Company invests R$30m in innovation and signs partnership with Unicamp to study production of ethanol and biomass
11/10/2022
Shell will research the energy viability of agave, a typical crop of semi-arid regions, as an energy source. If the potential foreseen by the specialists is confirmed, the cultivation of agave can transform the Brazilian hinterland into a great production hub, with productivity similar to that found in sugar cane cultivated in other regions of Brazil.
The company has signed a partnership with University of Campinas (Unicamp) to implement a program of studies and development of technologies for the production of ethanol and biomass from agave – a plant used as raw material for tequila and, in Brazil, in the production of sisal.
Initially, the program, called Brave (Brazilian Agave Development), will receive investments of R$30 million from the research, development, and innovation clause of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), and is expected to be completed in five years.
At first, the research will focus on aspects related to the productive potential of agave, such as genetics and types of the plant, then will evolve to studies of planting and harvesting mechanization on an industrial scale – today, agave harvesting in the country is still manual – to finally enter in the third phase, the implementation of ethanol and biomass pilot project.
The next stages are under negotiation between Shell and the partners, and the agreement is expected to be signed by early 2023, said Alexandre Breda, Shell’s low-carbon energy manager in Brazil.
In a preliminary estimate, Mr. Breda calculates a potential of 6 billion to 10 billion liters of agave ethanol, against 35 billion liters of sugarcane ethanol produced per year in the country, considering the planting of up to 2 million hectares in the semi-arid region (or 2% of the total area of 100 million hectares). In other words, the potential corresponds to almost one-third of the national ethanol production. Not all of this semi-arid area would be used because some portions of caatinga must be preserved.
The project started three to four years ago, based on the work of a master’s degree student at Unicamp. The talks with Gonçalo Pereira, the coordinator of Unicamp’s Laboratory of Genomics and Bioenergy, evolved last February.
The initial idea is that agave has a high energetic potential for ethanol production in semi-arid regions, with productivity as high as that of sugarcane. Agave can resist unpredictable weather because it can survive up to several years without rain, unlike sugarcane, which is more susceptible to climate variations. On the other hand, agave planting and harvesting cycle take five years, longer than that of sugarcane, which is annual.
The research was also stimulated by the fact that agave can be found in other countries, while sugarcane is more limited to Brazil and some regions of India. Agave is found in Central America, Mexico, Africa, and Australia, in addition to Northeastern Brazil, among other regions where there are also semi-arid climate areas.
“The research project will try to prove that these potential numbers are real and thus seek to develop a new industrial chain,” said the manager.
The executive pointed out that only 4% of the plant is used in sisal production, which makes the product even more attractive for energy production, reducing the waste generated in this industry. Besides ethanol, Shell intends to study the use of agave in the production of biomass, biochar (a type of charcoal that can be used as a bio-fertilizer, rich in carbon), and biogas, as well as in the production of second-generation ethanol. The agave project is one of several from a portfolio of initiatives being considered as part of Shell’s zero-carbon goal by 2050.
*By Fábio Couto — Rio de Janeiro