**5. Conclusions**

*Biotechnological Applications of Biomass*

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the export of power to the electrical system generated through other biomasses, especially black liquor, biogas, forest residues, rice husk and others, being important for energy security and reliability, given the seasonality of sugarcane biomass [51]. **Figure 3** shows the biomass thermoelectric plants in operation in Brazil and the potential installed by states in September 2003.

*Participation of sugarcane biomass in electricity generation from January 2018 to December 2019 [51].*

**88**

**Figure 3.**

**Figure 2.**

*Biomass thermoelectric plants in operation in Brazil by states in September 2003 [51].*

The global energy market's dependence on fossil fuel energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas needs to give way to alternative and sustainable ways to meet this demand. One of the most promising alternatives is the use of biomass, the only natural and renewable resource based on carbon that is vast enough to be used as a substitute for fossil fuels

The biomass conversion process can generate solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels, the biomass energy being one of the renewable energies, the only one that can be converted into liquid fuel. In addition, biomass energy is renewable energy, an abundant and easily produced source. The use of biomass energy is an important ally in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Brazil occupies a prominent position in the world production of cassava, alongside countries in subtropical regions. Cassava starch produces a significant amount of waste, which must be used rationally to minimize the environmental impact of agricultural activities. Brazil is also the largest producer of sugarcane. In addition, the cultivation of sugarcane has the potential to increase environmental benefits, increasing carbon sequestration and optimizing the agricultural production chain. Corn stands out among agricultural species with the potential to provide biomass for energy production, as it has a large acreage worldwide and is a biomass with high calorific value.

The inherent properties of the biomass source are that determine the choice of the conversion process and the possible processing difficulties. In this way, the choice of the biomass source is influenced by the way in which energy is needed, and it is the interaction between these two aspects that allows flexibility to be introduced in the use of biomass as an energy source. Biomass is converted into energy through two main energy conversion routes, namely, thermochemistry and biochemistry.

Due to its vast territory, Brazil has high potential or effective rates of waste from agro-industrial products, making the use of biomass a great possibility for increasing energy production in the Brazilian energy matrix. The results achieved in the year 2019, by 220 sugar-energy plants in operation, exported about 2.6 average GW to the network, showing that the participation of biomass thermoelectric plants assumes an increasingly important role for the national panorama about electricity supply. Sugarcane bagasse is the biomass most used as fuel in Brazil to produce electric energy, due to the high productivity of sugarcane in its crops to serve the sugar and alcohol sector. The energy generated by this biomass stands out, and due to the sugarcane harvest exactly coincides with the dry months, the generation of electricity from biomass acts as a complement to the electric demand produced by hydroelectric plants; there was also a significant increase in energy exports for the electrical system generated by other biomasses.
