A JBS (JBSS3) is in the final stages of installing biodigesters in nine of the unit’s beef processing plants friboiwith an investment of 54 million reais to reduce methane emissions from its industrial operations, as the company advances on its journey to zero the net balance of greenhouse gases by 2040.
When commenting on what they consider the largest project of its kind in the meat of Brazilexecutives anticipated this Tuesday to Reuters that the idea is to take advantage of the capture of emissions through biodigesters to produce biogas, which has a series of applications in the generation of renewable energy.
With this first phase of the initiative in Brazil, which foresees the completion of the works on the biodigesters in the nine units by the middle of next month, the JBS provides for a 65% reduction in scope 1 emissions from Friboi’s business, representing a 24.6% reduction in scope 1 emissions from all the group’s activities in Brazil.
“We have all emissions mapped, the focus of investment should be where there is an opportunity for the greatest reductions…”, said the corporate director of Sustainability at JBS Brasil, Maurício Bauer, referring to Friboi’s beef slaughterhouses.
According to Friboi’s Environment manager, Marcelo Dresch, it was found that most Scope 1 emissions are in the treatment of effluents, specifically in anaerobic lagoons.
“That’s why we decided to turn the ponds into biodigesters, taking the biggest plants in the bunch,” he added.
The company believes that biogas can be used to generate steam in the units’ boilers, replacing biomass; as a source of electricity generation; and as fuel for the JBS carrier’s fleet, replacing diesel or using a hybrid system.
The capture of methane in the nine Friboi units will allow the production of approximately 80 thousand cubic meters per day (m³/d) of biogas, a volume that is enough to supply natural gas to more than 190 thousand families with an average monthly consumption of 11, 7 m³/month, for example.
The plants in Campo Grande I (MS), Lins (SP), Mozarlândia (GO) and Ituiutaba (MG) have already completed their biodigester works. The others are in the final stages of implementation.
In Ituiutaba, the company is already carrying out tests for the use of biogas to generate electricity, with the aim of supplying the unit; while in Campo Grande II it will replace part of the consumption of natural gas with biomethane in the unit’s production process.
In Andradina (SP), where the company already had a biodigester system since 2021, there is a forecast to sell the gas to third parties in the local distributor’s network.
Experience abroad
Bauer revealed that currently, almost 90% of the company’s electricity matrix in the country already comes from renewable energy sources, since Brazil’s generation is strongly focused on hydroelectric plants.
Considering all factories in the world, 43% of JBS’s electricity matrix comes from renewable sources, while the goal is to reach 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
In this context, the group already captures methane at units in other countries.
Currently, 14 factories in the U.S and not Canada already have biodigesters systems, producing 190,000 m³/d of biogas.
The projects in operation in the US and Canada reduced by 20% the external demand for natural gas, a fossil fuel, and caused JBS to stop emitting 650,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year, the company said.
The company also intends to expand the biogas production projects in the US and Canada and has plans to make new investments on this front in Mexico.
In addition, JBS is investing in biogas projects in Australia, with the potential to eliminate the emission of 60 thousand tons of CO2.
Asked about the total investment for the company to reach the goal of being “net zero” in emissions by 2040, the Sustainability director said that it is difficult to make projections, since technologies tend to become cheaper, as well as other technological solutions may arise.
He admitted that there are plans to take biodigesters to other units of the group in Brazil, but this will depend on a case-by-case analysis of opportunities at the factories.
Source: Moneytimes
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