Human Resources Training Program in Bioenergy, Carbon Capture, Storage, and Digital Transformation

• Grant number: 25/03685-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Eugênio Libório Feitosa Fortaleza
• Grantee: Eugênio Libório Feitosa Fortaleza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia. Universidade de Brasília (UNB)
• City of the host institution: Brasília
• Principal investigators: Adriano Domingos dos Reis ; Adriano Todorovic Fabro ; Aline Souza de Paula ; Alysson Martins Almeida Silva ; Antônio César Pinho Brasil Junior ; Carlos Jorge de Abreu ; Daniel Muñoz Arboleda ; EDGAR AMARAL SILVEIRA ; Elton Luiz Dantas ; Guilherme Gonçalves ; Jones Yudi Mori Alves da Silva ; José Oniram de Aquino Limaverde Filho ; Lucieth Cruz Vieira ; LUIZ SATURNINO DE ANDRADE ; Manoel Porfírio Cordão Neto ; Marcelo Peres Rocha ; Mario Benjamim Baptista de Siqueira ; Paola Ferreira Barbosa ; Roberto Ventura Santos ; Simone Monteiro e Silva ; Taygoara Felamingo de Oliveira
• Associated researchers: Israel Lacerda de Araujo

Abstract

The program will train students from seven undergraduate courses and five graduate programs, including master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral stages. The academic structure is organized into two emphases: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Digital Transformation, aligned with the expertise of the proponents and the strategic potential of the Midwest region in clean energy generation and carbon capture.This initiative is integrated with the mission of the University of Brasília (UnB) and the economic development of the Federal Capital. Brasília has been consolidating itself as an innovation hub, driven by entrepreneurship policies and a favorable ecosystem for the technology sector, reflected in the creation of startups like Solar Boats and Crazy TechLabs, founded by alumni from the labs involved in the proposal.The BECCS emphasis will be offered to the courses in Geology, Mechanical, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, as well as the graduate programs in Geology, Mechanical Sciences, and Geotechnics. The regional potential for bioenergy is highlighted, with vast productions of sugarcane and soybeans, essential for biofuels. Additionally, the availability of natural reservoirs enables the injection and geological storage of CO¿, as well as its mineralization in geological formations. UnB, a national reference in CO¿ capture, maintains a strategic partnership with Petronas through the R&D clause regulated by ANP.The Digital Transformation emphasis will cater to the courses in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics Engineering, and Computer Science, training students in data science and artificial intelligence, essential for the modernization and competitiveness of the national industry. In the energy sector, introductory courses will allow students to identify opportunities for applying these technologies disruptively.All professors involved are affiliated with UnB's graduate programs and will be available for academic guidance, covering undergraduate through postgraduate levels. The program will also offer a course every semester focused on entrepreneurship, encouraging the creation of innovative companies and the application of knowledge acquired in the productive sector. (AU)