JBS Invests R$ 180M In New Biodiesel Plant In Santa Catarina

• The plant will expand use of co-products in the pork and poultry production chain;
• Around 400 jobs will be created across the region during construction;
• Once running, the plant will create 100 direct and 300 indirect jobs.

JBS is to build another plant in Santa Catarina. The Company is investing R$ 180M through Seara Alimentos to build and operate a biodiesel factory in Mafra. The plant will be operated by JBS Biodiesel, a JBS Novos Negócios division. The large-scale plant will use raw material from the Seara production chain, including pork and poultry fat, to make biodiesel. It will also work closely with the soybean complex, supplementing it raw material base. 

JBS Biodiesel’s mission is to add value to JBS’s production chain waste. The Company has a successful track record of reusing beef tallow and other inputs, such as recycled cooking oil, to make biodiesel. Its focus on sustainability will receive an additional boost with the new plant in Mafra, which will expand its operations in the pork and poultry supply chain. 

“The Company’s investment in this new operation reflects the positive outlook for Brazilian industry. Based on the RenovaBio program, when B15 takes effect in 2023, diesel will have to contain 15% biodiesel. With this new plant, JBS Biodiesel will more than double its capacity and is set to produce over 600 million liters of biodiesel a year”, said Alexandre Pereira, director at JBS Biodiesel. 

The JBS Biodiesel factory in Mafra will cover an area of 76 thousand square meters and will produce 900 tons of fuel a day. Building the plant will create around 400 jobs. Once construction has been concluded by the first half of 2021, it will create 100 direct and around 300 indirect jobs, supporting the regional economy. 

The city of Mafra is strategically located for the national biofuel industry. In addition to efficient road and rail embarkation and disembarkation logistics, it is 120 km from Araucária (PR), where the President Getulio Vargas Refinery (Repar) is located, one of Brazil’s biggest diesel mixing and distribution units.