Petrobras expects to increase its diesel production capacity by 146% with renewable content (Diesel R), after receiving authorization from the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) to operate another production unit of this fuel at the Presidente Refinery Getúlio Vargas (Repar), in Araucaria (PR). Capacity utilization depends on raw material availability and market conditions.

From the current 5 million liters per day, the company will have the potential to process 12.3 million liters per day this year. For comparison purposes, this total volume would be enough to supply around 41,000 conventional buses, generating a reduction in emissions of around 1,300 tons of greenhouse gases.

Diesel with renewable content is the first product launched under Petrobras' BioRefining Program, which will invest, over the next five years, approximately US$ 600 million in the development of a new generation of sustainable fuels, essential for the energy transition movement.

Repar's general manager, Felipe Leonardo Gomes, highlights the benefits of implementing the project: "The expansion of Repar's vegetable oil processing capacity will add greater reliability and flexibility to the production of Diesel R, meeting the demands of customers and society for products with less environmental impact”.

For Petrobras' Director of Industrial Processes and Products, William França, the increase in Diesel R production capacity represents an important milestone for Petrobras' BioRefining program and reflects the commitment of the company's technical teams: "We are preparing the company for the future. On the way to energy transition, the co-processing of mineral diesel with raw material from renewable sources has proven to be an industrially viable path and will contribute to an environmentally more sustainable market”.

Petrobras' technology and leadership in diesel with renewable content

Diesel R is a Petrobras fuel produced by co-processing mineral diesel with vegetable oil, with a proportion of up to 10% renewable content. In addition to the environmental benefit, Diesel R can be mixed with conventional diesel in different proportions, without the need for adaptations in vehicle engines, without requiring alterations or changes in the logistics chain or in its storage.

According to Claudio Schlosser, director of Logistics, Commercialization and Markets at Petrobras, the company's pioneering trajectory is reflected in the diversification of more sustainable products: "The technical capacity of our scientists from the Petrobras Research and Innovation Center, Cenpes, and our refining professionals, enabled us to patent the technology and become a reference in co-processing”.

Mauricio Tolmasquim, Director of Energy Transition and Sustainability, points out: “The strategy of co-processing renewable raw materials enables the delivery of sustainable products that can be immediately consumed with the existing infrastructure and engines. It also allows us to process residual loads in the future with a lower carbon footprint and cost”.

Expansion projects for Diesel R

Petrobras' BioRefining Program provides for the implementation of co-processing projects in the RPBC (Refinaria Presidente Bernardes), Replan (Refinaria de Paulínia) and Reduc (Refinaria Duque de Caxias) refineries, in addition to a plant dedicated to the production of BioQAv and Diesel R100 in the RPBC , with 100% renewable raw material.
The Petrobras program is also carrying out new studies for the expansion of Diesel R production, in co-processing, at the Recap (Capuava Refinery), Regap (Gabriel Passos Refinery) and RNEST (Abreu e Lima Refinery) refineries. In addition, new dedicated plants for the production of BioQAv and Diesel R100 are being evaluated at RNEST and Polo Gaslub.