Chinese LNG services provider Furui launched Brazil’s first bio-LNG project holding a kick-off meeting with Brazilian executives from a leading agricultural company on August 20, the Chinese firm revealed.

With the kick-off meeting now completed, the first of its kind project in Brazil will now enter the implementation stage. Discussions will now be conducted on project preparation, technical assurance, and construction planning.

Upon completion, the project would be able to process 200,000 cubic metres of biogas per day, efficiently converting organic waste into high-purity bio-LNG.

Furui boasts both advanced biogas purification as well as liquefaction technology.

Furui has been in the Brazilian market since 2016. In July, the Chinese firm also held a signing ceremony for the construction of an LNG plant in Rio de Janeiro that will boast a production capacity of 300,000 cubic metres of LNG per day.

Brazil possesses enormous potential for bioenergy projects courtesy of its robust agricultural market. Moreover, with Brazil’s extensive urban waste streams, the country has ample readily available feedstock in the form of animal manure, slurries, and municipal solid waste.

At the policy level too, Brazil’s biogas sector has been gaining momentum with the country’s new biomethane legislation calling for a twenty-fold increase in production.

Meanwhile, the global bio-LNG sector is also experiencing a rosy outlook as more and more companies seek to utilise LNG-bunkering as part of sustainability efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.

LNG offers a cleaner alternative to traditional oil-based bunker fuels since it contains lower levels of emissions of sulphur, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

In April, the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero framework was approved, which sets a target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for international shipping. 

Key bunkering hubs are witnessing a meteoric rise in LNG bunkering volumes. In 2024 the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore experienced a four-fold increase in LNG bunkering volumes as the total reached nearly 340,000 tonnes.