Sugarcane is the main source of sugar used to make Brazilian fuel ethanol.
Brazil developed a large sugarcane-ethanol industry through the Proálcool program, launched in 1975 after oil-price shocks. Mills ferment sugarcane juice or syrup into ethanol, while the fibrous residue called bagasse is commonly burned to provide process heat and electricity.
Brazilian vehicles may use hydrated ethanol or gasoline blended with anhydrous ethanol. Most new light vehicles sold in the country are flex-fuel models that can run on gasoline blends, ethanol, or mixtures of both.
Corn is the dominant feedstock for fuel ethanol in the United States, which is a frequent source of confusion. Brazilian sugarcane ethanol and U.S. corn ethanol are both biofuels, but they come from different crops and use different production systems.