Petrobras (PETR4) reported on Friday, 2, that it will deploy, in Cubatão (SP), the first unit in the country entirely dedicated to the production of 100% renewable diesel and aviation biokerosene (BioQAV), a type of sustainable aviation fuel.

The project is part of the company's BioRefining Program and is part of the Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027, which will receive investments of US$ 600 million for the development of a new generation of sustainable fuels with a lower carbon footprint.

In a statement, the state says that renewable diesel and BioQAV have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions between 55 % and 90 % compared to petroleum-derived fuels, as they come from renewable raw materials (such as vegetable oil and fats of animal origin).

The new plant will be installed at the Presidente Bernardes Refinery (RPBC), in Cubatão (SP), with the capacity to produce 6,000 barrels per day (bpd) of BioQAV and 6,000 bpd of 100% renewable diesel from the processing of up to 790,000 tons/year of renewable raw material.

According to the company, RPBC was chosen to house the new unit due to its proximity to the southeast market and the greater integration with the national refining park.

"The new plant is one of the highlights of our BioRefining Program, crucial to delivering products with lower greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the demands of society and with a changing world. In addition to the dedicated biorefining plant, we will invest in the coprocessing of diesel with renewable content in other refineries and in the production of other derivatives with plant raw material," said Rodrigo Costa, Director of Refining and Natural Gas at Petrobras, in the statement.

According to Petrobras, there will be the expansion of co-processing for the production of Diesel R – with renewable content – at the Presidente Getúlio Vargas Refinery (REPAR), in Paraná, and the beginning of co-processing for the production of Diesel R at the Presidente Bernardes refineries in Cubatão (RPBC) and The Paulínia Refinery (REPLAN), both in São Paulo, and at the Duque de Caxias Refinery (REDUC), in Rio de Janeiro.

Renewable diesel is the first fuel of the new generation of more sustainable products that the company begins to offer to the consumer market. "We have already tested renewable diesel in a bus fleet in Curitiba and the results confirm the two major advantages of this product: the reduction of emissions and its drop in feature, that is, it is a product that can be used in systems designed for diesel oil, without the need for any modification in engines and equipment",  says Petrobras Marketing and Logistics Director Cláudio Mastella.

Petrobras points out that the new generation of bioproducts, more modern, plays an important role in meeting the emission reduction targets of the country's road and civil aviation segments.

Renewable diesel and BioQAV are oxygen-free, giving them superior quality and greater stability. In addition, they are free of sulfur and other contaminants, contributing to their better performance.

The new plant will also produce green naphtha, a product of interest to the petrochemical segment for the production of renewable plastics.

Source: Money Times