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Biofuel production has stood out at the international level on account of its more environmentally sustainable characteristics and the potential to promote rural development in developing countries. In Brazil, biodiesel is being produced through legislation requiring the addition (currently 7%) of biofuel to petroleum diesel. The federal program (PNPB) aimed the social inclusion of small farmers and diversification of Brazilian matrix by incentives regional crops production. The possibility of broadening raw material sources for biodiesel production benefits the Brazilian competitiveness. At the same time, facing the vast varieties of raw materials available in this country, it is a challenge to figure out which crop would be more appropriate to this chain. The palm species Acrocomia aculeata ( macaúba ) could provide an alternative resource for energy diversification in Brazil and Latin American countries. The crop species has drawn attention due to its high productivity rates and because it is not used for food purposes. In this sense, this paper examines the opportunity of biodiesel production from A. aculeata as a potential source for future energy supply, particularly for biodiesel, especially in Brazil. This paper presents A. aculeata and some points that allow compare with other crops. Several related aspects are covered in this paper, such as economics, botanical description, the extraction and compositions, physical and chemical properties of crude A. aculeata oil and fatty acid composition of A. aculeata . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for sugarcane ethanol from Brazil to mitigate GHG emissions is undeniable, but the way that ethanol is produced during the agricultural and industrial phases will ultimately determine its benefits to society. In this paper, we evaluate the environmental impacts of sugarcane agriculture and ethanol production in Brazil as management practices continue to change and production expands to new frontiers. We focused our evaluation on the impacts on water, atmosphere, and soils, including how the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers and the accumulation of crop residue in the field affect emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). We also addressed the impacts of land use changes on threatened biomes and discussed some of the present obstacles regarding conservation and restoration efforts. We concluded that, since a similar assessment was put forth in 2008, our knowledge about the environmental impacts of sugarcane ethanol in Brazil has advanced with regard to soil degradation, nitrogen dynamics, and soil carbon stocks. However, more information is still needed about the impacts of the increasing use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in sugarcane agriculture, especially on water resources. Furthermore, without a better understanding about how landscape fragmentation affects the biodiversity of terrestrial and aquatic tropical ecosystems and the services they provide, policies created to protect and restore them may be ineffective. On the other hand, the use of presently available scientific information to end unsustainable farming and the implementation of conservation strategies proposed by the Brazilian Forest Code could be a first step to guarantee that ethanol is produced more sustainably in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]