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Industrial complex in Lapa, Paraná, integrates biodiesel, soy, glycerin, energy cogeneration, and biogas in a verticalization strategy that expands production scale, reduces logistical steps, and prepares new billion-dollar investments in agroenergy in the country.
Located in Lapa, in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, the complex of the Potencial Group comprises 15 industrial plants, produces 900 million liters of biodiesel per year, and has an investment plan of up to R$ 6 billion to expand its operation by 2030.
In practice, the strategy combines soy crushing, biodiesel production, glycerin refining, energy cogeneration, biogas, and projects related to corn ethanol, forming an integrated chain aimed at expanding biofuels.
The expansion gained momentum on March 25, 2026, when the company inaugurated the new soy crusher and a refined glycerin plant in the Paraná municipality.
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With these initiatives, the industrial plan aims to increase capacity to 1.7 billion liters of biodiesel per year, in addition to advancing in ethanol, degummed oil, DDGS, biogas, and logistical infrastructure.
The integrated chain is the core of the project, as it brings the production of the main input closer to biodiesel manufacturing and reduces dependence on external stages.
Instead of buying all the vegetable oil on the market, the group started processing part of the soy within the complex itself, shortening the path between the raw material and the renewable fuel.
Biodiesel complex in Lapa gains industrial scale
By the volume of vehicles, the operation shows the size of the structure installed in Lapa and the importance of logistics in agroenergy production.
The new crusher has the capacity to process 3,500 tons of soy per day, a quantity associated with the reception of about 100 trucks daily.
This flow is joined by approximately 100 trucks with raw materials and inputs for biodiesel, while another 100 vehicles leave the complex loaded with biodiesel and derivatives.
In the shipment of soybean meal, about 80 trucks per day are added, bringing the total operational movement to approximately 380 vehicles daily.
To reduce internal movements, part of the structure was designed with direct connection between industrial units, avoiding unnecessary road transport within the complex itself.
The oil produced in the crusher flows through overhead pipelines to the biodiesel area, a solution that physically integrates the plants and helps reduce operational costs.
According to Luiz Carlos Bruzamolin Filho, Industrial Director of Grupo Potencial, “with each new stage, we extend the verticalization chain further.”
Today, the first phase of the crusher meets about 25% of the internal demand for vegetable oil, while a second phase could increase this share to approximately 50%, still without a defined schedule.
Billion-dollar investment targets more biodiesel
At the center of the expansion, biodiesel remains the main product of the complex and supports the decision to expand industrial capacity in the coming years.
The current production of 900 million liters per year is expected to reach 1.7 billion liters annually with the planned expansion, reinforcing the goal of consolidating the unit as an agro-energy hub.
Carlos Eduardo Hammerschmidt, Vice President of Commercial, Institutional Relations, and New Investments at Grupo Potencial, states that biofuels have come to play a structural role in the fuel market.
In the executive’s assessment, Brazil has the agricultural and industrial conditions to increase its participation in the energy transition, especially due to the strength of agribusiness and the ability to produce renewable fuels on a large scale.
The cycle announced by the company foresees investments of R$ 6 billion in the Lapa complex by 2030, with resources directed to new industrial stages and decarbonization projects.
There is also a forecast of additional investments between R$ 5 billion and R$ 6 billion by 2030/2032, aimed at biodiesel, soy, corn ethanol, biomethane, and enhancing the environmental efficiency of the operation.
Soy, glycerin, and energy enter the same cycle
In the logic of verticalization, industrial by-products also play a significant role, as they help increase the economic utilization of the raw material processed in the complex.
The company operates two glycerin refineries, a by-product generated in biodiesel production, with an annual capacity between 85,000 and 90,000 tons.
This volume is destined for segments such as the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic markets, which enhances the integration between renewable fuel production and other industrial chains.
In the consumption of raw materials, biodiesel production still relies mainly on vegetable oil, especially soy, while animal fats and used cooking oil complete the composition.
For over a decade, the company’s waste oil collection program has already collected about 33 million liters, reinforcing the commitment to reusing inputs.
The pursuit of energy self-sufficiency is also part of the industrial plan, with a high-pressure boiler equipped with a cogeneration system.
This structure is expected to produce about 10 MW, a volume reported as sufficient to meet the consumption of the enterprise installed in Lapa.
Another planned initiative is the production of biogas from waste generated in the treatment of industrial effluents, as part of the circular economy strategy.
Estimated at R$ 120 million, the project could generate up to 25 thousand cubic meters per day and is part of the corporate goal to increase waste reuse.
Automation sustains large-scale operation
With so many fronts operating on the same site, automation has become one of the foundations for maintaining industrial control of the complex.
About 99% of industrial processes are monitored and controlled by a central operations room, where five operators track in real-time the operation of the 15 plants.
According to Hammerschmidt, the connection between agribusiness and biofuels has become indispensable to sustain the company’s strategy.
The executive summarizes this relationship by stating that “biofuels and agribusiness no longer walk separately,” referring to the interdependence between agricultural supply, industrial processing, and renewable energy.
The expansion is also connected to the debate on energy security, in a market still sensitive to the international volatility of oil and supply uncertainties.
For the group’s vice president, national biofuel production should be treated as a state policy, as it involves reducing external dependency, generating income, and advancing decarbonization.
By moving hundreds of trucks per day and planning to almost double the biodiesel capacity, the Lapa complex shows how the agribusiness is trying to occupy a larger space in the Brazilian energy matrix.
How far can vertical integration transform the production of renewable fuels in the country?
