São Martinho enters the biomethane market with know-how and technology from Sebigas Cótica
The Santa Cruz unit, located in Américo Brasiliense (SP), will produce biomethane – 100% renewable natural gas – to replace fossil natural gas.
Sebigas Cótica, a company specializing in biogas and biomethane business development, is responsible for designing the first biomethane production plant for São Martinho, one of Brazil’s largest and most renowned companies in the sugar-energy sector. The plant, which will be installed at the Santa Cruz Unit, located in Américo Brasiliense (SP), will produce natural gas from the biodigestion of sugarcane vinasse, a waste product from ethanol production.
“Our partnership with São Martinho is a path built through a structured and solid process of validating and approving the investment, applying our technology and engineering solutions, working together on the viability of the project until we reach this important milestone. For Sebigas Cótica, it is the consolidation of what guides us as a business: to be side by side with the most important players in the sector, creating effectively sustainable businesses,” said Mauricio Cótica, executive director of Sebigas Cótica.
“The Santa Cruz biomethane plant marks São Martinho’s entry into the renewable natural gas market and reinforces our position in contributing effectively to the energy transition towards a low-carbon economy. This new business is aligned with our strategic plan and allows us to increase profitability per hectare cultivated, generating more value for our shareholders by guaranteeing the production of lower-cost renewable carbon. Biomethane production will start at 20% of our potential, connected to the distribution system via pipeline and capable of offering a renewable alternative to a region with high fossil fuel consumption,” said Fabio Venturelli, president of São Martinho.
Sebigas Cótica continues to work together with São Martinho to monitor the construction and assembly phases until the plant goes into operation, closing the cycle of technology application and the effectiveness of the results projected for the Santa Cruz unit.
VINASSE BIOMETHANE
The Santa Cruz unit will receive São Martinho’s first biomethane production plant, which will have an average volume of 63,000 cubic meters of biomethane per day during the milling period, starting in 2025. Sebigas Cótica is providing its 100% national proprietary CLBR™ (Covered Lagoon Bio Reactor) technology, which is capable of anaerobic biodigestion of vinasse, the residue from sugar cane after the ethanol production process.
“Our work methodology is based on three pillars that guide the excellent results in the use of the technology to be applied for São Martinho. High efficiency in converting organic matter into methane, availability of plant production with stable biogas generation and a well-structured CAPEX/OPEX ratio; this is reflected in low electricity consumption, operational safety and, above all, performance above the market average,” explains Lorenzo Pianigiani, commercial director of Sebigas Cótica.
REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Biomethane is a renewable natural gas that comes from the biogas purification process and is an energy source with exponential potential in the country’s energy transition matrix. With production of approximately 15 million cubic meters per harvest, by replacing the consumption of fossil natural gas, São Martinho’s use of biomethane has the potential to avoid the emission of up to 32,000 tons of greenhouse gas equivalents, an amount compatible with 91,000 truck trips between the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro per year, or 250 trips per day.
As well as transforming vinasse into renewable energy, the anaerobic biodigestion process releases PH-neutral digestate, a product rich in nutrients (NPK), which makes it possible to use it in fertigation processes without harming the soil.
“It’s also worth noting that the biodigested vinasse will continue to be used as an organic fertilizer in the unit’s sugarcane fields, as was done before with the in natura vinasse. It’s another great example of the circular economy at São Martinho, transforming what was previously seen as waste into revenue and contributing in a sustainable way to economic progress in the use of renewable energy sources,” concludes Venturelli.