Published May 3rd, 2022
Between May 1st and 6th, 2022, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, took place the Train of Trainers Course “Alternative Fuels for Aviation in Brazil”. The event arises from the partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – German Agency for Technical Cooperation and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR in German).
The occasion marked the launch of the new teaching material “Alternative Fuels for Aviation in Brazil”, produced by DLR and the GIZ project, ProQR – Climate-Neutral Alternative Fuels. By addressing this innovative topic, the material aims to support Brazilian educational and research institutions to disseminate technical knowledge and train people for the labor market.
Minister highlights importance of the agenda in the opening of the event
The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovations, Paulo Alvim, was present at the opening of the event. On the role of institutions in promoting sustainable alternatives for the transport matrix, the Minister stressed the importance of the development and valorization of human capital. With qualified professionals, integrated into an innovation ecosystem and prepared to work with state-of-the-art technology, it will be possible to consolidate the energy transition in Brazil.
Participants of the event were teachers and researchers from all regions of Brazil motivated to boost the topic within their institutions with new study programs. During the week of the course, it was possible to experience a rich exchange of knowledge. DLR specialists, authors of the didactic material, presented the contents of the resource, focusing on its applicability in Brazilian teaching and research institutions. Each day, the participants, took part in interactive training sessions with group discussions about the topics presented, including representatives from relevant sector institutions such as the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) and the National Energy Research Office (EPE). In addition, during a technical visit to the chemical laboratories of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the program offered opportunities to link the content to practice and discuss varied possibilities of application of the new input. At the end of the event, the teachers were invited to prepare proposals for using the teaching material in their own institutions and regions, with promising results for a soon implementation.
Interdisciplinary teaching modules available for download
The didactic material “Alternative Fuels for Aviation in Brazil” consists of 12 modules, in English language, that discuss the production chain of alternative aviation fuels and address the potential for insertion of this technology in the Brazilian energy scenario. The material was designed as a tool to support the study, teaching and research on the subject in academic institutions in Brazil and, therefore, it seeks to present the covered aspects in a detailed and didactic manner. The special asset is the interdisciplinary view of the different modules, which invites the lecturers to present the topic of SAF in a broader context, taking into account aspects of energy planning, feedstock availability, chemical processes, certification and plant construction.
Together with the material, a publication was launched that presents the resource and gathers editorials of the main actors involved in this partnership. Check it out here.
To have access to the didactic material, please fill in the form, in English, here.
Lucas Freire contributed to this article.
