In berth 204, west of the pier in the Port of Paranaguá, the shipment of a new product drew attention this week. In bulk, sugarcane bagasse pellets filled the holds of the ship Marina Prince. Biomass is an export product that will serve the UK market in the generation of sustainable energy. The operation is being concluded this Tuesday (12th).
“We are very pleased when new products arrive and leave through the ports of Paraná. In this case, it is even more rewarding that it is a biofuel that will be used to replace coal in the generation of thermoelectric energy ”, says the CEO of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.
The product shipped by the State, of São Paulo origin, is sugarcane bagasse (which remains from sugar and ethanol production plants) transformed into pellets, which is nothing more than the organic matter (biomass) compressed to become biofuel.
The shipment procedure is the same as the other solid bulk exported in the port of Paraná. That is, the product leaves the terminal and, on conveyor belts, reaches the shiploader (ship loading equipment) that dumps the product by filling the vessel’s holds. The operation is owned by Pasa, in partnership with Céu Azul.
According to Pasa’s operations manager, Eric Ferreira de Souza, this is the first time the product has been shipped by the company. “The movement of sugarcane biomass pellets makes it possible to open new markets and future businesses. It also shows the pioneering spirit and the potential of our terminal in relation to the various products operated in Paranaguá ”, says the manager.
According to the National Supply Company (Conab), sugarcane is considered one of the great alternatives for the biofuels sector due to the great potential in the production of ethanol and its respective by-products.
IN PARANÁ – In the State, the production of renewable energy is also encouraged. Last December, through the State Secretariat for Agriculture and Supply and the Paraná Rural Development Institute – Iapar-Emater (IDR-PR), the Government of Paraná instituted the Paraná Energia Rural Renovável program.
The program, which is in the structuring phase, will support the distributed generation of electricity from renewable sources in rural production units. The idea is to create subsidies such as credit lines and tax incentives for rural producers and agribusinesses in Paraná to invest in this production.
According to the program coordinator, Herlon Goelzer de Almeida, the main objective is to take advantage of this raw material – both animal waste and plant residues from agro-industries (mainly from the sugar and alcohol sector) – to generate energy within the state itself.
“These by-products can be used in biodigestion to generate energy. The sugar and alcohol sector is the one that most has the possibility and capacity to produce renewable energy. We are finalizing the structuring of the program. I believe that in the coming years we will have a strong adhesion of the sector that can even generate its own energy, from this biomass, reducing its costs and making production more sustainable ”, completes Herlon.
Source: Portos do Paraná
