Embrapa Agroenergia Starts Research to Produce Green Diesel from Poultry Carcasses
(Embrapa) Embrapa Agroenergia, in partnership with the company Haka Bioprocessos, headquartered in Catanduva (SP), starts this October research that may result in a green diesel obtained from the hydrogenation of bio-oil from bone waste from birds.
The Unit will characterize the chemical components of the raw material (bio-oil), pre-treatment, hydrogenation and characterize the final product. The researcher at Embrapa Itânia Soares, leader of the research, says that the objective of the project, which lasts two years, is to arrive at a composition close to that of diesel oil, by adding value to a type of raw material that it is not usually used in the production of renewable diesel.
“We will use the hydrogenation process to generate paraffinic hydrocarbons with properties similar to diesel from fossil sources and which differ from biodiesel, which is a mixture of fatty acid esters, as they present greater stability and greater calorific value”, explains Itânia. In addition to her, the team includes researchers Rossano Gambetta, Leonardo Valadares, Dasciana Rodrigues and Diogo Nakai, all from Embrapa Agroenergia.
The hydrogenation process is similar to what Embrapa Agroenergy has already done with palm oil, known for its high acidity. The final characterization of the product will include the analysis of the chemical composition and also of its physical-chemical characteristics, such as calorific value, density and viscosity. “We think the project is quite visionary on the part of the company, which intends to add value to a waste it already produces and find a new green and sustainable solution for the Brazilian energy matrix”, says Itânia.
Green Diesel Green diesel or renewable diesel, defined as renewable fuel for diesel cycle combustion engines produced from renewable raw materials, is not yet part of the Brazilian energy matrix. On September 17, the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) held a five-hour public hearing on the quality regulation and commercialization of this biofuel in the country.
“With the production of green diesel from bones, we will be inserting the animal protein chain as an important agent in the energy transition to a low carbon economy, offering renewable fuels and inputs for agriculture and promoting the circular economy for the decarbonization of its activities “, says the founder and CEO of Haka Bioprocessos, Cyro Calixto.
After regulation for commercialization in national territory, green diesel should be added to diesel of fossil origin, which already has mandatory 12% biodiesel in its composition. The result will be a ternary mixture, that is, a fuel composed of three different products.
“This project will be a long-term legacy for Brazilian agribusiness. Our expectation is also to take this technology to the main animal protein producers such as Europe and the USA, placing this solution on the national export agenda, consolidating the Brazilian vocation for technological innovation. in the field, “predicts Calixto.
The regulation proposal for green diesel is in line with the National Biofuels Policy (RenovaBio), which aims to expand the use of biofuels in the Brazilian energy matrix with a view to energy security, predictability for the competitive participation of various biofuels in the national market and mitigation emissions of greenhouse gases.
In other countries, green diesel is already a reality and is part of the increase in the percentage of mixture with biodiesel, precisely because it is a better quality fuel, less polluting and more efficient for vehicles. In Europe, biodiesel is allowed at a maximum content of 7% and in the United States, the limit is 5%.
The regulation of green diesel may also enable the production and commercialization of aviation biokerosene, already regulated by the ANP, since the production of biofuels in the context of biorefineries generates different bioproducts in the same process. READ MORE
