Company at the Port of Santos to produce two new biofuels

Copersucar does not intend to make investments in the terminal it operates at the Port of Santos in the short term (Disclosure)

Copersucar, operating at the Port of Santos, has announced that it will produce two new biofuels: biomethane and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), expanding its portfolio within the scope of a low-carbon economy. The company will sell the products, but it will also replace its own diesel cargo truck fleet with sustainable vehicles.

According to Copersucar's president, Tomás Manzano, biomethane is cheaper than diesel, which allows for "decarbonization while saving." Thus, the first initiative will be to replace the diesel fleet with biomethane and chemical fertilizers with biofertilizers, "further reducing the carbon emissions of ethanol."

Initiatives The other block of initiatives focuses on selling the product to customers who consume fossil natural gas. "We expect to produce around 2 million cubic meters (m³) of biomethane per day at the 38 associated plants in the Copersucar system by mid-2032", explained Manzano.

Regarding SAF, he stated that he sees "opportunities in two routes that are not competitive but complementary. One route is the production of SAF from ethanol, where Brazil has an exceptional scale compared to other possible feedstock sources for SAF production, with very low carbon intensity, which is a differentiator. "

Another goal pursued is the production of SAF from biomethane. The technology will be developed in partnership between Copersucar and Ageo.

Manzano explained that biomethane is produced from sugarcane waste, which can replace diesel, fossil natural gas, and chemical fertilizers.

Port of Santos When asked about investments and increased cargo movement at the Copersucar Sugar Terminal (TAC) at the Port of Santos, the president replied that there is no need for expansion in the short term.

However, the executive envisions logistical gains with the future railway terminal. "It will pass around our terminal, which will improve cargo reception and increase our loading speed in Santos. Currently, our capacity is around 9 million tons. "

According to the company, the TAC unloads up to 600 trucks of sugar and grains per day, with a nominal loading rate of 5,400 tons/hour. The infrastructure used allows for the simultaneous loading of three holds of ships.

According to the statistical report from the Port Authority of Santos (APS), Copersucar handled 5.8 million tons between January and October of this year, comprising 4.4 million tons of sugar and 1.4 million tons of grains and meal. This volume corresponds to 9.8% of the total sugar, grains, and meal handled during this period at the Port of Santos — 59.1 million tons, including 17.2 million tons of sugar and 41.8 million tons of grains and meal.