Shell signs agreement with SENAI to produce ethanol using a plant previously used to make tequila.
With an investment of approximately R$ 100 million, BRAVE is financed by Shell Brazil. Pilot plants will be built at SENAI CIMATEC Park in Salvador.
Da National Confederation of Industry - A Shell Brazil and SENAI CIMATEC They have reached a partnership agreement to begin a new phase of the BRAVE program (Brazilian Agave Development). This Research and Development (R&D) program aims to explore the potential of agave as a biomass source for the production of ethanol, biogas, and other products in the northeastern hinterland of Brazil. The new phase of BRAVE foresees the development of mechanization technologies for planting and harvesting (BRAVE Mec) and for processing different agave species (BRAVE Ind). Both areas of focus will run simultaneously over five years.
The launch ceremony took place on April 13th in Conceição do Coité, a municipality considered the 'heart' of the sisal-producing region of Bahia. SENAI CIMATEC joins the partnership already established, since November 2022, between Shell and the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) to develop biological solutions to increase Agave productivity (BRAVE Bio).
With an investment of approximately R$ 100 million, BRAVE is financed by Shell Brasil, using resources from the Research, Development and Innovation clause of the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (Analyze, EBITDA).ANP) and the Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company (embrapii).
“Within Shell’s ‘Driving Progress’ strategy, we have four pillars: generating value for shareholders, improving lives, respecting nature, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions, and BRAVE manages to deliver results in all pillars. It is a truly unique, innovative, and transformational project,” assesses Alexandre Breda, Low Carbon Technology Manager at Shell Brazil.
Currently, Shell Brazil invests around R$ 600 million in Research and Development projects in the country, with 30% of that budget allocated to initiatives for the energy transition, such as the BRAVE program.
BRAVE Mec
The BRAVE Mec project will generate technological solutions for processes that are currently performed manually or using low-tech implements. “In the case of planting, we will start with commercially available equipment and adapt it to work with Agave seedlings. In the case of harvesting, we will develop specific equipment for Agave that will be tested in the experimental field,” comments Sindelia Azzoni, Bioprocess researcher at Shell.
BRAVE Ind
BRAVE Ind plans to develop a processing route for agave to obtain first and second generation ethanol, biogas, and co-products. “Our intention is to utilize 100% of agave's potential, not just the sisal fiber, to obtain first and second generation ethanol, aiming to implement a new business chain,” explains André Oliveira, Executive Manager of SENAI CIMATEC.
Pilot plants will be built to validate the scaling up of processes within the SENAI CIMATEC Park in Salvador.
SENAI CIMATEC Sertão
CIMATEC Sertão is the new campus of SENAI CIMATEC, which aims to develop industrial production technologies to exploit the potential of the semi-arid region of Bahia. The intention is to create technical, economic, social, and environmental conditions that strengthen the sector, generating employment and income for local communities, and promoting environmental sustainability.
One of the first initiatives of CIMATEC Sertão is the BRAVE project. The area of this campus will be used to test and evaluate techniques for the densification and growth of Agave.