Brazil is considered a world reference when it comes to biofuels. Among the main biofuels used in the country today are ethanol, biodiesel and biomethane. These fuels are manufactured from plant crops — such as sugarcane, corn and castor bean — and waste that would be wasted - such as animal fat and the organic matter biodigestion process.

Because of the way they are produced, biofuels are considered greener because they reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

For chemical engineer Nathalia Diaz, researcher in Renewable Energies at the Institute of Strategic Studies of Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels (Ineep) and linked to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), despite the advantages of biofuels and Brazilian leadership in the sector, there is still no national production framework capable of influencing prices significantly.

"By doing a short-term analysis, biofuels do not have the strength to stop the fuel crisis. This is because, in addition to the problem of lack of supply, there are technical challenges that must be addressed to meet fuel demand at the national level", says the researcher to Sputnik Brazil.

According to Diaz, in the short term, the options of governments around the world to control the price escalation have been the reduction of taxes on fuels. In addition to Brazil, whose price on the pumps has a direct influence on Petrobras' pricing policy, this also occurred in the United States of Democrat Joe Biden, for example.

The researcher at Ineep points out that gasoline production in Brazil is still about four times higher than that of ethanol, and the Brazilian gasoline mixture has only 30% ethanol in its composition. This shows that there is still great dependence on fossil fuel production in the country.

Despite the link with agricultural expansion, researcher Nathalia Diaz stresses the need to invest in long-term biofuel production as a way to pursue sustainability goals and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

"[Investing in biofuel production is necessary] especially in order for Brazil to achieve better results in terms of the transition of the energy matrix, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and, in addition, to contribute to the stabilization of climate conditions at the level of carbon emissions, for example," he says.

Changes at Petrobras affect biofuel production

Since the end of the government of President Dilma Rousseff (PT) in 2015, Petrobras has undergone a series of changes that, among other things, have generated the sale of assets such as refineries and companies such as BR Distribuidora. In addition, the state-owned company adopted a new fuel pricing policy by tainting prices in Brazil to the international market.

According to researcher Nathalia Diaz, there have also been changes at Petrobras that impact biofuel production in Brazil. This is the case of the decommissioning of Petrobras Biocombustível (PBio) plants, which, according to Diaz, had an impact on family agriculture and low-income groups.

"Since the beginning of its construction, PBio, aligned with the National Biodiesel Production and Use Program (PNPB), has been a program for the production of oilseeds by family agriculture to be used as raw material in the biodiesel production process," diaz explains, detailing the relationship of biofuels with family farmers.

According to the researcher, the PNPB mainly affected the semi-arid and southern regions. The program, created in 2005, is one of the main engines of the use of biofuels in Brazil, such as the National Alcohol Program (ProAlcool) of the 1970s and the adoption of flex fuel technology in Brazil in 2003. According to Diaz, between 2009 and 2012, more than 65,000 family farmers were part of the PNPB.

"Some public policies have been established towards social inclusion through the generation of jobs, as well as being an opportunity to expand renewable energy sources. [At the time] the federal government even created the Social Fuel Seal (SCS) in order to integrate family agriculture into the biodiesel production chain," the researcher said, stressing the social importance of the program linked to biofuels.

Source: Agência Brasil China