From field to biomethane

No. 045 Land use From field to biomethane 1/5

The farming patchwork

Almost a quarter of the state is sugarcane

Map of São Paulo state with land use and land cover in 2024, in eleven colours. The light green of sugarcane covers almost all of the centre and north of the state, most continuous around Ribeirão Preto. The light brown of soybean and other annual crops forms patches in the south, from Itapeva to Assis. The straw yellow of pasture and the cream of the mosaic of uses prevail in the west and in the Paraíba valley. Orange patches of citrus are scattered across the centre-north, and the dark brown of coffee appears in the north-east, near Franca. The greyish green of native vegetation fills the Serra do Mar and the Ribeira valley, in the south-east; the grey of the cities marks Greater São Paulo, and the blue of the reservoirs traces the Tietê and Paraná rivers. Callouts: Dumont, 80% in sugarcane; Itapeva, 664 km² of soybean and other annual crops. — Fig. 045 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: MapBiomas, IBGE

In 2024, 72% of São Paulo’s territory was cropland, pasture, tree plantation or a mosaic of these uses, according to MapBiomas. Sugarcane is the largest class: 58,000 km², almost a quarter of the state, and the leading use in 255 of the 645 municipalities. In the Ribeirão Preto region it covers half the land, and in Dumont, 80%. Soybean and other annual crops add up to 7%, mostly in the south, in the Marília region and around Itapeva. Pasture, at 15%, dominates the west: it covers 36% of the Presidente Prudente region. Oranges, coffee and other perennial crops take up less than 2%. Native vegetation, 22% of the state, lies mostly in the Serra do Mar and the Ribeira valley. First plate of the collection “From field to biomethane”, which follows the crops to the gas their residues could give.

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At a glance

Layers

municipios polygon 645 municipalities: area (km²) and share of the municipality (%) of each of the eleven classes, total of farming uses and class with the largest area
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: MapBiomas — Collection 10 of the Annual Series of Land Use and Land Cover Maps of Brazil, 2024 (2024)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Python · rasterio · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method: MapBiomas 2024 classification (Collection 10), 30 m pixels, grouped into eleven classes; areas by municipality counted on the 30 m pixels, on the GRS80 ellipsoid; map drawn with the most frequent class in blocks of 4 × 4 pixels (120 m).
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23539779

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Cerejo, L. N. (2026). O tabuleiro agrícola: quase um quarto do estado é cana [The farming patchwork: Almost a quarter of the state is sugarcane] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539779

@dataset{cerejo2026_tabuleiro_agricola_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {O tabuleiro agrícola: Quase um quarto do estado é cana},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23539779},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539779},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: The farming patchwork: Almost a quarter of the state is sugarcane. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 046 Land use From field to biomethane 2/5

Cane: 2008 × 2024

In sixteen years, the patch moved west

Three maps of São Paulo state and a notes panel. The top two show, for 2008 and 2024, the share of each municipality’s territory harvested as cane, in six classes from cream to dark green (up to 5%, 5 to 15%, 15 to 30%, 30 to 45%, 45 to 60% and over 60%). In 2008 the dark green is concentrated in the north-east of the state; in 2024 the middle tones also spread across the west and north-west. The third map shows the change in percentage points, from brown (loss of more than 10 points) to blue-green (gain of more than 20): the west and north-west turn green, and brown patches appear in the centre and around Campinas. Balbinos and São João do Pau d’Alho, the largest gains, and Nova Odessa, the largest loss, are named. — Fig. 046 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE

In 2008, São Paulo’s cane fields were harvested over 4.53 million hectares; in 2024, over 5.40 million, 19% more, and cane went from 18.3% to 21.7% of the state’s territory. Harvested area peaked in 2017, at 5.69 million hectares, and has been slowly receding since. The plate sets the two years side by side, with the same classes, and maps the difference: 150 municipalities gained more than 10 percentage points of territory under cane, 104 of them in the São José do Rio Preto, Araçatuba and Presidente Prudente regions, in the west; Rancharia harvested 47,812 hectares more. The Campinas region was the only one to lose much: 63,632 hectares fewer, with the steepest falls in Nova Odessa and Sumaré. Second plate of the collection “From field to biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

municipios polygon 645 municipalities: harvested area and production of cane in 2008 and 2024, share of territory in each year (%) and change (p.p.)
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM), table 1612: temporary crops (2008 a 2024)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method: Harvested cane area from PAM in 2008 and 2024 divided by municipal area, in the same six classes for both years; the change is given in percentage points of territory.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23539788

