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With Support From BNDES, Company Invests In Biomethane Plant In PE And Green CO₂ Unit In RJ, Using Landfill Gas
Biomethane production in Brazil has just gained new momentum. The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) approved two loans totaling R$ 131 million for Gás Verde, a company that transforms landfill gases into renewable energy.
The goal is to increase biomethane generation and create a unit to produce green CO₂, utilizing the waste from the process.
The larger of the financing, amounting to R$ 90.2 million, will be used to construct a new biomethane plant in Igarassu, in the metropolitan region of Recife.
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The project will be fully funded by the bank’s loan, with R$ 72.2 million coming from the Climate Fund. This fund was established in 2009, is linked to the Ministry of the Environment, and was bolstered by R$ 10 billion in 2024 through the issuance of green bonds abroad.
Since 2023, BNDES has approved R$ 666.4 million for seven projects related to biomethane. Of this total, R$ 443.3 million has been made possible with resources from the Climate Fund.
The financial support comes at a time when interest rates are high. According to Gás Verde’s CEO, Marcel Jorand, the partnership with BNDES made the project feasible even in the current economic scenario.
“We have always turned to commercial banks. This moment of high interest rates would have made investments unfeasible” said the executive.
The biomethane produced by the company is a renewable gas equivalent to natural gas used by industries and vehicles, according to standards set by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP).
The gas is generated from the decomposition of waste in landfills, as explained by how the system works.
The soil in landfills is lined with four layers: compacted clay, GCL (geosynthetic clay liner), and two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liners.
A drainage system collects the gases released by the waste, which contains over 50% methane. This gas can be converted into biomethane, which replaces fossil-derived natural gas.
National biomethane production today reaches 840,000 cubic meters per day, according to the Brazilian Association of Biogas (Abiogás). The goal is to reach 8 million cubic meters daily by 2030, which would represent 15% of the country’s total natural gas demand.
In 2024, the national average consumption was 52.5 million cubic meters per day, according to the Brazilian Association of Gas Distributors (Abegás).
Gás Verde, which currently operates two plants, produces 160,000 cubic meters of biomethane daily. The company plans to transform more than ten biogas-fired thermal power plants into biomethane plants. All of these units are installed in landfills.
With this, production is expected to reach 650,000 cubic meters per day by 2028, with operations in six Brazilian states.
In addition to the project in Igarassu, BNDES approved a second loan, worth R$ 40.9 million. Of this total, R$ 17.1 million will also come from the Climate Fund.
The aim is to build a green carbon dioxide (CO2) production unit at the Rio Waste Treatment Center in Seropédica. This location houses the largest biomethane plant in Latin America, operated by Gás Verde, and replaced the former Gramacho landfill.
The green CO2 will be extracted from the same biogas generated by the decomposition of waste. The gas released from the landfill consists of 50% methane, 45% CO2, and 5% other gases.
During the purification process, the final biomethane reaches up to 95% methane. The CO2, which was previously burned, will now be commercially utilized.
According to Jorand, the idea is to allocate this CO2 to clients seeking 100% renewable products. Carbon dioxide has various applications: beverage carbonation, caffeine removal, dry ice production, and frozen food preservation.
“We want to “niche” the green CO2 for those who want access to a 100% renewable product“, explained the executive.
The new Seropédica unit will have a production capacity of 100 tons per day of green CO2. It is expected to begin operations in July. The company is investing R$ 51.3 million in the project and already has 80% of future production sold.
For BNDES president, Aloizio Mercadante, the projects supported by the institution are in line with the federal government’s efforts to combat climate change.
He emphasized the importance of preventing emissions of gases such as methane, which has 25 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
“While one of them economically utilizes carbon dioxide by capturing the byproduct that would be emitted as waste, the other ensures the production of renewable gas, preventing methane emissions“, declared Mercadante in a statement.
Gás Verde bets on a near-zero waste strategy. By fully utilizing the gases extracted from landfills, the company aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable and renewable solutions in the energy sector.
With information from O Globo.
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