The sugarcane industry in Minas Gerais celebrates the World Environment Day, which has the theme of air pollution, with the record sales of ethanol throughout the year 2018, and also this year. In the period from January to April, 980 million liters of hydrous ethanol were sold in the state, 56% above the same period last year, when 628.5 million liters were consumed.

Record sales of ethanol directly benefit the environment and consumer health by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When supplied with a total of 3.5 billion liters of ethanol (hydrated + anhydrous) in 2018, the local drivers of light motor vehicles avoided the emission of 4.2 million tons of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere, as compared to the planting of 29 , 7 million trees, maintained for a period of 20 years.

The volume of CO2 avoided in 2018 is higher than 2017 and the entire series since 2003, when it began to be calculated. In 2017, 2.7 billion liters of total ethanol were consumed, leaving 3.3 million tons of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere, which would be equal to the planting of 23.6 million trees, maintained over a period of 20 years .

The calculation is made by the Association of Industries of Minas Gerais (SIAMIG), based on the amount of total ethanol (hydrated + anhydrous) consumed last year, since for each liter of hydrated ethanol consumed it is avoided the emission of 1.17 kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere and of anhydrous 1,28 kilograms of CO2 equivalent.

"The sugarcane industry is a major contributor to reducing pollution in the country's light motor vehicles by offering clean, renewable fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent compared to gasoline. important for miners, because the state has the second largest fleet of light vehicles in the country, "says the president of SIAMIG, Mário Campos.

According to Mario, in almost all of 2018, the price of ethanol in Minas Gerais has remained competitive against gasoline, and this year clean and renewable fuel remains more in the consumer's pocket. "In Minas Gerais we have much to celebrate on World Environment Day, as we are giving an immediate response to the reduction of air pollution," he said.