Bunge inaugurates first biodiesel plant

Bunge, multinational agribusiness based in the United States and a strong presence in Brazil, inaugurated its first biodiesel plant in the country. With investments of r $ 60 million, the unit built in Nova Mutum (MT)-where the company already counts with soy-processing plant expected to produce 150 thousand cubic meters of biodiesel per year. The expectation of Bunge, however, is to double that volume in the coming years.

"We also have plans to start producing biodiesel in other plants in the country, depending on the increase in consumption in the coming years", said Pedro Parente, President of Bunge in Brazil, without, however, clarify which units or how long. Initially, the factory production of Delhi is all geared to the domestic market. "We participate in the first auction in January and sell two batches of 8 thousand cubic meters each," said Barry Zako Sant Anna ´, Vice President of agribusiness and logistics of Bunge of Brazil.

The biofuel that has been produced in the testing phase in Delhi has moisture less than 200 parts per million, needed to mix in a diesel with low sulphur content, whose use begins to spread in Brazil. With the investment, the Bunge follows in the footsteps of other major agribusiness multinational with presence in Brazil. The American also Cargill, for example, in August 2012 opened a biodiesel production unit in Três Lagoas (MS), with a production capacity of 700 thousand cubic meters of biofuel a day.
At the inauguration, Pepe Vargas, Minister of agricultural development, said that the increasing mixture of biodiesel in diesel 5% (B5) to 7% (B7) must be approved by the Government in a few months.