In Brazil, FS Agrisolutions Indústria de Biocombustíveis Ltda (FS) a joint venture between Summit Brazil Renewables I LLC a subsidiary of Summit Agricultural Group (SAG), and Tapajós Participações S.A (previously Fiagril), has announced a project to implement Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) at its FS Lucas do Rio Verde ethanol biorefinery complex in the state of Mato Grosso (MT). The project would be Brazil's, and South America's first BECCS project.
By implementing a BECCS system at FS Lucas do Rio Verde, FS will not only reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere but will also remove CO2 from the environment. The system consists of capturing, compressing, dehydrating, and transporting the CO2 for deep and safe underground injection and permanent storage.
The carbon injection site will be located within a 5 km radius of the plant, to be defined according to geological and geophysical studies, and will be monitored during its use.
Globally, there are currently three commercial projects using the BECCS system. The project would also be Brazil’s first BECCS. The BECCS benefit, in terms of the carbon life cycle, has already been certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for other companies in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), California’s biofuels program.
In our tireless pursuit of transforming our industry, we constantly invest in innovative solutions and the BECCS system is an important technology to help achieve carbon neutrality goals to address climate change, said Rafael Abud, CEO of FS.
BECCS part of FS sustainability commitment
By implementing the BECCS system, the company says that it will be the first biorefinery globally to have a negative carbon footprint. The goal is to reach 32 million CBIOs by 2030 – CBIO references tonnes of CO2 under the Brazilian RenovaBio program – with the implementation of its expansion plan and this technology in Brazil.
The adoption of the BECCS system is part of a set of actions established by FS in its six long-term commitments (FS 2030 Sustainability Commitment). These goals are related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and consistent with the Paris Agreement.
Among the six goals, two commitments bring innovation to the industry: (i) the reduction of CO2 emissions through a carbon capture and storage system; and (ii) the promotion of ongoing improvements and transparency in governance processes, aimed at obtaining the maximum ESG rating with leading agencies in the segment.
This score was reached in March 2021 with the assessment carried out by Vigeo Eiris, a Moody’s affiliate company. In addition to these objectives, the company has also assumed other commitments, such as social and environmental responsibility, water reduction, waste and effluent consumption, education and development of communities, and diversity and inclusion.
