Brazilian energy firm Âmbar Energia, which is a unit from J&F Investimentos, said Monday that it plans to invest 65 million reais ( $11.5 million ) to enlarge its biomethane output using industrial leftovers at three meat processing facilities.
Under the plan, the company expects to bring in over 14 million cubic meters of renewable fuel each year into its energy mix, and in the process it will swap fossil fuels for operations run by Friboi, the beef division inside J&F.
This effort sort of builds on biodigesters already put in place at nine Friboi plants since 2021, meant to catch methane coming from industrial effluent. Before, that methane was essentially burned off or flared to avoid a direct atmospheric release. Now, the biogas will be purified into biomethane so it can line up with national fuel standards.
When we looked at this investment, we kind of saw a chance because Friboi had already put in the biodigesters to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and honestly that part was important. The gas was being burned, and now we can handle it properly, sort of taking care of it by removing the CO₂ and H₂S components, then we transform it into biomethane, said Marcelo Dresch, Âmbar’s sustainability and biogas manager.
The first upgraded unit, Campo Grande II in Mato Grosso do Sul, will add a second production machine in August. The plant, which has had the basic infrastructure in place for around three years, will end up energy self-sufficient, more or less.
“The first machine already supplies about 80% of the plant’s natural gas requirements. With the second, it becomes fully self-sustaining , and we will have a surplus that can be offered and sold to third parties,” Dresch said.
As for timing, the Andradina unit in São Paulo state is set to start operations in January 2027, while the Lins plant, also in São Paulo, is expected to begin production in January 2028.
Âmbar estimates that the annual output will end up replacing about 12 million liters of diesel, and also prevent something like 30,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.
The company is additionally looking at using part of the biomethane output for J&F’s logistics work, especially the heavy transport side, and in doing so, tying the fuel to group activities, including Green Cargo. Green Cargo leases and sells natural gas and biomethane powered trucks, and Logás manages fuel logistics in places where pipeline infrastructure isn’t available, or it’s limited.
“The plan is to build a kind of connected loop, where waste made by industrial activities turns into fuel again inside the own production chain,” Dresch said.
Âmbar is also examining waste streams from other J&F operations, such as the poultry processor Seara, and the residue coming from cattle feedlots, for future biomethane ventures.