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Cana: 2008 × 2024: em dezesseis anos, a mancha andou para o oeste [Cane: 2008 × 2024: In sixteen years, the patch moved west] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539788

@dataset{cerejo2026_cana_2008_2024_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Cana: 2008 × 2024: Em dezesseis anos, a mancha andou para o oeste},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23539788},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539788},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Cane: 2008 × 2024: In sixteen years, the patch moved west. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 047 Land use From field to biomethane 3/5

The orange belt

The grove in the field, the bagasse at the mill

Map of São Paulo state with municipalities coloured by orange production in 2024, in six classes from cream to dark red (up to 360 tonnes, up to 3,600, 11,000, 25,000, 64,000 and from 64,000 to 550,000). Dark red forms an arc from the north, near Colômbia, through the centre to the south-west, where Botucatu, Avaré and Iaras cluster; the west, the Paraíba valley and the coast are almost empty. Orange stripes mark the 82 municipalities that harvested oranges in 2008 and no longer do, scattered along the edges of the belt. Fourteen teal circles, sized by the biomethane the bagasse could give, sit in the centre-north of the state, around Matão, Araraquara and Bebedouro, away from the largest groves. Callouts: Casa Branca, 550,000 tonnes, the largest grower; Matão, 22,752 m³ a day, where oranges become juice. — Fig. 047 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE, CP2B (Unicamp)

São Paulo harvested 12.0 million tonnes of oranges in 2024, from 354,562 hectares. In 2008 it was 14.5 million tonnes from 592,566 hectares: the area fell by 40%, and each hectare now gives 34 tonnes instead of 25. The belt has also moved south-west. The Araraquara region harvested 3.4 million tonnes and now harvests 1.2; the Sorocaba region rose from 1.0 to 2.4 million and is the state’s largest. Casa Branca leads, with 550,000 tonnes, followed by Botucatu and Avaré, and 82 municipalities have given up oranges. The bagasse, however, stays where the fruit becomes juice. The CP2B method places it in 14 municipalities with mills, and Matão, which harvests 108,000 tonnes, receives the largest potential: 22,752 m³ of biomethane a day, out of 101,834. Third plate of the collection “From field to biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

bagaco_nas_fabricas point 14 municipalities that receive the bagasse in the CP2B method, with the biomethane (m³/day)
municipios polygon 645 municipalities: harvested area and orange production in 2008 and 2024, share of territory, whether oranges were given up, and bagasse biomethane
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM), table 1613: permanent crops (2008 a 2024)
CP2B (Unicamp) — biogas and biomethane potential by municipality, method v5.1 (2026)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method: Orange production from PAM 2024 by municipality in six quantile classes; stripes where there was harvested area in 2008 and none in 2024; circles with the bagasse biomethane potential at the accessible level of the CP2B method, allocated to the juice mills.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23539808

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). O cinturão da laranja: o pomar no campo, o bagaço na fábrica [The orange belt: The grove in the field, the bagasse at the mill] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539808

@dataset{cerejo2026_laranja_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {O cinturão da laranja: O pomar no campo, o bagaço na fábrica},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23539808},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539808},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: The orange belt: The grove in the field, the bagasse at the mill. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 048 Land use From field to biomethane 4/5

Maize and soybean

Soybean overtook maize, and the straw stayed on the ground

Three maps of São Paulo state and a chart. The first shows harvested soybean area in 2024 as a share of territory, in six classes from cream to brown; dark brown covers the south-west, the south and the north-east of the state. The second shows maize, from pale yellow to olive green, darker in the south-west and south. The third shows, in teal, the biomethane that maize and soybean straw could give per day, with Itapeva and Buri named in the south-west. In the fourth panel, two lines from 2008 to 2024: soybean rises from about 500,000 to 1.36 million hectares and crosses maize, which hovers around 800,000, in 2017, marked with a circle. — Fig. 048 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: IBGE, CP2B (Unicamp)

