A multi-stakeholder approach in Brazil

JETBIO, a Brazil-based company specialising in biofuels projects, is leading the development of an integrated project aiming at producing and supplying sustainable aviation biofuel to airlines. The initiative is supported by TAM Airlines, Airbus, AirBP and Bio Ventures Brasil.

The project addresses the implementation of a sustainable aviation biofuel value chain, bringing together the key players to foster:

• jatropha research and development for locally adapted elite cultivars and scale-up;
• logistics optimisation;
• installation of aviation biofuel production capacity by 2013; and
• lifecycle carbon emissions analysis and sustainability studies of the value chain.

JETBIO has adopted a multi-feedstock approach for aviation biofuel production, focusing on the development of cost-efficient and sustainable sources such as jatropha and sugar-cane derived biomass. In the mid- to long-term, once scale and costs reach adequate levels, these alternatives will gradually replace currently available feedstock.

The Southeastern region of Brazil was selected for the construction of the renewable jet unit, as it represents at least 60% of the jet fuel and 40% of the diesel consumption in the country. Furthermore, the region benefits from nation’s best logistics and industrial infrastructure. The project aims at starting aviation biofuel production by the end of 2013 to supply initially the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro airports, from where a majority of international flights operate in Brazil.