Petrobras wants to produce 855 million litres of biodiesel a year
The target is for 2011. The Brazilian oil company is currently investing
US$ 60 million in three of its own projects and is also buying fuel from
private companies. The organization is also studying the development of
nine other projects that may, in future, elevate production to 1.2
billion litres.
Rio de Janeiro - Up to 2011 Petrobras wants to reach production of
around 855 million litres of biodiesel a year. The Brazilian state-owned
oil company is currently investing US$ 60 million in the development and
implementation of three basic projects for the processing of vegetable
diesel, using as raw material the oil from cotton, dendê and castor
seeds, products cultivated by around 70,000 small family farmers. The
company still uses as complementary inputs soy tallow and oil.
Company figures show that in the construction phase of the unit, 1,200
direct jobs and 400 indirect jobs will be generated, and the beginning
of operations is forecasted for the 4th quarter of 2007. The production
is turned to supplying the Petrobras Distributor demand for biodiesel in
the northeast of the country.
In one of the projects, Petrobras is developing a pilot plant for the
processing of biodiesel from grain, mainly castor seed, in the city of
Guamaré, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte. The
production technology to be used was developed by the company. Using
conventional technology, tests with different oils will increase the
company's productive capacity to 42 cubic metres a day (42,000 litres/day).
The company is also analysing another nine biodiesel production projects
in the country: two in Rio Grande do Sul, in the south; two in Paraná
(S); one in Araraquara, in the interior of the southeastern state of
paulista; one in Mato Grosso do Sul, in the midwest; two in Mato Grosso
(MW); and one in Amazonas, in the north. Together, if approved, the
projects will result in production of 1.2 cubic metres of biodiesel per
year - equivalent to 1.2 billion litres of the product.
Biodiesel is also produced by private companies in the country, being
Brasil Ecodiesel the main producer. Petrobras buys the fuel from these
companies. Nowadays, the legislation authorizes the addition of 2%
biodiesel to common diesel in the country. The mixture will become
compulsory starting in 2008.
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