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Arabs invest R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plant into green fuel and revolutionize the market with sustainable diesel and SAF made from macauba

Written by Valdemar Medeiros
Published 12/01/2025 às 11:03
Arabs invest R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plant into green fuel
Arabs invest R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plant into green fuel

Arabs invest R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plant into green fuel. The plant in question is Macaúba, which can produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – up to 7 times more profitable.

Arabs invest R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plant into fuel: Macaúba, a plant native to tropical regions of Brazil, is emerging as a leading player in the production of green fuels. Also known as bocaiúva and coco-babão, the plant has attracted the attention of Arab investors, who have announced an impressive investment of R$15 billion in projects aimed at the large-scale production of green diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This initiative puts macaúba in the spotlight globally, not only for its energy potential, but also for its contribution to reducing carbon emissions and promoting a more sustainable economy. In addition, the project aims to boost the local production chain, benefiting agricultural communities and promoting economic development in the regions where the plant is grown.

Understand the potential of macaúba in the green fuel sector SAF

Acelen Renováveis, a company controlled by Mubadala Fund of the United Arab Emirates, construction has begun on a SAF plant in Mataripe, Bahia. Arabs are investing R$15 billion to transform the Brazilian plant into fuel, and the location was chosen due to its high productivity and lack of environmental restrictions, occupying degraded pasture areas.

Macaúba produces up to seven times more oil per hectare than soybeans, Brazil's main agricultural commodity. In addition, it offers multiple uses, from human consumption to the production of biochar, benefiting the soil by sequestering carbon.

Macaúba has the potential to rival soybeans in the future in a scenario of growing demand for vegetable oil, a new sustainable source that the market is prepared to absorb. In addition to producing green fuel SAF, the plant can provide oil for chemical and cosmetic industries.

Arabs are investing R$15 billion to transform a Brazilian plant into fuel. However, while 200 hectares of macauba palm are not put into production, Acelen will use soybean oil to maintain its operations. In 2026, the biorefinery will produce the equivalent of 20 barrels of SAF or green fuel per day, enough for more than one million vehicles per year.

Other initiatives by Acelen for the domestication of macaúba

The Acelen project expects to generate R$87 billion and create 90 jobs. Around 20% of the crops will be grown by family farmers, bringing significant income to small properties, an initiative that also aims to transform degraded pastures into bioenergy forests. capturing carbon credits.

Acelen and Embrapa have reached an agreement to domesticate the macauba palm, aiming to genetically select the best species for the production of oil and bioproducts. Even though it is not domesticated, the plant already produces more oil than palm, showing its great potential and why the Arabs are investing R$15 billion to transform the Brazilian plant into green fuel.

With domestication, the expectation is to further increase production efficiency. In this way, the project will not only boost the economy, but will also bring significant environmental and social improvements to the regions involved.

SAF green fuel is receiving further studies

The Arabs are investing R$15 billion to transform Brazilian plants into fuel, but Macaúba is not the only one gaining prominence in this area. Researchers from the National Biorenewables Laboratory (LNBR) of the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), in Campinas (SP), discovered that sustainable fuel made from microbial oil derived from sugarcane has the potential to replace kerosene and, in this way, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by more than 50%.

The study, published in the scientific journal Bioresource Technology, analyzed the conversion of microbial oil into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through a hydroprocessing technology of esters and fatty acids (HEFA), the same technology used in the production of biodiesel.

Sugarcane is already used to produce ethanol today, replacing gasoline and reducing vehicle emissions. This is an alternative to jet fuel, which is a similar chemical compound but produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

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Deodoro Moreira dos Santos
Deodoro Moreira dos Santos
13/01/2025 05:03

Very optimistic news for ecology and the environment.
It will not change the “damage” that is scheduled to happen as a result of the extreme climate effects that will occur as a result of the “violent fires that occurred mainly in Brazil”. And it also needs to wait for the “reaction” of the strong “oil cartel”, which will not want to lose “money”.
It is a shame that this initiative to use aviation fuel based on macauba oil interferes with the recovery of the environment.

Telmo Heinen
Telmo Heinen
13/01/2025 08:40

Another plant to produce SAF according to my knowledge is Babassu, which exists in around 17 million hectares in the North and Northeast of Brazil.
I recommend a report on this subject.

Joe
Joe
13/01/2025 09:41

I hope Brazil does not make the same mistake it made during the rubber boom, when it only collected latex from plants in the forest. England took advantage of this, took seedlings and created rubber plantations in its tropical colonies. Today, they dominate the production market and Brazil, as usual, is always in the last positions. Top 5, only in corruption.

Valdemar Medeiros

Journalist in training, specialist in creating content with a focus on SEO actions. Writes about the Automotive Industry, Renewable Energy and Science and Technology

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