____________________________________________________________________________________ Riograndense
Refinery
Flávio Mingorance de Souza ▶
Founded in 1937, Riograndense Refinery( Riograndense) was the first refinery in Brazil. It has since formed one of Brazil’ s main economic groups, the Ipiranga Group, which was acquired in 2007 by Braskem, Petrobras and Ultrapar. The company is currently undergoing an exciting biorefinery project, which will see it terminate fossil fuel production and begin producing from renewable feedstocks at the beginning of 2026.
Using soybean oil and technical corn oil, products will include Bio-LPG, Bio-naphtha, Light Cycle Oil, and Decanted Oil. It will be the first company worldwide to produce these in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking( FCC) unit with 100 percent renewable feedstock. Flávio Mingorance de Souza, Head of Biorefining at Riograndense, unveils more about the project and its role in Brazil’ s decarbonization roadmap:“ This transformation began at the end of 2022, when the decision was made to study the conversion of the FCC unit and to advance research into the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel( SAF) and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil( HVO). In October 2024, the Federal Government sanctioned the law that established national programs for Green Diesel and SAF, creating a clear regulatory framework for these new products and to attract investment.
“ Our biorefinery project is included in the Federal Government’ s Growth Acceleration Program and is one of the most advanced in Latin America, with a final investment decision expected in the first quarter of 2026. This will be essential for Brazil to meet its decarbonization mandates. In addition, we will also be exporting sustainable fuels to help with emission reductions in other regions.”
Growth in new markets
Flávio expands on the main two technologies Riograndense has implemented, enabling the biorefinery to operate with high flexibility and a low carbon footprint:“ HydroFlex™,
newenergy-today. com 63