Brazil is already taking aggressive steps to produce sustainable aviation fuel. Companies such as Acelen, Petrobras, Brasil BioFuels and Geo Biogás have already announced production plans. The country could produce up to 9 billion liters of sustainable aviation fuel per year. The fuel could be made from waste from sugarcane and eucalyptus plantations, combustion gases, beef tallow and used cooking oil.
It is worth noting that in the assessment made by EPE (Energy Research Company), SAF production here in Brazil could be less carbon intensive than the same conversion processes in other countries due to the use of integrated plants in the production chain. Brazil is already known for its expertise in biofuels, especially sugarcane ethanol, which lays a solid foundation for future innovations in SAF. The abundance of raw materials and the expanding energy infrastructure are additional advantages that favor the country in this development. Moreover, with more than 2,000 aircraft and 100 airports in the country, there is a domestic market for SAF consumption.
in progress
SAF’s domestic production already includes projects such as BioQAv, from Boeing and Embraer, to convert used cooking oil into hydrotreated esters and fatty acids. There is also BioValor, a collaboration between Amyris, TotalEnergies and LanzaTech, exploring the production of jet fuel from sugarcane bagasse, and H2Fly, a partnership with Siemens Energy and Airbus, which is focused on producing synthetic kerosene using green hydrogen. There is also CooperSocar, which, together with GeoBioGas & Carbon, will produce aviation biofuel from biomethane. The raw material will be agro-industrial waste from sugarcane factories.
Risen is now moving towards bio-aerospace kerosene (SAF) and marine biofuel (biobunker), from the residues of cellulosic ethanol production – or second-generation ethanol (E2G).
The company has already signed an agreement with Dutch biorefinery Vertoro to increase the added value of lignin, the molecule that ensures the firmness of plant tissue and is broken down in the process of producing ethanol from biomass. The idea is to convert lignin into SAF, the bio-vault, as well as into products and chemicals.
legislation
The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) published in early September in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU), a technical cooperation agreement aimed at implementing a regulatory framework for the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Brazil. The agreement lasts for 60 months and was signed between the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), linked to the Ministry of Municipalities and the Environment, and the National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC). According to the materials released by the MME, the progress in this area is significant because, according to the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, the technical cooperation is in line with Bill 528/2020, called PL do Combustível do Futuro, which provides, among other initiatives, the National Program for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ProBioQAV). “Fuel of the Future is the largest decarbonization program in the transportation and mobility matrix on the planet, through which we will achieve significant progress in ethanol, biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel, green diesel and carbon capture. This places Brazil at the forefront of a fair, inclusive and balanced energy transition.
Among the objectives of the agreement is the creation of an informal forum called Conexão SAF, in which, in addition to the agencies, representatives of the various sectors interested in developing the SAF market in the country will participate. This forum will also be a means of preparing studies aimed at addressing the challenges in creating a strong SAF market in Brazil.
Bioenergy Channel-Newspaper
