APLA '07: Petrobras mulls renewables for feedstock

19 November 2007 17:09  [Source: ICIS news]

BUENOS AIRES (ICIS news)--Brazilian state-run energy major Petrobras is researching technology to produce petrochemical feedstock from cellulose, a company executive said on Monday.

“Petrobras is aware of the potential of renewable feedstock in the future,” petrochemical project manager Paulo Turazzi de Carvalho of Petrobras said in Portuguese on the sidelines of the Latin American Petrochemical Association (APLA) meeting.

Turazzi spoke to ICIS news after making a presentation on Petrobras to the APLA audience.

He said the company does not have any current plans to use ethanol derived from cellulose for cracking but said that as the technology is developed it could well become a viable source of renewable feedstock.

Two companies in Brazil - Braskem and Dow Chemical – have announced plans to pursue bio-based plastic production.

Brazil has strategic advantages for these projects including the availability of land, low-cost labour and technology for ethanol production, analysts said.

By: John Waggoner
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