May 20, 2025
Largest Ethanol Facility in Latin America to Double Capacity
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
The governor of Maranhao in northeastern Brazil announced last week the doubling of ethanol production at Impasa-Brasil in the city of Balsas in the state of Maranhao. The total investment in the project is R$ 2.5 billion. The current facility uses 3,000 tons of corn per day or about 1 million tons per year.
Impasa-Brasil is one of the largest ethanol producers in Latin America with a presence in various Brazilian states and Paraguay. In total, they process 7.5 million tons of corn annually, but that will increase upon completion of the expansion of the facility in Maranhao.
May 20, 2025
Corn Ethanol Production in Brazil Consumes 20 mt of Corn Annually
According to Paulo Bertolini, president of the Brazilian Association of Corn and Sorghum producers (Abramilho), Brazil's corn ethanol facilities should consume approximately 20 million tons of corn in 2025. Bertolini predicts that the corn consumption for ethanol production in Brazil could double in the next few years due to the numerous facilities either under construction or in the planning phase.
Brazil plans to increase the legal requirement for the mixture of ethanol in gasoline from 27% to 30%. Bertolini said that demand for renewable fuel has allowed for greater increases in production and also there are studies underway to use ethanol made from sorghum.
Brazil currently is the world's third largest sorghum producer at 5 million tons. Sorghum has a lot of growth potential, especially among farmers who lose the ideal window to plant corn as their second crop.