Brazil to start tests for diesel blend containing 20% biofuel in May
Brazilian researchers at the Maua Institute of Technology will begin tests to investigate the viability of raising the blend of biodiesel in diesel to 20% in May, Renato Romio, manager of the institute's vehicles division, said.
Brazil is a powerhouse producer of biofuels from raw materials soy and sugarcane, with current mandated blends of 15% biodiesel in diesel and 30% ethanol in gasoline.
Global energy disruption caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran since February has led to calls in the South American country to raise those mandated blends and reduce reliance on fossil fuels and imported energy sources.
"The idea is to start in May," Romio told Reuters on the sidelines of an event held by the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove) and the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels in Sao Paulo.
During the first phase, the institute will test biodiesel blends of 15% and 20% - known as B15 and B20 respectively - and plans to install the first engine to be tested next month, Romio said.
The fuels to be tested are expected to arrive in the last week of May, he added.
Engines will be tested for 300 hours to evaluate filter clogging, injection system behavior and to inspect the injector nozzle, Romio said, adding that the second phase of testing will also analyze emissions of pollutants in diesel blended with 7% and 25% biodiesel.
"We're going to run B15 and B20," Romio said. "In addition to these fuels, we'll conduct emissions tests with B7 and B25, but those are just emissions tests. The actual long-term road tests will be with B15 and B20."
The planned tests are good news for the industry, Abiove's director of economics and regulatory affairs, Daniel Amaral, said at the event.
"It's a fairly broad set of tests, thoroughly discussed by all the entities related to the production and use of biodiesel," Amaral said. "It will certainly open the door to blends higher than B15 (and) up to B20, which presents a very promising scenario for the sector."
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