PIR and Technological Platform Arrangements in Biorefineries for the Production of Bioproducts and Bioenergy from Solid and Liquid Waste in RAC

• Grant number: 26/03196-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2026
• End date: March 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Bruna de Souza Moraes
• Grantee: Isabela Minucio Pontes
• Host Institution: Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Planejamento Energético (NIPE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/01112-1 - São Paulo Center for Biogas and Bioproducts Studies, AP.CCD

Abstract

Evidence of global climate change is becoming increasingly clear, and as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events increase, governments and businesses are moving beyond asking whether greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be controlled and are now discussing how, when, and how much needs to be invested to reduce emissions. This requires an integrated assessment focusing on the supply and demand of renewable resources in the form of waste, as well as the volume of GHG emissions in a given region, state, or country. In this context, an excellent methodological alternative is Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) internalized by georeferenced information and data, coupled with the concept of biorefineries, aiming at the intelligent use of renewable resources in the form of waste in the focused geographical space and the survey of technological platform alternatives for biorefineries. Next, we look at project sizing and simulations of plant operation in the form of biorefineries. The economic aspects and profitability of operating these plants are discussed. Cost-benefit analyses assist in the systematic evaluation of the financial costs and potential benefits associated with the future operation of plants, in terms of economic, social, and environmental feasibility. There are alsoanalyses of positive externalities, which refer to benefits that are not quantified or reflected in the market price of an economic activity, which favorably affect third parties without them paying for these benefits. In other words, these are positive effects that an action or decision may have on other people or society as a whole, without these people having to pay for these benefits, whether economic, social, or environmental. Finally, the externalities present in the installation and production of bioenergy and bioproducts from solid and liquid waste are analyzed, with the respective: Technical Potential (TP) and Economic Potential (EP) in the production of bioproducts and bioenergy from forest, agricultural, and urban waste (FAUW) and their social, environmental, and economic impact in an integrated manner, in what has been defined as "Small Decentralized Biorefineries (SDBR)". The five strategic axes of the 2050 Climate Action Plan (PAC 2050) of the Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure, and Logistics (SEMIL) of the State of São Paulo in the Administrative Region of Campinas (RAC) serve as guidelines, based on the direct and indirect impacts generated in the production chain. Methodologically, the state-of-the-art of the chain of a biorefinery focused on the production of bioenergy and bioproducts from RFAU is being developed; direct and indirect economic, social, and environmental impacts are being measured; and externalities are being analyzed. Externalities can be considered positive and negative: i) positive externalities: additional benefits generated by an activity that are not reflected in market prices, and ii) negative externalities: additional costs generated by an activity that are also not reflected in market prices. The region in focus will be the Administrative Region of Campinas (RAC), state of São Paulo. (AU)