Minister of Mines and Energy visits Be8 unit in Switzerland and learns about the experience of using 100% biodiesel in vehicles

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, visited this morning, January 19, the facilities of Be8 Switzerland, located in Domdidier, in the Canton of Fribourg, after participating in the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.  Acquired by the group in March 2022, the unit produces second-generation biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO). For the Minister, there is interest in learning about the operation because it supplies vehicles with up to 100% of the biofuel (B100).

"Today I had an experience that brings many lessons for us in Brazil. I accompanied the supply of a large truck with 100% biodiesel, produced from used cooking oil here in Switzerland, next to the facilities of a Brazilian company, together with local authorities. It is a by-product that now becomes a sustainable fuel, which fully fuels a heavy-duty transport vehicle. This reinforces all the Brazilian potential in the field of biofuel production, with the diversity of our raw materials, ranging from oilseeds from family farming, through grains, to residues from the protein industry. Our quality and cost competitiveness of raw materials encourages us to set the goal of exporting our biofuels, produced in Brazil, to European countries in the short term, generating employment in Brazil. It's good for the economy, the environment and health. It is Brazil leading the global energy transition," said Alexandre Silveira, Minister of Mines and Energy.

Production also plays an important local role by offering an environmental solution to the issue of the proper disposal of Used Cooking Oil. In accordance with local legislation, the plant uses exclusively recycled canola oil and, to a lesser extent, sunflower oil, collected from homes, restaurants and businesses, as raw material.

"The main customers are gas station chains and companies that are committed to decarbonization, such as supermarket chains, retail companies and transport companies," said Erasmo Carlos Battistella, president of Be8, who also participated in the Forum in Davos. "Our company is investing in the expansion of the collection and reception structure for Used Cooking Oil in Switzerland, as well as in the expansion of the distribution infrastructure. The operation in the country has growth potential and the plant is in the center of Europe, which gives us a strategic position on the continent," adds Battistella.

Be8 Switzerland is 100% automated and has a physical structure that occupies approximately 1,500m² of a total area of 3,236m². Unlike in Brazil, this unit in Switzerland supplies B100 in the drivers' vehicles, directly from a pump next to the production.

Production in Paraguay

In addition to the two production units in Brazil, in Passo Fundo (RS) and Marialva (PR), Be8 is also present with a plant in La Paloma, Paraguay, for the crushing of soybeans and the production of biodiesel. In Paraguay, the Omega Green project, which will produce advanced biofuels in that country, is still under development.