Petrobras sells the first batch of 3,800 m³ of aviation fuel made with certified soy, capable of reducing emissions by up to 70%, in an unprecedented project that anticipates the aviation sector's requirements expected for 2027.

Petrobras sells the first batch of 3,800 m³ of aviation fuel made with certified soy, capable of reducing emissions by up to 70%, in an unprecedented project that anticipates the aviation sector’s requirements expected for 2027.

Written by Alisson Ficher

Published on 21/06/2026 at 16:44

Be the first to react!

Sustainable fuel made with certified soybean oil advances in Brazil before aviation’s mandatory targets, in an operation that brings together Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra to test a national chain with refining, agricultural traceability, and distribution to the aviation sector.

Petrobras completed, in June 2026, the production and commercialization of the first batch of sustainable aviation fuel made with soybean oil certified under the CORSIA low ILUC risk standard, in an operation conducted at the Duque de Caxias Refinery, Reduc, in Rio de Janeiro.

With 3,800 cubic meters, the batch was sold to Vibra, responsible for distribution to the aviation market through BR Aviation, while the soybean oil used in the process was supplied by Bunge, according to information released by the companies involved.

The fuel was produced by co-processing, a technique that allows the insertion of renewable raw material into the traditional refining structure, without requiring the immediate replacement of the infrastructure already used in the production and supply of aviation kerosene.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Sustainable aviation fuel enters the path of new rules

Sanctioned on October 8, 2024, Law No. 14,993 created the National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Program, ProBioQAV, and set targets to reduce emissions on domestic flights starting in 2027.

According to the rules released by the federal government, air operators must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1% starting January 1, 2027, with gradual progress to 10% by 2037.

Even before the start of the mandatory obligation, Petrobras’ initiative reinforces the race to structure a national chain of sustainable aviation fuel, involving industrial production, certified agricultural supply, and distribution to the aviation market.

In the sector, SAF is seen as one of the alternatives to reduce the carbon intensity of air routes, although its adoption still depends on production scale, regular supply of raw material, and competitiveness against conventional kerosene.

Despite the title highlighting soy, the batch does not completely abandon the fossil base, as the commercialized product has 1% renewable content and was manufactured in a route that combines renewable input and traditional refining.

CORSIA Certification Aims for Lower Risk of Indirect Deforestation

According to Petrobras, this is the world’s first soybean SAF with international CORSIA certification for low associated ILUC risk, a recognition linked to the assessment of indirect land use impacts in the biofuel chain.

The acronym ILUC refers to indirect land use change, a concept used to measure whether the expansion of a raw material can pressure new areas, even when certified production does not occur on deforested areas.

With this certification, the raw material used in the fuel meets sustainability criteria and presents a lower risk of stimulating the opening of new areas, according to the parameters adopted for international recognition informed by Petrobras.

According to the state company, the seal ensures that the soybean oil does not come from deforestation nor indirectly encourages this process, a point considered central to validate the sustainable route of the fuel produced at Reduc.

Bunge Certifies Soybeans and Produces Oil in Mato Grosso

In the production chain, Bunge was responsible for the origination and certification of soybeans, as well as the production of vegetable oil at its crushing unit located in Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso.

The company claims to have proven productivity gains of Brazilian soybeans to meet international sustainability requirements, a necessary step to support the certification used in the batch marketed by Petrobras.

In a statement released by the companies, Bunge’s Director of Renewable Fuel Solutions in South America, Christini Kubo, said that data from Conab shows a productivity gain of over 20% in Brazilian soybeans over the last decade.

For her, the certification proves this evolution “meeting the most stringent international sustainability standards,” by associating the origin of the raw material with verifiable production criteria and lower impact on new areas.

Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra Share Stages of the SAF Chain

Within the operation, Petrobras produced the fuel at Reduc, Bunge supplied the certified soybean oil, and Vibra took on distribution to the aviation sector through BR Aviation.

