The significant sector event took place in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, from the 16th to the 18th of May 2022

Congress participants were able to get in touch with the most innovative and prominent trends for the future of decarbonisation of the air sector in Brazil and the world. During three days, the event offered intense exchange of scientific knowledge, with the presence of representatives from government agencies, educational and research institutions, and the private sector.

The Brazilian Network of Biokerosene and Sustainable Hydrocarbons for Aviation (RBQAV) stands out for its continuous support to the agenda of sustainable fuels in Brazil and in academia. The synergy between RBQAV and the ProQR project has been present since its creation in 2017. Also, in 2019, ProQR was present at the Network’s first congress, an important milestone for the promotion of the topic among the scientific community and governmental bodies. After two extremely fruitful years for the dialogues on alternative aviation fuels culminating in the government´s current Fuel of The Future Program, this year’s event gained national attention of high level. ProQR was happy to support the venue sponsoring and facilitating some activities.  

Theoretical and practical insights – Day 1

On the first day of the event, ProQR promoted the course “E-fuels for Aviation in Brazil”, with Dr. Dietmar Posselt, PHD in chemistry and president of Aviation Fuel Projects Consulting; Jürgen Kern, Senior Researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR, in German); and Andreas Meurer, PhD researcher at DLR. The course was an excellent opportunity for the audience to learn from experts about the international outlook for the Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) market.

The participants were also invited for a technical visit to the facilities of the SENAI Institute for Renewable Energy Innovation (ISI – ER/RN). At the site, the wind energy, solar energy and aviation paraffin laboratories were presented. It is worth mentioning that the SENAI ISI – ER/RN will soon host a laboratory plant for the production of SAF using glycerin as feedstock. This plant is the result of the recently signed partnership between the Institute and GIZ Brasil, through the ProQR and H2Brasil projects.

The event agenda still counted with the official opening ceremony in which the hostess, Profa. Dr. Amanda Gondim, coordinator of the RBQAV, received the State Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Paulo Alvim. Also present were representatives of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the Federation of Industries of Rio Grande do Norte (Fiern), the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN).

Round tables and research presentations – Day 2 and 3

The second and third days were composed of expert presentations, round table discussions, as well as oral presentations of technical and scientific papers. The round tables held in the event’s main auditorium brought together experts to share different perspectives and enhance the dialogue on clean aviation. The ten different group discussions approached a variety of aspects regarding the feasibility of alternative aviation fuels in Brazil, such as feedstock, equipment, political issues, financing, regulation, among others. The oral presentations were held in a second auditorium and gave participants the opportunity to present the results of their work to the congress audience. Meanwhile, the panel presentations allowed students and researchers to succinctly present their work to the public using electronic posters.

The SAF topic was highlighted in the programme through the participation of the ProQR project. A round table discussion on “Synthetic Aviation Fuels” took place, moderated by ProQR director Tina Ziegler, and with the presence of Dr. Dietmar Posselt, Jürgen Kern and Fabíola Correia de Carvalho, researcher from SENAI ISI – ER/RN. It was an interesting moment to share national and international points of view for the production and use of SAF in aviation.

Round table discussion on “Synthetic Aviation Fuels”. Copyright by RBQAV

ProQR’s activities in promoting knowledge about SAF in Brazil had another important focus during the event. Two presentations were dedicated to studies recently produced by the project as part of its support for the National Fuel of the Future Programme. Professor Lais Thomaz, author of the “Study on Governance and Public Policies to Encourage the Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels”, made an oral presentation of a technical scientific paper, in which she brought important insights to this work published a few months ago. During the panel presentations, Bárbara Borges, ProQR’s technical advisor, presented a preview of the study on the economic viability of SAF in Brazil, which will be published soon.

In parallel, ProQR participated in a fair which was held in the lobby of the event location, the Wish Hotel in Natal.  Visitors could get to know the Projects new publication on the didactic material launched in early May, during the Teachers’ Training Course “Alternative Fuels for Aviation in Brazil”. The fair also marked the first showing of ProQR’s animated infographic, which demonstrates the operation of a modular SAF pilot plant.

See the animation of the pilot plant model here.

How to produce PtL SAF – Infographic of ProQR pilot plant model © GIZ
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