BOONE—Jeremy Ferrell, an instructor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Technology, was one of 15 individuals from the United States selected to participate in the first Brazil-U.S. Short Course in Biofuels Technology in São Paulo, Brazil.

Ferrell, who earned his master’s degree from Appalachian, is a Ph.D. student in N.C. A&T University’s energy and environmental systems program.

Jeremy Ferrell visited Brazil’s Iracema Sugar Mill and Ethanol Plant as part of a Fulbright-funded short course on biofuels. Ferrell, an instructor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Technology, was one of 15 individuals from the United States selected to participate in the program. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Ferrell)

Jeremy Ferrell, left, and Gustavo Camargo, stand in front of a pile of bagasse at the Iracema Sugar Mill and Ethanol Plant in Brazil. Bagasse is a fibrous by-product created when sugar cane juice is extracted from crushed sugar cane. The material is combusted to generate steam to produce heat and electricity. Ferrell, an instructor in Appalachian’s Department of Technology, learned about Brazil’s biofuel production during a Fulbright-funded short course held in São Paulo, Brazil. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Ferrell)

He was the only person from North Carolina selected to participate in the program that was funded by the U.S. State Department and coordinated by the Fulbright Commission, Brazil, and the Brazil–U.S. Higher Education Biofuel Network.

“Biofuels is an area targeted for stimulating collaborations between the United States and Brazil,” Ferrell said. “The course included an overview of global perspectives related to biofuels and bioenergy; use of feed stocks for creating biodiesel, ethanol and second-generation fuels; logistics, transportation and material handling; and conversion technology for converting feedstock to biofuels.” Participants also learned how economic policies affect the biofuels industry.

Brazil is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel, manufactured from sugar cane, and the world’s largest exporter of ethanol, a ranking achieved in part by the government’s 30-year effort to promote the production and use of alternative fuel. Most vehicles in Brazil now run on ethanol or a blend of gasoline and ethanol.

Ferrell toured the Iracema Sugar Mill and Ethanol Plant in São Paulo. The plant refines sugar cane stalks from nearby plantations into sugar and ethanol. The biomass byproduct of that process, bagasse, is burned to create steam and electricity to power the plant.

“The visit spawned some creative thinking about integrating different elements and components into a biorefinery,” Ferrell said. “In an integrated system, like that in São Paulo, you think beyond just making biodiesel. They grow their feed stock locally, have a processing station nearby and use both the biofuels and byproducts of the conversion process.”

The centralized production and distribution system in São Paulo is similar to that being developed in Catawba County with assistance from professors and students at Appalachian, Ferrell said.

Biodiesel is produced from the oil from crushed sunflower seeds that are planted in June and harvested in September, and from rapeseed, which is planted in the fall and harvested in early summer.

Being able to plant double crops on land near the Catawba County Regional EcoComplex and Resource Recovery Facility, and produce biodiesel on site, makes the operation more economically viable than in a model that could incur high transportation costs to bring materials to the processing facility. The biofuel is burned in the heavy-duty diesel equipment on site.

“We have a special situation at Appalachian where we are partners with Catawba County and their EcoComplex project,” Ferrell said. “We have a great teaching tool that will ultimately help the industry, and we will be able to train students for careers in the biofuels industry.”

Ferrell will present the talk “Green Dreams: Exploring Brazil’s Biofuel Industry” on Friday, Nov. 6, from noon to 1 p.m. in Katherine Harper Hall room 17 on Appalachian’s campus. The talk is open to the public.

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