A study made for Instituto MBCBrasil says Brazil may sell biomethane know-how to other countries. It points to growing world demand for cleaner transport fuels. The work was done by teams from the University of São Paulo, the Federal University of Itajubá, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, and Mauá Institute of Technology.
The report also looks past fuel output. It says Brazilian firms could provide more than one kind of service and product. That includes biodigesters, gas cleaning units, and ways to move liquid biomethane. It also mentions linked solutions that tie renewable gas production to making low-carbon fertilizer.
The study highlights the sugar and ethanol industry as a key base. It estimates a biomethane production potential of 41.4 billion cubic meters each year. That number is put at more than 41 billion liters of diesel. Still, the report says under 2% of this potential is used today.
Glaucia Mendes Souza, a professor at USP, helped lead the study. She is also linked to IEA Bioenergy Task 39. In the report, she says Brazil’s chance is not only to make the fuel. She adds that Brazil can also take the role of supplier of technology, equipment, engineering work, and connected solutions for other places trying to cut emissions.
The study said this know how could be shipped to Latin America, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa. Those places have a lot of farm waste. They also do not have enough biodigestion systems. It noted that Brazilian firms such as Cocal, Raizen, Sao Martinho, and Adecoagro have already built biomethane plans. They use vinasse and sugar cane leftovers. For the 2024/25 crop season, Brazil handled about 680 million tonnes of sugar cane. The study put vinasse output at about 380 billion liters.
Biomethane is made after biogas is cleaned up. The biogas starts when organic material breaks down. In Brazil, the biggest inputs include landfill material and farm waste. That includes waste from livestock, vinasse, and filter cake from sugar and ethanol mills. After cleanup, the fuel acts much like fossil natural gas. It can be used for heat, for factory use, and for transport. It can also be put into existing gas lines.
The report also said the world market can grow more. It said biomethane is made in around 40 countries. It is also used for transport in close to 30 markets. It estimated global sustainable biogas and biomethane at about 1 trillion cubic meters each year. That is about a quarter of today’s natural gas use worldwide. It added that the European Union wants 35 billion cubic meters of biomethane per year by 2030. It said this is supported by plans for about 37 billion euros in investment.
Switching diesel to biomethane can lower well to wheel carbon dioxide equivalent output by about 45% to 75%, based on the study. In certain waste and manure setups, the result can look even lower than zero. It may show a negative 246% gap versus diesel once methane leaks that would have happened are factored in.
The fuel might also hold up on price for large trucks and fleets. In total cost of ownership runs, compressed natural gas or biomethane came out to $1.73 per km. Diesel was $1.87 per km. The study also noted that in Brazil, biomethane could be roughly 30% cheaper than diesel in one case, or about 25% more expensive in another.
Comgás targets small and medium-sized customers
Comgás has rolled out a new biomethane option for smaller and mid-sized firms in Sao Paulo state. It is offered under a regulated structure. The name of the program is Mercado Cativo Verde.
At the start, the deal includes 2,673 cubic meters of biomethane each day. Over time, it can rise up to 50,000 cubic meters per day. That depends on how demand grows and how supply and rules play out.
The Sao Paulo Public Services Regulatory Agency approved the plan. Before this, getting biomethane from the distributor mainly worked for big industrial users. Those customers were in the state’s free gas market. That free market makes up roughly 80% of Comgás sales volume.
Now the focus is on other types of buyers. The list includes smaller factories. It also includes refrigeration operators, cogeneration projects, and mobility users. Examples are commercial fleets and compressed natural-gas stations.
Comgás says it will put about 10 billion reais into the effort through 2029. The spending is meant for things like expanding the network. It also covers resilience work and new links between biomethane producers and end users. The company also expects more room for its buyers in the free gas market in 2029. It also expects higher demand tied to decarbonization in commercial fleets.
Henrique Sonja, the supply director at Comgás, said the program is meant for customers who want biomethane as part of their sustainability work. He added that they also want the steadiness of a regulated market, without extra complexity.
Buyers are not asked to take the exact physical molecule made by a supplier. What they do must still be checked. The system requires that an equal volume be proven to be made, fed into the network, and then bought. After that, each volume’s environmental claim is logged in a tracking tool. When the purchase is completed, that entry is closed. This is meant to stop the same claim from being used again or resold.
The setup also relies on Biomethane Guarantees of Origin. These were made under Brazil’s Fuel of the Future law. Their job is to show the fuel’s renewable source and keep a clear trace. Comgás intends to charge for the biomethane and the environmental claim in one bill. The charge will follow the regulated market tariff rules.
In 2025, Brazil made 1.06 million cubic meters of biomethane each day. That is against a figure of 120 million cubic meters per day for technical potential. ABiogás, an industry group, set that estimate. ABiogás also says the biogas and biomethane chain could pull in 246 billion reais in investment. It could also create 110,000 jobs by 2035.
By June 2026, Brazil had 21 plants that were allowed by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels. Those plants had a combined installed capacity of 1.33 million cubic meters per day. At the same time, 48 more plants were in the approval process. If that work stays on track, total national capacity could reach 3.37 million cubic meters per day by 2028.
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