Independent researchers from Brazil and Germany have declared their support for the macaúba palm as a sustainable raw-material which can be adapted for use in various industries.

A literary review has been published analyzing more than 400 scientific articles declaring their belief in the macaúba (a palm found in regions stretching from the southern tip of South America to Mexico) as a sustainable raw-material that can be used in different sectors, with special emphasis being given to that of bioenergy. “The most interesting thing has been that these studies were undertaken independently by different researchers representing different institutions in both Brazil and overseas. “One good example is the macaúba study group based at the University of Hohenheim in Germany,” says agricultural engineer Sérgio Motoike, a professor at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and important voice in the plant improvement research being performed on the macaúba. 

According to Motoike, everyone is now convinced of the potential of the macaúba. “It has become much easier to recommend its cultivation, since the information available now supports investments in the area, thus reducing possible risks,” explains Motoike. In Brazil, the species started attracting attention when the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (‘PNPB’) was launched. Encouraged by the government, the macaúba became the focus of study for many Brazilian universities over the following years.

The macaúba palm has a number of scientifically proven characteristics in its favor. Motoike highlights five in particular. First: it is a highly productive plant - one hectare of macaúba can produce 6 tons of oil, whilst the same area of African palm renders just 3.8 tons. Second: every part of the macaúba fruit can be made use of. From it one can extract oil, vegetable fat, proteins with high nutritional value, dietary fiber, high-energy biomass and fatty materials. Third: it is a very resilient plant that produces in a much drier environment than the oil palm. Fourth: the macaúba adapts itself well to integrated farming models, such as the silvipastoral system, with low carbon emissions, thus making its highly sustainable. Fifth: it is a source of raw-materials that can be used by many different industries.

“These days, it is clear that the macaúba has enormous potential as a sustainable producer of vegetable oil, proteins and dietary fibers, as well as in the application of its products in the food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, oleochemical and bioenergy industries,” says Professor Motoike. In Brazil alone, the species has been the object of study for 14 years, which has allowed an exploration of its agricultural side (the domestication of the macaúba for commercial farming), its industrial potential (its use by various industries), and its environmental aspects (carbon sequestering), amongst others.

Growing period

Following the failure of the jatropha (a bush native to the tropical regions of the American continent, which, at the time of the launch of the PNPB, was seen as the most promising plant for the production of high quality biofuels, boosting experimental plantings in Brazil and elsewhere) people took a more reserved approach, and started performing studies and more in-depth analyses before declaring a new species to be the best bet in the context of the bioeconomy.

“Following the fiasco of the jatropha, many investors and government agents started taking a more cautious approach towards pushing a species about which still little was known. I think that this was actually quite healthy since it gave us more time to study and understand the macaúba,” says Motoike.

S.Oleum, a bio-innovation company focused on the development of sustainable solutions, came into being within this context. The agro startup (AgTech) is the fruit of a meeting between Felipe Morbi, a businessman who has been studying the macaúba since 2007, and Francisco de Blanco, an investor who was traveling the world in search of promising raw materials that could be used for the production of renewable fuels. “When I spoke with Felipe, not only did he explain to me why the macaúba was working out, but showed me the test site of 700 hectares planted with macaúba in João Pinheiro (MG). That’s when I realized that this was something solid,” explains Blanco, who founded S.Oleum, together with Felipe Morbi, in 2019.

Fonte: S.Oleum