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TOUR # 3. Biotechnological processes applied to sugar cane - Visit to CTBE-Brazilian Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (Campinas, SP), and Amyris Canavialis Research Plants
This tour includes the visit to the new Brazilian ethanol research center, to a company that works on the development of novel biofuels derived from sugarcane, and to a private company devoted to sugarcane breeding and technology.
CTBE is the newest Brazilian bioethanol research center, integrated to the Brazilian Center of Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a private not-for-profit organization, linked to the Brazilian Federal Government.
The facilities of CTBE are located in Campinas, São Paulo. When completed, the 7900 square meters of infrastructure will house up to 50 permanent researchers, a similar number of visitors (graduate students, PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and associated researchers) and 90 technical collaborators. CTBE focus in five main research programs: Basic Science, Pilot Plant for Process Development (PPDP), Low Impact Mechanization for No-till Farming of Sugarcane, Sustainability, and Sugarcane Virtual Biorefinery. The starting point of the basic science program at CTBE is the Pilot Plant for Process Development (PPDP), beginning with sugarcane lignocellulosic biomass.
CTBE research program is designed to be highly collaborative with other Brazilian as well as international research organizations. The visit to CTBE is an opportunity to get acquainted with its modern facilities and qualified staff.
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Amyris Brazil SA is the main subsidiary of Amyris USA, founded in 2003 with headquarters in Emeryville, California. Amyris Brazil has approximately 80 employees and is strategically located in Campinas, São Paulo, the gateway to the region for processing sugar cane. Amyris is applying an industrial platform for synthetic biology to provide fuels and chemicals of high-performance as alternatives to oil feedstocks. Although Amyris platform of industrial synthetic biology allows a wide variety of raw materials, the initial focus is on sugar cane in Brazil, due to its abundance, low cost, price stability and sustainable production. Synthetic biology uses engineering concepts to expand the power of biology. The construction of biological systems makes it possible now to turn organisms into living factories, capable of producing chemicals previously achieved only through expensive extraction or through the use of petrochemicals.
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The facilities of Amyris in Brazil include:
Pilot Plant of Campinas, which allows Amyris test production processes in manufacturing conditions using Brazilian sugarcane as feedstock.
Plant Demonstration: the final step before commercial production of products in a scale ten times higher than that of a pilot plant. This step refines processes in conditions approaching commercial scale manufacturing.
Created in 2003, CanaVialis is a private company devoted to breeding new sugarcane varieties. It combines high technology, extensive testing, molecular markers and management of nurseries to produce unique and genetically superior varieties in a short time. CanaVialis aims at developing varieties more suited to regions where they are planted by combining cutting-edge research with the specific demands of each sugar mill and put what is best in human and technological resources to service the profitability of sugarcane. The Corporate Headquarters are located in Campinas - SP. Besides the headquarters, the company has Regional Technology Centers strategically located, serving as a basis for the breeding program and for customer service.
Websites: http://www.bioetanol.org.br/english/ - http://www.amyrisbiotech.com/en - http://www.canavialis.com.br/campinas.php
| Day 1: August 18th, 2011 |
| 12:00 h |
Departure from Campos do Jordao bound to Campinas. |
| 16:30 h |
Visit to CTBE, Campinas |
| 19:30 h |
Departure from CTBE destined for the hotel in Campinas, Brazil |
| 20:30 h |
Dinner and accommodation in a 3-star hotel, with breakfast |
| Day 2: August 19th, 2011 |
| 8:00 h |
Departure from hotel in Campinas bound for Canavialis |
| 8:40 h |
Arrival at Canavialis. Reception by staff and presentation of the research lines. Visit the facilities and laboratories |
| 12:00 h |
Lunch |
| 13:30 h |
Departure for visit to Amyris |
| 14:00 h |
Arrival at Amiris, reception by staff at Amyris. Presentation of the research lines. Visit the facilities and laboratories |
| 17:30 h |
Departure to Sao Paulo |
| 20:00h |
Dinner and accommodation in a 3-star hotel where the tour ends. For those not wishing to return to São Paulo the tour will end after 18:00h. They will be delivered to Campinas International Airport, Campinas Bus Station, or back to the hotel in Campinas (hotel and dinner not included in the tour price for those not returning to São Paulo). |
| Investment |
| US$ 430,00 |
Full tour (Campos do Jordão, Campinas, and return to São Paulo). Includes transportation in air-conditioned bus, meals, hotel in Campinas (Aug 18th) and in São Paulo (Aug 19th) and dinner on the way back to São Paulo |
| US$ 270,00 |
Tour ending in Campinas. Hotel and Dinner on August 19th not included |
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