On Friday (Sept 6), Petrobras and Embrapa signed a cooperation agreement to develop technical studies on renewable raw materials to obtain low-carbon products, including biofuels and green chemistry.

The partnership involves Petrobras developing technological solutions and implementing industrial units to produce biofuels and bioproducts. In return, Embrapa has been developing a protocol for the low-carbon cultivation of crops like soybeans, involving rational agricultural techniques, such as the certification protocol for that particular crop.

The cooperation agreement also includes the development of crop alternatives to soybeans, to be either cultivated off-season or for intercropping, such as off-season corn, carinata or Ethiopian rape (a type of oilseed), among other options that reflect the range of options for agroenergy in Brazil's different biomes and production systems.

For Petrobras' CEO, Magda Chambriard, “Diversification and access to raw materials with sustainability, quality and suitable costs are fundamental for the success of those initiatives, such as biofuels. In addition, the company is interested in offering fertilizer products not only to increase availability in the domestic market, but also to meet the goals of the National Fertilizer Plan. Embrapa has the necessary expertise to help to leverage such projects".

On Embrapa's side, resuming the partnership with Petrobras is strategic to enhance contributions to farmers and to national and international public policies, especially in the bioeconomy and sustainable development,” states Silvia Massruhá, the corporation’s president. She recalled that in 2023 Brazil reached the milestone of issuing 100 million Decarbonization Credits (CBIOS), which will result in up to R$1.2 trillion in investments and savings over the next ten years. “This was possible thanks to Renovacalc, a tool developed by Embrapa that is fundamental in the National Biofuels Policy (RenovaBio), led by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels ( ANP ),” Massruhá adds.

“The partnership focuses on themes that are strategic for the country, such as the Brazilian reliance on importing fertilizer raw materials. In the last few years, Brazil has imported over 80% of the NPK it requires to produce food, that is, there is food security but not food sovereignty. That is the same case in the other segment of the cooperation: energy transition, in which we will jointly look into the major opportunities agriculture offers in terms of raw materials to produce green fuels, observing regional potentials”, Clenio Pillon, Embrapa's director of Research and Innovation, reports.

Clenio Pillon, Silvia Massruhá and Maiza Goulart

Fertilizers: fostering new products

With regard to the fertilizer sector, the goal is to foster the development of new products (e.g. value-added urea fertilizers, mixed fertilizers, fertilizers with distinct granulometry, and sustainable inputs with lower environmental impact) and their insertion in the agribusiness market. Such initiatives aim to pave the way for Petrobras resuming such business route and to prepare the company for a decarbonized future. Embrapa is an important partner in both the development and the proof of the agronomic efficiency of these products. The expectation is to have such innovations be offered to and used by farmers, providing fertilizers that are adapted to the country's crops and soils, which will allow for higher-yield harvests.

“This partnership not only includes themes like biomethane and biogas, in the context of the Sectoral Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change and Low Carbon Emissions in Agriculture, but also the establishment of networks for research and development on more sustainable raw materials,” Silvia Massruhá states.

Chambriard believes that the technical and scientific data will be extremely important in the development of new products for the fertilizer market. "Petrobras is committed to developing new solutions to meet the demands of the sector, which is so strategic for Brazil” .

Investment in fertilizers has once again become part of Petrobras' portfolio, according to their Strategic Plan 2024-2028. In August, the company announced the resumption of activities at the Araucária Nitrogenados SA (ANSA) fertilizer plant in the city Araucária, Paraná, and subsequent start of operations to produce urea, ARLA 32 (Automotive Liquid Reducing Agent) and ammonia in the country in the first half of 2025.