Brazil increases biodiesel blend mandate to 8%

The government of Brazil has enacted legislature to increase the country’s blend mandate for biodiesel is diesel fuel from 7 to 8%.

With the move, the South American country hopes to boost both commercial agriculture and biodiesel production within its borders.

Brazil has required a blend of renewable fuel in its diesel supply since 2008, and in 2014 the mandate with increased from 5 to 6%, and then again from 6 to 7% in November 2015.

The Brazilian Congress is planning to have the blend mandate increased to 10% by 2019.

“The National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) is an example of economic, social and environmental sustainability, since it adds value to agricultural products, reduces the need for diesel imports, promotes productive inclusion and contributes to the energy transition process to renewable sources,” Juan Diego Ferres, president of the of the Brazilian Union of Biodiesel and Biokerosene Council, told The Rio Times newspaper.

Erasmo Batistella, president of the Biodiesel Producers Association of Brazil, hopes the new law will encourage more family farms to produce soya, the main raw material used for the production of biodiesel.

“We want to recover the growth of family farmers [in biodiesel production] through the Social Fuel Seal,” Batistella said.

“This is the only programme in the world that has set aside part of the supply of raw materials to family agriculture.”

According to Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency, 1.9 million m² of biodiesel were produced in the country.

In January, 50 producing plants were authorised to operate commercially, with 39 of those plants holding the Brazilian Social Fuel Seal approval.