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Ethanol production from corn in Brazil reached a historic record in February 2025. According to data from the sugar and energy sector, mills used 1,7 million tons of corn to produce the biofuel, registering the highest volume for the month.
This number demonstrates a significant growth of 41% compared to January 2024 and an increase of 76% compared to the average of recent years.
Furthermore, the corn ethanol has established itself as a sustainable and efficient alternative within the Brazilian biofuels market. As a result, the accelerated growth in production reinforces the importance of the sector for the national economy and its relevance within the strategies of energy diversification.
The accelerated growth of corn ethanol production in Brazil
In recent years, the corn ethanol production gained prominence in Brazil, mainly in the regions Midwest and South, where cereal cultivation intensified.
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Furthermore, the installed capacity of the plants grew significantly, allowing a accelerated expansion of production. In this way, the corn ethanol market has become essential for guarantee domestic supply, reduce dependence on sugar cane and offer more stability to the sector.
According to the website Agribusiness Portal, in 2020, Brazil still produced much of its ethanol from sugarcane. However, corn's share was already growing.
In 2022, corn ethanol production reached 5 billion liters, driven by investments in new plants e government incentives.
Already in 2023, the processed volume exceeded 15 million tons of corn, consolidating biofuel as one of the main products of agribusiness.
For business year beginning February 2025, the forecast indicates a consumption of 21,76 million tons of corn to ethanol production. As a consequence, this volume represents a growth of 21,8% compared to the previous cycle, which recorded 17,87 million tons processed.
So the strong increased demand for biofuel proves the growing interest of mills in corn as a raw material.
The benefits of corn ethanol for the economy and the environment
The biofuels boost the national economy, generating empregos, valuing agricultural production e reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this way, the corn ethanol has become a viable solution to meet the growing need for renewable fuels, aligning with the sustainability policies e energy transition.
In addition to ethanol, production of this biofuel generates important by-products, such as DDG (Dried Distillers Grains), a highly nutritious co-product used in animal feed.
According to the website Agribusiness Portal, in 2021, DDG production already exceeded 2 million tons in Brazil, supplying especially the sectors of livestock and poultry farming.
In February 2025The plants produced 572 thousand tons of DDG, marking a growth of 41% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Furthermore, in the accumulated harvest 2024/25, DDG production reached 5,64 million tons, common 31% increase compared to the previous cycle.
Os environmental benefits of corn ethanol stand out. After all, the replacement of fossil fuels for biofuel significantly reduces the carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere, collaborating with the combating climate change.
Prospects for the future of this production in Brazil
A growing demand for biofuels in Brazil and worldwide stimulates investments in new technologies and expansion of production capacity of the plants. In this way, the corn will continue to play an essential role in diversifying the energy matrix, ensuring greater security in domestic supply and more competitiveness in the global market.
According to the website Agribusiness Portal, since 2018, Brazil has recorded an average annual growth of 30% in corn ethanol production.
Experts design continuous growth for the sector in the coming years. Consequently, this consolidates corn ethanol as a fundamental component of the low-carbon economy.
Furthermore, the The growth of this production reaffirms Brazil as one of the main players in the global biofuels market. The country stands out both in ethanol production how much in supply of essential by-products for the production chain.
To ensure this sustainable growth, the sector faces challenges such as the need for improvements in infrastructure, greater logistical efficiency and constant investment in research and innovation.
However, the trend points to increasingly expressive production. As a result, the corn ethanol consolidates itself as a solution strategic and economically viable energy.
Finally, with production records and optimistic projections, corn consumption for ethanol will continue to rise, strengthening Brazil's position as reference in sustainable biofuel production.