This division shows how the new chain depends on the articulation between refining, tracked agricultural origin, and supply logistics, three decisive stages for sustainable aviation fuel to advance in the Brazilian market.

Petrobras’ Director of Logistics, Commercialization, and Markets, Angélica Laureano, stated that the sale of the batch demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustainability and energy transition, as well as encouraging verifiable practices among suppliers.

Also in a statement released by the companies, Laureano said that the initiative reflects the company’s purpose of encouraging the supply chain to adopt sustainable practices that can be verified.

On the Vibra side, the Vice President of Operations, Daniel Drumond, stated that the company supplies six out of every ten flights in the country and plays a strategic role in preparing the market for SAF.

According to the executive, the project reinforces the availability of tools necessary for the energy transition of the aviation sector, while also helping to develop a sustainable national supply chain for aviation fuel.

Reduction of emissions and challenges to gain scale

The companies claim that the product has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 70% compared to traditional aviation kerosene, considering life cycle analysis methodology.

This type of comparison considers different stages of the production chain, not just the burning of fuel in the engine, which allows for the assessment of environmental impact from the origin of the raw material to final use.

For Petrobras, the movement also expands the portfolio of certified raw materials available for SAF production by incorporating soybean oil with internationally recognized traceability and certification.

According to the state company, the use of co-processing at Reduc increases industrial flexibility and allows for the offering of fuels with lower carbon intensity to the aviation market, without immediately breaking with the current refining structure.

Amid the preparation of airlines, distributors, and energy producers for stricter environmental goals, the consolidation of this chain still depends on scale, certification of raw materials, efficient logistics, and economic competitiveness against conventional kerosene.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Petrobras sells the first batch of 3,800 m³ of aviation fuel made with certified soy, capable of reducing emissions by up to 70%, in an unprecedented project that anticipates the aviation sector’s requirements expected for 2027.

Sustainable fuel made with certified soybean oil advances in Brazil before aviation’s mandatory targets, in an operation that brings together Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra to test a national chain with refining, agricultural traceability, and distribution to the aviation sector.

Sustainable aviation fuel enters the path of new rules

CORSIA Certification Aims for Lower Risk of Indirect Deforestation

Bunge Certifies Soybeans and Produces Oil in Mato Grosso

Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra Share Stages of the SAF Chain

Reduction of emissions and challenges to gain scale

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where it hardly rains, engineer Sonam Wangchuk created the ice stupa, a tower that freezes winter water and stores it for irrigating crops in the spring, a simple engineering feat that mimics nature.

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

Almost 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland. Houses form a continuous row, and behind them, narrow agricultural strips emerge, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

Described by astronauts as one of the most unlikely natural phenomena on Earth, the Okavango Delta spreads over up to 15,000 square kilometers in the middle of the desert and transforms Botswana into a living labyrinth of channels, islands, and flooded areas.

Two helicopters, 41 people, and over 38 tons of bait were mobilized on a remote Pacific atoll to eliminate rats; five years later, native trees grew by 5,000%, seabirds gained habitat, and the rainforest began to regenerate.

Rio de Janeiro receives more than R$ 5.5 billion in sanitation, includes almost 1 million residents from communities in the formal customer base, and brings water, sewage, and proof of residence to regions historically neglected by urban infrastructure.

Beach in the Northeast reaches a new level with a resort worth R$ 745 million, villas up to R$ 8.3 million, a complex of 2,347 hectares, and 6.5 km of beachfront in a destination still far from the hustle and bustle of Pipa.

Man buys abandoned luxury Mitsubishi for R$ 2,000 and performs an impossible transformation after finding the engine without oil, the car covered in mud, and even slugs; the project consumed R$ 17,000 and the final result impresses.

Railway returns to prominence in Brazil after STF approval: a R$ 25.2 billion project promises to save R$ 9 billion in freight, transport 50 million tons per year, and transform Sinop into a logistics powerhouse for agribusiness.

Who has the highest IQ: the oldest child, the middle child, or the youngest? A study with 240,000 people published in Science reveals a difference of up to 3.2 points and indicates which position in the family tends to have an advantage.

