Iran offered a proposal to Brazil for the joint production of fuel from plants.

The proposal was raised during a meeting between Head of Iranian Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) Seyed Majid Hedayat and Deputy Brazilian Science and Technology Minister Czar Gadella here in Tehran today.

Hedayat said that IDRO is now working on projects for utilizing plant fuel, and added, “The existence of vast cane farms in southern (Iran), fuel, engine and vehicle research centers and auto-making companies indicates that the organization enjoys the required capability for research, production and supply of plant fuel.”

During the meeting, Gadella referred to his country’s capabilities in producing ethanol fuel from cane, and said Brazil is ready to cooperate with Iran in this and other fields of technology, including oil, gas, nanotechnology, microelectronics, information technology and biotechnology.

Brazil is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel and the world’s largest exporter. Together, Brazil and the United States lead the industrial production of ethanol fuel, accounting together for 89% of the world’s production in 2008.

In 2008 Brazil produced 24.5 billion liters (6.47 billion US liquid gallons), which represents 37.3% of the world’s total ethanol used as fuel.

Brazil is considered to have the world’s first sustainable biofuels economy and is the biofuel industry leader, a policy model for other countries. The country’s sugarcane ethanol is viewed as the most successful alternative fuel to date.

31, January, 2010