Training demonstrates how producers can become more efficient in decarbonizing the biofuels chain

The RenovaBio – National Biofuels Policy and the RenovaCalc – RenovaBio carbon accounting calculator, were presented by researchers from Embrapa Meio Ambiente to members of the Organization of Sugarcane Producers Associations in Brazil (Orplana), on July 4, 2021 .

Established by law on December 26, 2017, the program is aimed at expanding biofuels on a sustainable basis. Its strategic axes are the expansion of the participation of biofuels in the energy matrix, the establishment of marketing rules, economic, financial and socio-environmental balance, and the search for new biofuels.

RenovaBio, in addition to aiming to increase energy efficiency, aims to help the country achieve some of the commitments made in the Paris Agreement: a 45% share of renewable energy and an increase in the 18% share of sustainable bioenergy in the electrical matrix Brazilian.

According to Marcelo Morandi, general manager of Embrapa Meio Ambiente, RenovaBio will contribute to reducing emissions from the transport sector by approximately 11% by 2030 in relation to current emissions. In its first year with targets, 2020, the emissions of almost 15 million tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere were avoided. For 2021, the goal is to reduce emissions by another 24 million tons of GHG, through the generation of decarbonization credits, the CBios.

One of the main instruments of the Program is accounting for the carbon intensity of biofuels and their certification. To join RenovaBio, however, it is necessary to meet eligibility criteria that refer to the sustainable use of land, including the absence of deforestation, compliance with the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and current agroecological zoning (ZAE).

According to Embrapa Meio Ambiente researcher Marília Folegatti, the basis of RenovaCalc is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique. The option for this technique was due to the fact that it is internationally recognized and adopted in energy policies in many countries, such as those in the European Community and the United States. The researcher described the main methodological options and assumptions adopted for LCA in the RenovaBio Program.

Nilza Patrícia Ramos, also a researcher at Embrapa Meio Ambiente, demonstrated how to access RenovaCalc, especially the agricultural stage, which involves information on the production of raw materials that generate biofuels, including sugar cane, which is the crop of greatest interest to Orplana associated producers. The presentation sought to clarify what information producers can provide to plants that wish to become certified with RenovaBio. In the presentation it was clear that the application in the field of as many good agricultural practices as possible can be more positive in avoiding GHG emissions in sugarcane production. 

RenovaCalc, a tool developed in partnership with the National Bioethanol Science and Technology Laboratory (CTBE, currently LNBR), Agroicone and Unicamp, was presented by Embrapa analyst Anna Letícia Pighinelli, with instructions on how to complete it and interpret results. The calculator can be accessed through the ANP. At the end of the event, the analyst also presented some scenarios indicating how inputs, such as diesel and nitrogen fertilizers, could impact GHG emissions in the sugarcane agricultural production phase.