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Representatives from the transport sector criticized the increase in the mandatory mixture of biodiesel with diesel, from 10% to 12%, determined by the government in March. The matter was debated this Tuesday (18) in a public hearing promoted by the Road and Transport Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
Representative Zé Trovão (PL-SC), who proposed holding the hearing, stated that the new percentage harms bus and truck engines, increasing the cost of vehicle maintenance. Among the problems observed are the clogging of the fuel filter and the freezing of biodiesel at low temperatures, such as those seen in the south of the country.
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“The biggest problem with biodiesel is the sludge that is created at the bottom of the tank. This sludge wasn't born there, it doesn't come from diesel. It comes from the mixture”, said the deputy. For Zé Trovão, the government should only decree an increase in the mixture after “technical and impartial” studies that verify the effect of biofuel on engines.
The environmental executive manager of the National Transport Confederation (CNT), Erica Marcos, also criticized the new percentage approved by the government. According to her, a recent survey carried out by the CNT showed that more than 60% of transport companies reported mechanical problems in their trucks related to the use of biodiesel.
“We have a problem on the field, it cannot be denied,” he said. The same warning was made by the advisor to the National Confederation of Autonomous Transporters (CNTA), Alan Medeiros. He said the average age of self-driving truck drivers' vehicles is 22 years. According to Medeiros, “the technology of the 90s” did not foresee the use of biodiesel in engines.
Erica Marcos defended the inclusion of green diesel in the national energy matrix, giving the transport company the possibility to choose between it and biodiesel. Green diesel is also made from renewable raw materials, like biodiesel, but through another chemical process that requires the use of fossil inputs.
Improvement
The director of the Biofuels Department of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Marlon Arraes, refuted claims that the increase in the addition of biodiesel to diesel harms truck and bus engines. According to him, modern vehicles are capable of using the mixture.
“If you have access to a specified good quality fuel at the end, you supply fuel and you follow the maintenance plan recommended by the manufacturer, you shouldn't have any problems, you won't have any problems”, said Arraes.
He also stated that a resolution from the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), published on the 4th, established new specifications for the production of biodiesel, which will improve the quality of the product that reaches the consumer. Among other points, the resolution requires the producer to use a more efficient filtration system to block contaminants.
The technical director of the National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea), Henry Joseph Junior, stated that the ANP's resolution should improve the quality of the final product, but the entity may request a reduction in the addition “if it assesses that there are problems occurring” .
The expansion of the presence of biodiesel in diesel was determined by the National Energy Policy Council (CNPE), an advisory body to the President of the Republic. The proposal also establishes that the grade will be increased to 13% in April 2024, to 14% in April 2025 and to 15% in April 2026.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
