Macaúba is bet on renewable fuel

Pulp plant productivity and is good source of income for farmers and communities extractive
by Globo Rural Online


Palm macaúba can reach up to 15 meters and is found throughout Brazil. Photo: Agriculturasp / Flickr

The pulp macaúba, a native palm that can reach up to 15 feet tall and is found in Brazil, is an alternative source of renewable fuels. The production plant, which has a high energy balance and good oil yield, is also a source of income for many farmers.

Because of the potential macaúba, there are already companies transforming the plant into fuel and conducting research to increase production.

André Machado, general coordinator of biofuels Ministry of Agrarian Development (MDA), says that the benefits of macaúba for renewable fuel production are enormous. "The pulp oil macaúba has very good characteristics for industrial processing. Moreover, it has good energy balance, with high oil yield, reaching five tons per hectare, "he says.

According to Machado, the production of biodiesel macaúba increases the income of farmers and extractive communities. One of the companies that bet on macaúba is the Paradigm Vegetable Oils. Located in Carmo do Paraíba (MG), the Paradigm is developing a pilot project for implementation of supply chain macaúba. The company has partnerships with over 500 family farmers, responsible for providing plant.

In the State of São Paulo, in four regions of the Territory Rural Citizenship Pontal Paranapanema, scholars research center campus in Piracicaba, University of São Paulo (USP) developed a sustainable project with ten families settled agrarian reform, focusing on biodiesel production macaúba.

Another institution that researches the development of renewable biofuels is Embrapa Agroenergia. The company also recognizes the potential of macaúba, but has not advanced studies on culture. For Marcelo Araujo, managing partner of Paradigm, research and production of biodiesel macaúba are not as relevant, but will be in the future. "We had an idea of ​​the potential of macaúba, but not a productive approach her. The first large deployments are being made now, a year or so, more or less. Here for four years, may bring a contribution to the biodiesel chain. Today, we do not have the scale of oil to use, "he says.

Currently, about 80% of Brazilian biodiesel is produced from soybean oil. According to studies of the biodiesel industry, considering the increase in soybean production, it is possible that the grain can only meet the demand for fuel by 2020. Therefore, studies have come up with other products, such as oil palm and jatropha.

Source: Globo Rural magazine