In 2008, São Paulo harvested 525,940 hectares of soybean and 965,907 of maize. In 2024, 1.36 million hectares of soybean, 2.6 times more, and 723,128 of maize, 25% less; soybean overtook maize in 2017. It spread from 304 to 483 municipalities and grew above all in the south of the state. In the Sorocaba region the area went from 82,000 to 468,000 hectares, and Itapeva is the largest grower of both grains. In Ibirarema and Salto Grande, harvested soybean covers almost two thirds of the municipality. The straw of both grains could give 1.03 million m³ of biomethane a day under the CP2B method, 41% of it in the Sorocaba region. That is what remains after leaving on the field the share that protects the soil. Fourth plate of the collection “From field to biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

municipios polygon 645 municipalities: harvested area and production of soybean and maize in 2008 and 2024, share of territory in 2024 (%) and straw biomethane (m³/day)
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: IBGE — Municipal Agricultural Production (PAM), table 1612: temporary crops (2008 a 2024)
CP2B (Unicamp) — biogas and biomethane potential by municipality, method v5.1 (2026)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method: Harvested soybean and maize area from PAM 2024 divided by municipal area, in six quantile classes; straw biomethane potential at the accessible level of the CP2B method, in six quantile classes.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23539833

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Figure to reuse

The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

With basemap (PNG) Without basemap (PNG) QR code (SVG)

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Milho e soja: a soja passou o milho, e a palha ficou no chão [Maize and soybean: Soybean overtook maize, and the straw stayed on the ground] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539833

@dataset{cerejo2026_milho_e_soja_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Milho e soja: A soja passou o milho, e a palha ficou no chão},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23539833},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539833},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Maize and soybean: Soybean overtook maize, and the straw stayed on the ground. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

No. 049 Energy · biomass From field to biomethane 5/5

Waste and sewage

The city is a gas crop too

Map of São Paulo state with municipalities coloured by the biomethane that waste, sewage and prunings could give per day, in six teal classes, from the lightest (up to 37 m³) to the darkest (1,100 to 143,796 m³). Dark tones dominate Greater São Paulo and the Campinas–Sorocaba axis and also appear in the mid-sized towns of the interior; the Ribeira valley and the upper Paraíba valley are grey, with zero. Over the map, 873 sewage treatment plants: small dots in blue (ponds), dark grey (activated sludge) and light grey (other processes), and 87 larger clay-coloured dots with anaerobic reactors, densest between Campinas, Piracicaba and São Paulo. A callout points to São Paulo: 144,000 m³ a day, 23% of the state’s urban biomethane. — Fig. 049 São Paulo state (SP) EPSG:4674 Source: CP2B (Unicamp), ANA, IBGE

The organic waste, sewage sludge and prunings of São Paulo’s towns and cities could give 621,000 m³ of biomethane a day under the CP2B method: 434,000 from waste, 121,000 from sludge and 66,000 from prunings. That is little next to the countryside, under 4% of the state total, but it lies where almost everyone lives. The city of São Paulo accounts for 23% and its region for 39%. Half the methane the waste could generate is already captured at landfills, and the method deducts that share. The map also shows the 873 sewage treatment plants registered by ANA, serving 608 municipalities. Most treat sewage in ponds (552); 87 use anaerobic reactors, which produce biogas during treatment. Fifth plate of the collection “From field to biomethane”.

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At a glance

Layers

etes point 873 sewage treatment plants: name, status, process, family, BOD removal and municipalities served
municipios polygon 645 municipalities: biomethane from waste, sludge and prunings (m³/day) and waste methane already used at landfills
regioes_intermediarias polygon 11 intermediate geographic regions
limite_estadual polygon State boundary

Metadata

Sources: CP2B (Unicamp) — biogas and biomethane potential by municipality, method v5.1 (2026)
ANA — Sewage treatment plants (2019 database) (2019)
IBGE — Municipal Mesh 2025 (2025)
Extent: São Paulo state (SP)
CRS / Projection: SIRGAS 2000 (EPSG:4674)
EPSG:4674
Software: Python · GeoPandas · GDAL · QGIS · Node.js · d3-geo
Method: Biomethane potential of organic waste, sewage sludge and urban prunings at the accessible level of the CP2B method, by municipality, in six quantile classes; ANA sewage treatment plants, one per code, coloured by process family.
Version: v1.0.0
Licence: CC BY 4.0
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23539847

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The map without a frame, with legend, scale, reference system and credit written on it: ready for papers, lectures and slides. In two versions: with the basemap (neighbours and sea) or only the mapped area, on white.

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How to cite

Cerejo, L. N. (2026). Lixo e esgoto: a cidade também é lavoura de gás [Waste and sewage: The city is a gas crop too] (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539847

@dataset{cerejo2026_lixo_e_esgoto_sp,
  author    = {Cerejo, Lucas Nakamura},
  title     = {Lixo e esgoto: A cidade também é lavoura de gás},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  version   = {1.0.0},
  doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.23539847},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23539847},
  language  = {portuguese},
  note      = {English title: Waste and sewage: The city is a gas crop too. Licence CC BY 4.0}
}

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