Pernambuco announces its first biorefinery project

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Brazil's Northeastern State of Pernambuco will have its first biorefinery producing biobased kerosene and diesel. The project was unveiled during the opening of the event “4º Pernambuco no Clima” (4th of August) by the State Governor Paulo Câmara who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that ensures the beginning of the actions. The estimated investment for the construction of the plant has been set at R$ 100 million (roughly, $ 29 million or € 26 million).

The biorefinery has been baptised as the “Plataforma Pernambucana de Bioquerosene e Diesel Verde”. It will be focused on the production of renewable fuels to be used in planes that fly in and out of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha Archipelago. The initial feedstock will be husks of sugar cane from the sugar factories but other native oil plants (for instance, licuri and macaiba palm) could be used.

The project of the multi-process and multi-feedstock biorefinery will involve 25 State Government partners (among which, Caixa Econômica Federal, Banco do Brasil, BNDES, Banco do Nordeste, UFPE, UFRPE, Sudene, Azul Linhas Aéreas, Sindaçúcar, Infraero, Embrapa, Cetene and Refinaria Abreu e Lima). After the signature of the MoU, the final structure of the project group will be formulated within 15 days. The project will be part of the Carbono Neutro programme, which aims to nullify the emissions of carbon dioxide in Fernando de Noronha.

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