FOZ Do Iguacu Receives the First Synthetic Oil P{roduction Plant from Biogas in Brazil

June 19, 2024

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(CI Biogas (Google Translation)) The International Center for Renewable Energy ( CIBiogás ) and the Brazil-Germany Cooperation for Sustainable Development, through the H2Brasil project, inaugurated, on June 17th, the first pilot plant in Brazil for the production of synthetic oil from biogas, focusing on the production of sustainable aviation fuel ( Sustainable Aviation Fuel – SAF).

With an investment of 1.8 million euros from the German government, specifically from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), the Renewable Hydrocarbons Production Unit, installed on the premises of Itaipu Binacional, will produce 6kg/day of bio- syncrude – a mixture of hydrocarbons synthesized from biogas and green hydrogen, which will be used for the production of SAF.

The pilot plant uses up to 50 Nm³/day of biogas produced in Itaipu Binacional's biodigestion unit as the main source of carbon for the production of hydrocarbons. In addition, 53 Nm³/day of green hydrogen produced by the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI) is used.

This project is the result of a partnership between the Brazil-Germany Cooperation for Sustainable Development, the International Center for Renewable Energy ( CIBiogás ), the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), the Araucária Foundation, the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI) and Itaipu Binational.

These investments are directly related to the efforts of the Federal Government of Brazil towards the energy transition. This is because investment in new sustainable energy sources is essential to mitigate the effects of climate change that are affecting the entire planet. In this context, Itaipu Binacional, as the largest producer of clean and renewable energy in the world, plays a crucial role with its strategic objectives aligned with Brazil's energy and technological development. “The bio-syncrude plant combines biogas produced at the Itaipu demonstration unit, which we have been operating since 2017, with green hydrogen from PTI, which we have been operating for ten years, transforming it into a new, fully renewable asset, aiming to decarbonize the transport sector. With this, we reaffirm its commitment to sustainability and innovation, contributing to the Brazilian energy transition”, explained the company's Brazilian general director, Enio Verri.

How it will work

The bio-syncrude produced in the pilot plant will be sent to the Applied Kinetics and Thermodynamics Laboratory (LACTA) at UFPR Curitiba/PR for characterization and refining to obtain sustainable aviation fuel fractions. Furthermore, the Renewable Materials and Energy Laboratory ( Labmater ) at UFPR in Palotina/PR, conducted studies on the biogas dry reforming process and developed the catalysts used in the pilot plant.

“We work together so that this first bio-syncrude plant in the country, located in Foz do Iguaçu, can make an economically viable route for the production of green fuels from the valorization of biogas, with an emphasis on the development of the Power- to -X market in state of Paraná”, said the director of the H2Brasil project, Markus Francke .

As part of the partnership between Brazil-Germany Cooperation and CIBiogás , a dynamic map was also created to identify areas with the greatest potential for SAF production in Paraná. “This map highlights the most promising regions for the production of aviation biokerosene through biogas. The analysis reveals that the state has a production potential of 15 thousand cubic meters per year of SAF from biogas generated by biogas plants in operation mapped in 2022”, explained the CEO of CIBiogás , Rafael Hernando de Aguiar Gonzalez.

CIBIOGAS is a company created 11 years ago in the environment of the Itaipu Binacional innovation ecosystem, the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI), and is the national reference in technologies and market strategies for the biogas and biomethane chain . “Projects of this nature demonstrate how important western Paraná and its innovation ecosystem are in the development of the Brazilian energy sector. Topics such as distributed generation, electrical energy microgrids , bioenergy consortia, biomethane , hydrogen production found their first steps here. Now is the time for advanced fuels”, highlights the superintendent director of PTI, Irineu Colombo.

The partner also has the support of the Araucária Foundation, which provided financial compensation through investments within the scope of the research and innovation arrangement in renewable hydrocarbons in the State of Paraná (NAPI HCR), which aims to promote organization and integration, and the coordination of structuring actions aimed at modernizing and promoting the bioenergy sector in the state.

Aviation decarbonization : a global commitment

With the climate goals established in the Paris Agreement for decarbonization and netzero stipulated for the years 2030 and 2050, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation was created in 2016 . for International Aviation – Corsia ). This program's central objective is to create market mechanisms and complement efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the international civil aviation sector, limiting the increase in emissions predicted for the coming years. Thus, the aviation sector, which is difficult to abate and annually contributes emissions of around 800 million tons of CO2, gains notable attention. As a substitute for fossil fuels, sustainable aviation fuels can be obtained from different technological routes and with raw materials ranging from oilseeds to biofuels such as ethanol and biogas. In common, all inputs have carbon, which is the main precursor of the hydrocarbons that make up SAF. READ MORE