Geovana Pagel*
geovana.pagel@anba.com.br
São Paulo – A team of researchers from the Embrapa Savannah division, in the city of Planaltina, in the Federal District, where the Brazilian capital is located, is visiting areas native to acrocomia and souari nuts in the Brazilian cerrado (a savannah area) to estimate productivity, the time of blooming, the volume of bunches and the form of germination of the species that are starting to be studied as sources of raw materials for the production of oil for the replacement diesel.
The research, innovative in the case of these two species, is at the initial phase of collection of root and aerial biomass (roots, leaves, trunks and fruit) and of organic material in the soil. The team also intends to analyse the perspectives for the obtaining of carbon credits, be they through the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere or through the use of fossil fuels.
"In December last year we visited the region of Montes Claros, in Minas Gerais. We want to identify the economic viability and the domestication of these plants," explained researcher Jozeneida Aguiar, who is responsible for the project aimed at evaluating the social, economic and environmental impacts of acrocomia and souari nut. According to the researcher, the material collected should generate figures that serve as subsidies to the project, whose preliminary results should only be known by the end of 2008.
The enactment of the law that made compulsory the addition of 2% biodiesel to mineral diesel, on January 1st, 2008, and discussions about the competition between the cultivation of raw materials for biodiesel and production for the expansion of food supplies increases the importance of research turned to agroenergy.
The potential demand of biodiesel projected for coming years, taking into consideration the mixture of 5% biodiesel into regular diesel that should become compulsory in 2013, permits further discussion. "Among the analyses that are being made, the research in progress is aimed at determining how much oil may be extracted per hectare of the cultures being studied," stated the researcher.
The full project is called "Potential alternative sources of raw materials for the production of agroenergy," and completion should take four years. Apart from the study of the souari nut and acrocomia productive chain, the project also contemplates research with Barbados nuts, conducted by Embrapa Maize and Sorghum, and tucumã, a palm native to South America, led by Embrapa North. The network project also counts on the participation of Embrapa Soy, Embrapa Forests and the University of Brasília.
Embrapa Savannah
Telephone: (+55 61) 3388.9875
*Translated by Mark Ament
