Brazilian ministry discusses biodiesel mandate, efforts toward renewable diesel public policy

In December, Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy ratified its support for the National Biodiesel Production and Use Program and the National Biofuel Policy, which call for a mandatory 15 percent biodiesel blend in the nation’s diesel fuel pool by March 1, 2023.

B15 is allowed on a voluntary basis by fuel distributors now under the terms of the National Council for Energy Policy’s Resolution No. 16, effective Oct. 29, 2018. A new oxidation stability parameter of 12 hours for B15 was promulgated in August 2019.

On March 1, 2021, a mandatory B13 blend will be adopted, up from B12 currently. In March 2022, B14 will go in effect.

The ministry noted a recent quality survey with 98 percent compliance, “removing any general quality problem resulting from the use of biodiesel mixed with diesel,” it stated.

The emergence of renewable diesel in Brazil, and efforts underway to incorporate both renewable diesel and coprocessed renewable diesel in public policy, were also highlighted by the ministry.

“It is on the agenda of the next meeting of the [National Council for Energy Policy] to create a working group, composed of several ministries and other public bodies, which will analyze this topic, and private agents and specialists may be invited to the meetings,” the ministry stated. “It should be noted that the introduction of green diesel in the country’s vehicle fuel matrix will be authorized when the [National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels] concludes the regulatory action, which has already been the subject of public consultation and hearing No. 3/2020, and can compete with fossil diesel with the edition of the product specification resolution. Regarding the definition of a possible public policy for green diesel, obtained among other routes through the hydrotreating of vegetable oil (HVO), and for the H-BIO process, which produces fossil diesel with renewable content, this will be proposed to [the National Council for Energy Policy], after the conclusion of the working group, whose duration will be 120 days, after approval of the resolution.”