The Norwegian company announces its first R&D project in Brazil focused on low carbon hydrocarbons
A partnership between Equinor and the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) will enable the start of research for the production of bio-hydrocarbons (or drop-in biofuels), such as green diesel and aviation biokerosene, from agroforestry residues. The objective is to contribute to the refining of a low-carbon hydrocarbon, in line with Equinor’s goals of reducing scope 1 emissions in the company’s operations.
The project is the pioneer of Equinor’s Research and Development (R&D) portfolio in Brazil focused on the generation of low-carbon fuels and will have a total investment by the company of around R$8.5 million, in addition to R$4.7 million from the Brazilian Company of Research and Industrial Innovation (Embrapii) and economic counterpart from the CNPEM Embrapii Biotechnology Unit.
For Equinor, advanced biofuels are an opportunity to reduce the company’s emissions in the generation of transport fuels with low carbon content, meeting the premises of the Renewable Energy Directive. The company has the global ambition of being neutral in carbon emissions in 2050 and intends, in 2030, to dedicate half of its investments, until the period, to renewables and low-carbon solutions.
“We are proud to announce Equinor’s first project in Brazil in advanced and renewable biofuels. Through the partnership with CNPEM, we are taking an important step towards collaborating with the reduction of emissions in our operations, one of the focuses of our strategy globally. Research and development are fundamental for us to shape the future of energy and the academy is a fundamental part in this sense”, says Andrea Achôa, RD&I Manager at Equinor Brasil.
Through the R&D initiative, several activities will be carried out at CNPEM’s Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) to understand the molecular mechanisms for the decarboxylation of fatty acids and advance in their application for the microbial production of bio-hydrocarbons from sugars that will be obtained, in turn, through agroforestry residues – agricultural production systems in which perennial forest species are planted together with agricultural crops. The expectation is that, in the project’s development phase, tests will be conducted in a pilot plant to scale up the production of renewable energy that will be used at the end of the energy company’s operations.
The project will feature international collaboration between researchers from Brazil and the Equinor Research Center in Norway, in addition to the CNPEM molecular biotechnology team, with extensive experience and academic production in the area.
“This is a project aimed at developing disruptive and biologically-based technologies for the production of bioproducts from plant biomass”, highlights Leticia Zanphorlin, a researcher at CNPEM. “This is an innovative project focused on molecules that can directly impact the long-distance transport sector, such as aviation. We are excited to develop this challenging project in partnership with Equinor aiming at low carbon technologies and a more diversified energy matrix”, he concludes.
About Equinor
Equinor is a global energy company based in Norway, with operations in 20 countries. It is now one of the largest offshore operators in the world and a growing force in renewables. Equinor has been in Brazil since 2001 and has a solid and diversified O&G portfolio there with assets in different stages, from exploration to production, as well as major projects in development, such as Peregrino and Bacalhau.
About CNPEM
Sophisticated and effervescent environment for research and development, unique in Brazil and present in few scientific centers in the world, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is a private non-profit organization, under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). The Center operates four National Laboratories and is the birthplace of the most complex project in Brazilian science – Sirius – one of the most advanced synchrotron light sources in the world. CNPEM brings together highly specialized multi-thematic teams, globally competitive laboratory infrastructures open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects in partnership with the productive sector and training of researchers and students. The Center is an environment driven by the search for solutions with impact in the areas of Health, Energy and Renewable Materials, Agro-environment, and Quantum Technologies. As of 2022, with the support of the Ministry of Education (MEC), CNPEM expanded its activities with the opening of the Ilum School of Science. The interdisciplinary higher course in Science, Technology and Innovation adopts innovative proposals with the aim of offering excellent, free, full-time training with immersion in the CNPEM research environment. Through the CNPEM 360 Platform, it is possible to explore, in a virtual and immersive way, the main environments and activities of the Center, visit: https://pages.cnpem.br/cnpem360/.
