Environment

Lar invests in soy biodiesel production

The evolution of sustainable agro-industrial practices necessarily involves the transformation of the energy matrices that drive production processes.
It is with this spirit that Lar Cooperativa Agroindustrial, committed to a sustainable future, has promoted innovations in the integration of renewable energy in its operations.

Based in Medianeira (PR), the cooperative – one of the largest in Brazil – is, through the use of biodiesel, biomass, solar energy and biogas, reducing its environmental footprint and becoming a reference in these initiatives.

This is the case of the initiative maintained in Mato Grosso do Sul – the state where the cooperative maintains operations. There, Lar, supporting the need to move beyond the traditional boundaries of agriculture, began an ambitious project to produce high-quality biodiesel from the processes of the modern and efficient soybean crushing plant located in the municipality of Caarapó.

The project was consolidated from December 2022, when the Cooperative obtained the ANP license to produce biodiesel.

Investments and process improvements were carried out in the Mato Grosso do Sul processing unit, which allowed, in October last year, to achieve the capacity to produce B100 biodiesel – pure biodiesel, which will be mixed with petroleum diesel in the percentages determined by legislation which governs fuels, regulated by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP).

Today, the unit maintains a production capacity of 300,000 liters of biodiesel daily. Lar’s plans, however, go further: the Cooperative’s plant is expected to reach a monthly production of 12 million liters. In total numbers, it is equivalent to around 3% of all B100 manufactured in Brazil.

“The vertical integration established in Caarapó goes beyond strengthening the production chain. It also positions Lar as a significant player in the transition to cleaner fuels”, highlights Irineo da Costa Rodrigues, president of the cooperative.