Acelen Launched Palm Tree-Based Energy Project In Dubai

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) São Paulo – From Brazil's Cerrado to Dubai's Museum of the Future came the fruit of macaúba, a Brazilian native palm tree. The macaúba seed oil will be the basis of the pioneering renewable fuel production project by Acelen Renewables, the renewable energy arm of Brazilian company Acelen, launched on the 7th at the Arab museum on the sidelines of the U.N. climate summit COP28.

Acelen Renewables was recently established to actively participate in the global energy transition and will count on investments of over USD 2.5 billion to focus on the production of renewable fuels like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel based on macaúba as part of the project Seed to Fuel that is expected to cut emissions by 80% compared to fossil fuels.

In an interview with ANBA, Acelen Communications, ESG and Institutional Affairs VP Marcelo Lyra (pictured above) talked about the macaúba oil-based renewable fuel project and how it can stand out in the global energy transition process.

Lyra explained the difference between biodiesel and renewable diesel.“Biodiesel serves as an additive, while renewable diesel fully substitutes fossil diesel, and so does SAF,” said the VP.

The project is expected to be implemented in the first half of 2024, and nearly 500,00 acres of macaúba palm trees will be planted in degraded areas in North Minas Gerais and South Bahia.

Macaúba takes three to five years to bear fruit. Meanwhile, starting in 2026, a biorefinery that will be able to process 20,000 barrels per day – 1 billion liters of renewable diesel or SAF per year will work with soy oil and corn oil, and around 2028 the first fruit of macaúba will be harvested. Then the other vegetable oils will be mixed with macaúba, and 2033 is expected to see the full transition to renewable energy and SAF fully based on macaúba oil.

Acelen operates in the refinery of Mataripe, Bahia, and its Seed to Fuel project will also account for the refinement of the Bahia-based plant. A technology hub is part of the project and is expected to be building in North Minas Gerais to produce selected macaúba seedling.

According to Lyra, the project has the potential to capture up to 60 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere and is set to create 90,000 new direct and indirect jobs in Brazil.

Why macaúba?

“Why not continue with soy? Because besides been environmentally much better, the oil productivity of the macaúba per acre is five to seven times higher than soy's. Besides, we'll do it on 100%-degraded lands, and an important thing of the project is to access the carbon credit for recovering these lands. We'll transform degraded grazing land into a cultivated forest that produces renewable diesel and SAF,” explains Lyra.

Macaúba palm tree fruits

The project aims to turn the macaúba oil into an agricultural commodity, said Lyra.“What we've seen at COP28 is the determination to permanently reduce the use of fossil fuels by humanity, so this conversion will take place. A stumbling block in this is ensuring the supply of raw material, and macaúba is very promising in this regard, due to its productivity per acre, and in Brazil we have enough degraded land to produce plenty of renewable diesel and SAF. So Brazil could be the Saudi Arabia of biofuel, as in terms of cost and productive capacity, we have the means to be the world's most competitive producer and a good chance to be very relevant in the energy transition,” he said.

The VP pointed out that now 80% of the world's energy mix is still fossil, and there is a time curve that is not expected to happen so soon.“This mix will eventually be balanced. In the long run, the society tends towards this transition. The transition must be carried out with energy security,” he said.

From wood to coal, from coal to oil – these were the energy transitions that society have seen.“Now we have various energy sources that'll coexist – wind and solar will coexist with biomethane, gas, fossil, diesel – and the transition will occur with more alternatives, depending on the natural vocation of each region,” he said.

Macaúba fruit

What is expected to happen, said Lyra, depending on the regulations of each country, is a percentage of renewable diesel that will be added to fossil diesel, and this percentage increases.“In California, the United States, you already have the option of 100%-renewable diesel at the gas station, but this is more for show than it's competitive. Volumes will grow over time, starting at 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, until it reaches a higher [renewable] volume,” he said.

The VP said they've found in the macaúba the perfect combination of soil use, productivity, preservation, and adaptation, as it is a Brazilian native tree.“The macaúba solution is the result of studies from our team, but the idea of finding alternatives for the production of biofuels and being relevant in the energy transition was born with Acelen,” he said.

“It's a very stimulating project for us – we're very excited. We've gained a lot of visibility at COP28, and we're very glad to have chosen this moment, that's very symbolic for us. We've launched the project in April together with the Brazilian and UAE governments. We have an investor from the UAE, and we've had the joy of visiting a COP there, a COP that'll be very relevant for accelerating energy transition, and we've had the joy of launching it at the Museum of the Future, which is a very emblematic venue that represents this moment. We're confident that this project puts on an amazing level of competitiveness, and more than that, now it's global, it became a global project that could help the world in this energy transformation,” said Lyra.

Refinery

Acelen arouse out of the Mataripe Refinery in Bahia acquired by the Mubadala Capital of the United Arab Emirates in 2021. Now the leading products are fossil fuels.

The energy company invested in modernization and production efficiency and has cut CO2 emissions to the equivalent of over 54,000 acres of planted trees, decreased sulfur emissions by 41%, water consumption in operations by 10%, and energy consumption by 6%.

“Acelen was born with the purpose of being part of the Brazilian energy transition and the work in the refinery is producing gasoline, diesel, with the lowest carbon footprint possible, reducing energy and water consumption,” said Lyra.

Translated by Guilherme Miranda

The post Acelen launched palm tree-based energy project in Dubai appeared first on Agência de Notícias Brasil-Árabe .

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