Beyond sugar and ethanol: The future of sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil

The world has been searching for clean and renewable alternatives to provide new materials and energy and, consequently reducing the dependence on petroleum fossil fuels. Sugarcane has become an important raw material as a solution for this demand since it is grown in more than 100 countries and can potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this context, the production of biomaterials and biofuels and their effective use are promising ways to reach these goals. Brazilian government policies have created the optimal scenario to consolidate the first sugarcane 1G biorefinery with biofuels, sugar and bioelectricity production, trying to reach sustainable and low-cost solutions. After the establishment of the 1G technology, the 2G and 3G technologies are being developed, bringing new possibilities for value-added biochemicals production, in integrated systems with minimized emissions with a non-waste vison and circular bioeconomy. This review presents the current status and future perspectives of sugarcane as a potential biofactory. The present and future of Brazilian sugarcane biorefinery are discussed in terms of the exploitation of sugarcane, research and innovation with the integrated production of sugar, biofuels, bioelectricity, biopolymers, organic acids, enzymes and other biomolecules, as well as the use of process-generated liquid and solid by-products and/or wastes.