Technical and social analysis of biodiesel production in Brazil and agricultural development in the north of Minas Gerais

Abstract

The global energy scenario is moving towards the search for renewable energy matrices. Biodiesel appears as a renewable, cleaner-burning biofuel, gradually incorporated into conventional diesel to limit the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. In this perspective, from the implementation of the National Biodiesel Production and Use Program in mid-2005, biodiesel production in Brazil has become a reality. Several large-scale production plants were built with the implementation of the Darcy Ribeiro Plant, owned by Petrobrás Biofuels, in the north of Minas Gerais. The objective of this article is to analyze the production of biodiesel in the Brazilian scenario, taking a special look at the production of this fuel in the Montes Claros region and the implications for regional family farming activities. The work was carried out through the collection of bibliographic information referenced on the issues of biodiesel, the management model of the biodiesel plant Darcy Ribeiro and its performance in the north of Minas Gerais. The plant uses several materials in the production of biodiesel, but the main one is soy oil. Castor bean, the main crop of family farmers aiming at supplying the plant did not show good profitability and productivity due to the lack of study on agricultural zoning, with its field area being drastically reduced. The government proposal was to create a program aimed at family farming, especially in the north of Minas Gerais, for income generation in the countryside, poverty reduction and regional rural development, but there was a predominance of agribusiness.

Keyword: Biofuels. Production Sustainable. Family Farming. Regional Development.