Marubeni Establishes Biodiesel Company in Brazil
22 February 2007
Marubeni Corporation, Japan’s fifth-largest trading company, is investing US$40 million to establish Agrenco Bio-Energia Ltda (ABE) in Brazil as a joint venture with Agrenco Group, a Brazilian grain trading company. ABE will produce biodiesel and soybean meal.
ABE plans to construct three biodiesel production plants and two soybean oil crushing plants in Mato Grosso (MT), Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) and Parana (PR) with a total biodiesel capacity of 400,000 tonnes (121 million gallons US) and soybean meal output of 1,000,000 tons per year. Targeted sales volume is 1 billion reals (US$480 million) for FY2009.
The MT and MS plants will produce biodiesel from soybean oil manufactured at their own crushing plants. In PR, ABE is building a biodiesel plant adjacent to an existing local crushing plant. The Agrenco Group has a nation-wide soybean network that will enables “advantageous” procurement of the feedstock, according to Marubeni.
Marubeni anticipates growing demand for biodiesel, not only in Europe, but also in Brazil. The Brazilian government announced a mandatory B2 blend (2% biodiesel) from 2008 and a minimum of 5% for 2013, but there are moves to bring the 5% goal forward to 2010.
Total investment in ABE is US$120 million, with Marubeni owning one-third, and Agrenco two-thirds.
This activity is what's really eating into the rainforests, traditionally for beef production but now that will expand immensely with global demand for biodiesel. Non-food production methods like algae need to be given prority to prevent further damage to what's left of the natural ecosystem.
Posted by: Erick | 22 February 2007 at 05:32 PM
In the haze of technofixes, few are willing to realize the fact that ethanol and the much touted brazil's fuel 'self-sufficiency' comes at a tremendous cost, it's price is the rain forest itself, billions of years of evolution down a gas pipe and a car's exhaust.
Biofuels no doubt will follow the same path. Trade genetically modified soybeans for rare wood species and even rarer animals, insects & birds.
Would algae make any difference to aleviate man's greed and man's inflicted destruction ? Probably not. It's already being genetically modified.
Posted by: jk | 24 February 2007 at 08:05 PM
Dear sir/madam
my self Rajeev Nain Student of B.Tech-Biotechnology, Amity University Noida.And I was completing my vocational training in Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (R&D) Faridabad and I have done my project on "solvent extraction of jatropha seeds and biodiesel prepration thereof"and i know very well on production of biodiesl.so if you will give me any opportunity to me i am very greatful to you.
Posted by: Rajeev Nain | 07 August 2008 at 11:33 PM
i have a technologically made idea for your company which i will like to introduce to you bace on accord only if is going to be adorpted.
Posted by: ADEDIPE OLUWAFEMI JOHN | 23 September 2008 at 11:30 PM