Brazil to launch program to turn methane into biofuel

The Brazilian government is expected in 30 days to launch the program Metano Zero (“Zero Methane”), aimed at stimulating the transformation of the greenhouse emission gas into biofuel with the financial support of state-run banks. The announcement was made during an interview with the country’s Environment Minister Joaquim Leite on Rádio Nacional. The interview was also broadcast live on TV Brasil.

“The federal government regulated the National Policy on Solid Waste back in January. Now we’re building the program for methane. Brazil has the capacity to generate bio-methane from both urban waste [landfills] and rural waste—especially from poultry, pork, sugar, and alcohol,” he stated.

The biofuel may replace diesel in heavy farming machinery. “We have some sort of rural pre-salt, with a large volume of methane generated in rural properties and landfills,” he noted.

In November 2021, at COP26 in Glasgow, Brazil joined the global commitment to slash methane emissions. The agreement stipulates a voluntary 30 percent cut in emissions worldwide.

Carbon market

Minister Leite also reported that the government and Congress will set up the legal framework and organize the carbon market in Brazil, with the incorporation of credit exports. In a regulated carbon market, Brazil may reduce the emission of the gas, issue certification, and export credit to nations that failed to meet the target.

“Brazil should be the country to benefit the most from this market due to a number of its characteristics: the cost of reducing emissions is considerably lower than in other countries; we’ll create rules to ensure the quality of Brazilian carbon, to be recognized globally, and the most important characteristic is that we have several sources,” he said. As examples, he mentioned the sources of renewable energy and the recovery of native forests.

At COP26, Leite unveiled a new target for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. “We present today a new target for the climate, a more ambitious one, going from a previous 43 percent up to 50 percent by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050, to be made official during COP26,” the minister declared back then.