Crazy Fruit

I finally hunted down the exotic maracuja fruit which had until now eluded me. Known for its unique and tangy citrus flavor and its curious anatomy, maracuja is an experience like none other.

 

Once you have caught your maracuja you cut it open like a pumpkin and pour sugar inside, mix it up, and eat the soupy innards--juice interspersed with crunchy, flesh-covered seeds.

 

Afterwards I carved my maracuja and set him on my computer to guard against evil spirits.

Ethanol Research

Besides doing lots of hiking and exploring on the weekends (which makes for great photos and interesting blogging) I have actually been working during the week. I've completed my research on the second generation ethanol companies in Brazil, the US, and Europe, and am now synthesizing my data into an article. Here is a summary to fill you in on how ethanol works in Brazil:

Brazil, following the world oil crisis in the 70’s, developed a national ethanol program called “Programa Nacional do Álcool” to promote the research and production of ethanol as a substitute for petroleum. Thus since 1976 Brazil has had a mandatory blend rate of ethanol at 10% or higher (percentage of ethanol mixed with gasoline--the current mandated rate is 25%). This provided infrastructure (all gas station had to incorporate ethanol blended fuels) and incentive for businesses (a secure market for ethanol).

Since then Brazil has developed the world’s most well-established network of 1^st gen ethanol production. Almost all ethanol facilities in Brazil produce the same iron triangle of products: sugar, ethanol, and electricity. The sugar and ethanol both come from extracting the sugars from the sugarcane, the electricity comes from burning the dried remains (bagasse). The industry is robust and requires no government subsidies to stay afloat, in contrast to the substantial US subsidies on corn.

The problem, in fact, is that this system is too well-entrenched. A switch to 2^nd generation ethanol in Brazil would mean breaking this iron triangle. Instead of producing electricity to run the facility and sell when in excess, the bagasse would be converted into more ethanol. One ton of sugarcane yields roughly 74 liters of ethanol via 1G processing. This initial processing also yields about 300 kg of bagasse. 300 kg of bagasse, if converted into ethanol using 2G technology, would provide roughly 35 liters of ethanol. This means it is possible to gain almost 50% more ethanol via additional 2G processing compared to 1G processing alone.

Yet currently there is no strong incentive to do so. The increase of ethanol does not justify the cost of adopting 2G technology and loss of electricity revenue. Nor does the Brazilian culture of conservative business allow for much investment in future technologies. For these reason almost no companies in Brazil are researching 2G. Of the 52 Brazilian ethanol companies researched in this study none held patents on 2G technology while the 44 US companies researched held a collective 90 patents on 2G technology. Only large companies (i.e. Petrobras) and the government are willing to front the expense with yet-unrealized benefit.

A time will come when this trend changes. Oil prices will continue to rise, and ethanol prices along with them. Thus at some point it will make economic sense to begin converting the bagasse into ethanol rather than burning it, and purchasing or producing the electricity by other means. When this happens the technology needs to be ready and available to these companies wanting to upgrade to 2G. Therefore the government work on 2G ethanol is a vital piece of the process. By developing the technology in anticipation of its future use Brazil can streamline the switch to 2G when the time comes. The lab I work in focuses on exactly this kind of research.

***Critiques are welcome, it's a work in progress and if any part needs clarification or more detail please let me know. I do have sources for my stats but did not include them here.

Such Great Heights

Last weekend I climbed two of the highest and most well-renowned peaks in Rio.

First was Sugar Loaf.  Cable cars exist to carry tourists to and from the summit but I had refused to give in; if I didn't carry my own weight up I didn't deserve the amazing view. But luck was with me on Saturday. I spent the morning hiking the trail up Morro de Urca (the smaller hill that serves as a stepping stone for the cable cars up to Sugar Loaf) with two friends from work.

 Lorraine and Cristina with Sugar Loaf in the background.

After that I headed off on my own on a little trail that split off from a seemingly dead-end walkway around Sugar Loaf.

Unwittingly, I had just discovered one of the coolest trails in Rio. From just about anywhere in Rio, Sugarloaf appears to be a peak of sheer rock, but around the backside where I followed this trail the climb was more of a scramble. Yet the scramble became steeper and steeper, and when I passed a group of three guys strapping on rock climbing harnesses, ropes, and helmets, I started to doubt whether this was feasible. A short while later I ran into a pretty steep rock climb/scramble that terminated in a vertical cliff section about 15 feet high. The difficulty of this section was only entry-level, maybe a 5.8 in rock climbing terms, but without ropes, climbing shoes, or anyone with me, and already at the top of a 50 foot scramble which I would shurely tumble all the way down if I botched the climb, I decided to turn around.

You can see the cliff section as the patch of rock showing through the jungle in the upper center of the photo above, I think there is a climber standing above it too, having just climbed up.

Photo above was the start of the steep scramble, ending with the tricky overhang cliff in the photo below.

On my way down I passed the group of three climbers again, and later on I turned and watched them climbing the section where I had turned back. From my vantage it looked like this one cliff was the only spot requiring a rope, once I got past it I could scramble my way to the top and catch the cable car down...

So I scrambled back up just in time to watch the last climber make it up the cliff. After they had made it up the guide tied off the rope up top and dropped it down to me, and I climbed up to join them. They were a party of a Brazilian guide leading a Frenchy and a German, but everyone spoke passable Portuguese.

 

 German, French, Brazilian

As we continued on to the summit the views just kept getting better.

 

Looking across Guanabara Bay towards Niteroi on the other side.

 Looking towards Zona Sul, with Copacabana visible over the hills.


Finally reached the summit! Really besides the cliff of doom the trail was not too difficult, and not long. I already want to go do it again... Here are pics from the top, where the cable cars arrive and spew forth crowds of tourists.

 

This picture is looking back towards the heart of Rio. The cables lead down to the top of Morro de Urca. The pointiest summit in the distance that juts above the mountains behind it (just right of center) is Corcavado, where the statue of Christ watches over Rio.

We caught the first cable car for free, the second you have to pay to descend, so we hiked down from Morro de Urca via the trail I had taken earlier that morning.

Well this post is already long so I'll save my Sunday summiting of the second awesome rock, Pedra da Gavea, for the next installation. FYI you can see Pedra da Gavea in the last photo above--farthest range of peaks in the background, second peak starting from the left, it has a flat top which is obscured a bit by the clouds it is just scraping.

To Be Continued...