Cocal started the construction of a new biogas plant in Paraguaçu Paulista, Brazil this month, reported CE Noticias Financieras.
The project will be an updated version with better efficiency gains, as compared to the plant located in Narandiba - the company's pioneer that began operations in early 2022.
The expectation is that the second biogas plant will commence production in April 2025, with companies within the region acting as project partners.
Biogas production will be 100% focused on biomethane, and Cocal continues its partnership with technology firm Geo Biogas & Tech.
The idea is to invest in advanced systems, focus on national equipment and the use of vinasse, filter cake and other raw materials in the production of biogas, which can be stored, ensuring the production of biomethane throughout the year.
All the distribution of biomethane in the plant will be made via CNG (cylinders transported by trucks). This way, any industrial or commercial client, regardless of the region, who is interested in renewable gas will be served.
"In the current scenario in Brazil, with pipeline transportation still under development, the trailer plays the role of a 'bridge' that allows the flow of production. For example, we have clients in Londrina [PR] and Araçatuba [SP] - regions that are not connected to our plants, in the pipeline network," explained Cocal's commercial and new products director, André Gustavo Silva.
The biomethane produced in the plant will also be destined for internal consumption by Cocal's fleet during the harvest, with respective reduction in diesel consumption and representing the commitment to the ESG agenda.
"In the last harvest [22/23], we stopped using 300 thousand litres of diesel with the substitution by biomethane. In the current harvest, our expectation is to quadruple this number with the equivalent of more than 1 million litres of diesel. We will increase from 11 to 37 equipments running on renewable gas as fuel. And when the new biogas plant is ready, we will have taken another important step towards becoming a zero-carbon agribusiness company," added the director.
The green and circular economy model already carried out in Narandiba will also be promoted in Paraguaçu Paulista.
After the production of biogas, the materials used in the process will return to the production area as biofertiliser - giving life to the soil and representing an advance in the Brazilian sugarcane crop.
The benefits are both environmental and financial, since the price of chemical fertiliser, on a global scale produced by Russia, has skyrocketed in price in the last year with the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Paraguaçu Paulista plant will be certified for the commercialisation of carbon credits.
"With the two plants in operation, Cocal will strengthen its supply guarantee, positioning itself among the main biomethane producers in the country and one of the pioneers in the zero carbon policy," added Gustavo Silva.
Cocal begins construction of new biogas plant in Brazil