Petrobras sells the first batch of 3,800 m³ of aviation fuel made with certified soy, capable of reducing emissions by up to 70%, in an unprecedented project that anticipates the aviation sector’s requirements expected for 2027.

Sustainable fuel made with certified soybean oil advances in Brazil before aviation’s mandatory targets, in an operation that brings together Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra to test a national chain with refining, agricultural traceability, and distribution to the aviation sector.

Sustainable aviation fuel enters the path of new rules

CORSIA Certification Aims for Lower Risk of Indirect Deforestation

Bunge Certifies Soybeans and Produces Oil in Mato Grosso

Petrobras, Bunge, and Vibra Share Stages of the SAF Chain

Reduction of emissions and challenges to gain scale

In the cold desert of Ladakh, where it hardly rains, engineer Sonam Wangchuk created the ice stupa, a tower that freezes winter water and stores it for irrigating crops in the spring, a simple engineering feat that mimics nature.

Libya built over 4,000 kilometers of underground pipelines to bring water from the Sahara to coastal cities in a project that the government itself called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Chinese woman planted trees for decades while sand buried part of her house, received $5,000 from an American in 1999, and helped transform the desert into a forest of 8 million trees in China.

Desert sand, previously discarded for being too smooth for concrete, becomes an ecological brick in the United Arab Emirates, dispensing with Portland cement, curing at room temperature, and attempting to transform dunes useless for construction into raw material for a new arid engineering.

Almost 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland. Houses form a continuous row, and behind them, narrow agricultural strips emerge, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

Described by astronauts as one of the most unlikely natural phenomena on Earth, the Okavango Delta spreads over up to 15,000 square kilometers in the middle of the desert and transforms Botswana into a living labyrinth of channels, islands, and flooded areas.

Two helicopters, 41 people, and over 38 tons of bait were mobilized on a remote Pacific atoll to eliminate rats; five years later, native trees grew by 5,000%, seabirds gained habitat, and the rainforest began to regenerate.

Brazil enacted a national minimum wage for teachers at R$ 5,130 for a 40-hour workweek, raised the minimum wage for basic education after a 5.4% adjustment, and established a rule that prevents increases below inflation in the coming years across the country.

Luciano Hang offers a R$ 40,000 prize at Havan, but it’s not exactly a job position: it’s an influencer contest for the network’s 40th anniversary, with a contract for the winner.

For years Star Wars led, but the most expensive film in history is now Jurassic World: Dominion, with a budget of $658.8 million and a box office that exceeded $1 billion.

Government wants to pay up to R$ 8,000 to more than 2,300 traditional families in over 100 communities in Acre and Amazonas for environmental services provided to the Amazon.

Coal mine purchased for $2 million in Wyoming, the Brook Mine holds rare earth elements and critical minerals estimated at up to $37 billion, in an asset that the US is competing for with China.

Rio de Janeiro receives more than R$ 5.5 billion in sanitation, includes almost 1 million residents from communities in the formal customer base, and brings water, sewage, and proof of residence to regions historically neglected by urban infrastructure.

Beach in the Northeast reaches a new level with a resort worth R$ 745 million, villas up to R$ 8.3 million, a complex of 2,347 hectares, and 6.5 km of beachfront in a destination still far from the hustle and bustle of Pipa.

Man buys abandoned luxury Mitsubishi for R$ 2,000 and performs an impossible transformation after finding the engine without oil, the car covered in mud, and even slugs; the project consumed R$ 17,000 and the final result impresses.

Railway returns to prominence in Brazil after STF approval: a R$ 25.2 billion project promises to save R$ 9 billion in freight, transport 50 million tons per year, and transform Sinop into a logistics powerhouse for agribusiness.

Who has the highest IQ: the oldest child, the middle child, or the youngest? A study with 240,000 people published in Science reveals a difference of up to 3.2 points and indicates which position in the family tends to have an advantage.