°C. The high chemical reactivity of bagasse resulted in a high carbon conversion to gas. A reasonably low tar content of the product gas was achieved at this operating temperature. The conversion of nitrogen to ammonia was high. The results of the pilot plant tests on cane trash are still to be analysed fully, but once again there was no tendency for the fuel to agglomerate and the process data appear to be in line with expectations.

Greenhouse gas emissions and energy balances in bio-ethanol production and utilization in Brazil (1996)

Abstract: Production of sugar cane in Brazil in the 1996/97 season was 273 million t (harvested wet wt)/year, leading to 13.7 million m 3 ethanol and 13.5 million t of sugar. Emissions of greenhouse gases were evaluated for the agronomic/industrial production processes and product utilization including N 2 O and methane. Up-dating the energy balance from 1985 to 1995 indicated the effect of the main technological trends; apparently, fossil fuel consumption due to the increasing agricultural mechanization is largely off-set by technological advances in transportation and overall conversion efficiencies (agricultural and industrial). Output/input energy ratio in ethanol grew to 9.2 (average) and 11.2 (best values). Net savings in CO 2 (equivalent) emissions, due to ethanol and bagasse substitution for fossil fuels, correspond to 46.7×10 6 t CO 2 (equivalent)/year, nearly 20% of all CO 2 emissions from fuels in Brazil. Ethanol alone is responsible for 64% of the net avoided emissions.

Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Disease in Brazil: Evidence of Association with a Luteovirus

Abstract: Evidence of the viral etiology of sugarcane yellow leaf disease (SCYLD), occurring in southeast Brazil, was obtained by light and electron microscopy combined with serology. Light microscopy using epifluorescence illumination showed an abnormal yellow-green fluorescing material in the phloem of SCYLD-affected plants that was rarely observed in control plants. Immunolocalization in tissue-printed (or -blotted) nitrocellulose membranes, using barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) serotype PAV antiserum, showed a weak but clearly positive reaction in the phloem. Isometric viruslike particles of 24 to 26 nm in diameter were found by electron microscopy both in situ and in partially purified preparations. Examination of thin sections showed that phloem companion cells contained viruslike particles and presented cytological changes apparently related to the development of virus infection. Partially purified preparations produced UV absorption spectra typical of a nucleoprotein, with high absorbance at 260 nm, as expected for isometric virus particles. Virus particles were observed in extracts and partially purified preparations using immunosorbent electron microscopy with BYDV-PAV antiserum. Plate-trapped antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with the same antiserum indicate a weak serological relationship between BYDV-PAV and SCYLD-associated virus.