This revolutionary project is the result of a collaboration between Shell Brasil, Raízen, Hytron, the University of São Paulo (USP), and Senai’s biosynthetic and fibers innovation division, Cetiqt. The venture aims to validate ethanol reforming technology and includes the construction of a hydrogen production plant.
A Glimpse into the Future of Renewable Energy
The facility, which is slated to begin operations later this year, will have the capacity to produce 50 cubic meters of hydrogen per hour. A second plant, ten times the size, is already in the planning stages. As part of the initiative, a Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) will be installed on the USP campus in São Paulo. Testing the biofuel derived from ethanol will involve three buses currently running within the University City. These vehicles will shift from diesel engines to those retrofitted with fuel cells to run on hydrogen. A Toyota Mirai, the Japanese automaker’s first production car powered by hydrogen, will also be included in the tests.
International Collaboration Fuels Progress
Shell Brasil is financing the project, investing R$ 50 million into the plant’s construction, technology development, and studies evaluating biofuel efficiency and CO2 emissions. The funds are supplied through the research, development, and innovation clause of Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP).
Hytron, a Brazilian company acquired by the German conglomerate Neuman & Esser Group (NEA Group) in 2020, has developed the technology to convert ethanol into hydrogen. They will provide the ethanol reformer – a piece of equipment that breaks down the biofuel molecule to transform it into hydrogen. The NEA Group will be responsible for the vehicle’s compression, storage, and fueling system.
Senai Cetiqt will take charge of computer modeling, using the digital twin concept. Raízen, the world’s largest producer of sugarcane ethanol, will supply the biofuel for the project.
Decarbonization and a Sustainable Future
The project contributes to decarbonization, impacting not just the transport sector but also the steel, mining, and agribusiness sectors. This could result in Brazil’s ethanol production having a slightly negative CO2 emissions footprint, notes Julio Romano Meneghini, executive and scientific director of the Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI) of USP.
The process of transforming ethanol into hydrogen has advantages. As Alexandre Breda, Shell Brazil’s low-carbon technology manager, points out, sugarcane-derived fuel can be easily transported to vehicular filling stations, unlike hydrogen, which requires storage at low temperatures and high pressure, complicating logistics.
This pioneering project represents a significant step toward sustainable energy production, not just for Brazil but potentially for the world.
