The first synthetic oil production plant for the manufacturing of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) has been inaugurated in Brazil. The facility was built at the Itaipu Binational biodigestion plant in Foz do Iguaçu.
The plant began operations on June 17th, using biogas as the primary carbon source for hydrocarbon production.
According to our partner site AEROIN, the plant will produce biogas from organic waste. The material is sent to the biodigestion system, where organic matter is converted into biogas.
The product is then stored, treated, and sent to the gas-to-liquid conversion plant. After processing, the material is directed to the dry reforming reactor, where Syngas is produced and subsequently refined with green hydrogen.
Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, stated, «We realize that more than ever, the world is entering the international environmental agenda, one that embraces sustainability. The world wants to produce more and more, but wants to continue doing so in a clean, sustainable manner. Brazil is undoubtedly positioning itself as a window of opportunity.»
The inauguration of this production plant positions Brazil as a potential producer and exporter of SAF.
Rafael González, Director General of the International Center for Renewable Energies, noted that «What we are producing today is a significant step for a range of products in the chemical and fuel industries. It allows us to test, evaluate, and most importantly, set criteria to scale up our production.»
«I would also like to highlight that this project was only possible thanks to the pooling of expertise from our partners,» he added.
International Partnership
The new Renewable Hydrocarbons production unit was made possible by a 1.8 million Euro investment from the German government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The new plant will produce 6 kilograms of bio-crude per day, a mixture of hydrocarbons synthesized from biogas and green hydrogen, which will be used to produce SAF.
The invested funds are directly linked to the federal government’s efforts toward energy transition. Investing in new sustainable energy sources is crucial to mitigating the effects of climate change affecting the entire planet.
In line with this directive, earlier this month, the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor) announced the creation of a Working Group to discuss sustainability actions and objectives in the aviation sector.
