Aperam BioEnergia announces new renewable fuel for national industry: Minera Nexa is the first to use bio-oil

Bio-oil is produced from co-products of charcoal production and promises to be the future of the Brazilian market. Mineradora Nexa is the first to use Aperam BioEnergia's new renewable fuel in its operations.

Sustainability and the search for new technologies to minimize environmental impacts continue to be the main focus of industry national energy. For this Friday, (16/12), Aperam BioEnergia has a new renewable fuel launched on the market. This is bio-oil, an oil of vegetable origin, 100% renewable, resulting from the processing of co-products from the production of charcoal. The project started in 2017, with Nexa, a mining company that is already using the new fuel.

Bio-oil project was started by Aperam BioEnergia in 2017, in partnership with Nexa, and the mining company is now enjoying the benefits of the new renewable fuel

Aperam BioEnergia continues to innovate and launch new sustainable solutions for the Brazilian energy market, this time with a new renewable fuel, produced from co-products generated in the production of charcoal at its units in Vale do Jequitinhonha (MG).

The so-called bio-oil is the company's new bet for the future of the decarbonization of the national transport sector, as it greatly reduces the emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere.

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To develop it, the company had a partnership with the mining company Nexa and the current startup WXO Engenharia de Processos Customizados, in a project started in 2017.

In the following year, in 2018, Nexa began to use, in the initial stages, the renewable fuel, using it in its mineral production in the region of Três Marias (MG).

Now, after the positive results of the initial tests, the mining company is preparing to implement the bio-oil in its other facilities.

“The production of coal generates a residue that is tar. Through a series of small innovations that we implemented in our processes over the years, Aperam BioEnergia was able to transform it into a biogenic product with great potential, with zero CO2 generation in the production process”, says the president of Aperam South America, Frederico Ayres Lima.

“I usually say that the great innovations are the result of several other changes that happen and in the end make the break possible. Like Uber, possible thanks to the advent of cell phones, GPS and the internet”, concluded the executive.

Bio-oil guarantees a great advantage over common fuels by minimizing the emission of polluting gases

Aperam BioEnergia commented on the benefits of its new renewable fuel, stating that the main advantage is the minimization of the emission of polluting gases, such as carbon.

In the production of charcoal by Aperam BioEnergia, from planted forests, carbon emissions are completely neutralized, ensuring more sustainability in the production chain.

Executive Wagner Lima, Corporate Energy Manager at Nexa, commented that the partnership with the energy company was essential to unite the expertise of both in a project that can contribute a lot in the mining sector.

In addition, the good performance of the biofuel demonstrates the technical and economic viability of completely replacing petroleum-derived fuels currently used in the zinc oxide production process at the Três Marias mining company, in Minas Gerais.

Bio-oil is produced during the wood carbonization process to form charcoal. During production, in addition to charcoal, condensable liquids and vapors are generated.

With this, Aperam BioEnergia takes advantage of its current technology to maximize the use of these processes.