Last week, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Manager of Global Ethanol Policy and Sustainability Linda Schmid, USGC Regional Ethanol Consultant Federico Salcedo and USGC Ethanol Consultant Galo Galeana traveled to São Paulo, Brazil for the BBEST–IEA Bioenergy 2024 Conference, with the goal of collaborating to find best solutions and techniques for responsible land use, biofuel uses in the transportation sector, agricultural productivity and more.
The conference was jointly held by the Bioenergy Research Program (BIOEN/FAPESP), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Bioenergy Society (SBE) and Schmid and Salcedo participated in event sessions and spoke with peer organizations about developing biofuels in emerging markets.
“Innovative technologies and climate smart practices enable U.S. farmers to sustainably produce bioethanol to supplement domestic production in emerging markets,” Schmid said. “By engaging with international stakeholders, policymakers and associations, the Council helps advance global biofuel adoption and increases demand for U.S. producers.”
Salcedo moderated a panel on grain and sugar-based biofuels and Schmid participated in the panel to speak about recent trends in ethanol consumption and applications.
Outside the general sessions, Schmid and Salcedo met with leading experts in the biofuels industry to explore collaborative opportunities for ethanol promotion, particularly regarding the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan that Schmid will attend next month.
“Development of ethanol has not been an easy road and there is still a lot of work to be done, but it’s all worth it to start a transition to a more sustainable approach to the transportation sector and other industries,” Galeana said. “We’re all looking forward to sharing what we’ve discussed at this conference with other key stakeholders and governments and create a better future with right public policies in place.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in ethanol here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.