ABSTRACT
An increasing interest for discovering new alternative fuel sources has been observed due to the current concerns related to the petroleum-derived fuels, such as reduction in petroleum reserves, price volatility, as well as environmental issues. One important alternative fuel is the ethanol or bioethanol. It is the most widely used biofuel in transportation all around the world and can be produced from different feedstock types, which are classified in three agricultural categories: simple sugars, starch, and lignocellulose. The feedstock price is highly volatile, which directly 146affect ethanol production costs, and other problem is the availability. The use of lignocellulosic wastes to ethanol production has become a focus of research in several parts of the world. Each region of the world focused on a specific waste from its local industry. Brazil is a country of immense agro-industrial production and with different residues that can be explored to ethanol production. This work will summarize information about the potential raw materials for ethanol production in Brazil: sugarcane bagasse, leaves and straw; cassava residues, peach palm branches; tucumã; palm oil residues; and cocoa. In addition, challenges in second-generation ethanol production will also be pointed out.
