ISCC clears Brazil's FS corn ethanol for SAF

Brazilian corn-based ethanol producer FS has received certification that its corn-based ethanol complies with international requirements to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) Corsia applies to its Lucas do Rio Verde unit, in Mato Grosso state. ISCC is the leading international biomass and bioenergy certification scheme, focusing on land use sustainability along with greenhouse gas (GHG) traceability and verification.

Besides the general ISCC Corsia, FS was also granted an add-on certification of low use change (LUC) risk thanks to its ongoing partnership with second-crop corn supplier GF group. It certifies that the biofuel does not generate GHG emissions related to indirect land use change (ILUC), which can occur when pasture or agricultural land previously destined for food and feed markets is diverted to biofuel production.

FS is Brazil's first corn biofuel producer to receive the recognition and is now part of the SAF supply chain in all International Civil Aviation Organization member states. It allows the firm to ensure the traceability of the renewable fuel, a key part of the airline industry's search to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

The certification shows that Brazilian ethanol made from second-crop corn, much like its sugarcane alternative, can be a low-carbon feedsotck to produce biofuel for sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as aviation, according to FS' chief executive Rafael Abud. "Airlines will now be able to count on our ethanol as a competitive and highly scalable source to serve this market globally," he said.

Brazilian corn-ethanol producers will likely face an even harder challenge to penetrate the global SAF market, particularly in the EU, which favors biofuels obtained from recycled waste and, on a smaller scale, synthesized from hydrogen or e-fuels produced from renewable energy sources.

"Our task is to explain the carbon intensity calculations, clarify what second-crop corn is and stress the differences between the ethanol produced from corn in Brazil to that of the US," the firm's commercial director Paulo Trucco told Arguson the sidelines of an industry conference last year.

FS firm was the first ethanol group in Brazil to use only second-crop corn as a feedstock for ethanol production. Today, it has capacity to produce around 2.2bn l/yr (38,000 b/d) of ethanol, with an estimate of increasing this total up to 5bn l/yr after ongoing expansion works are concluded.

Obtaining the certificate is part of FS' larger strategy of diversifying its business and studying possible avenues for expanding into global markets, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The company has captured export flows for countries do not require certifications or impose barriers on the grain-based biofuel, which were previously supplied by the US.

On the domestic market, FS has relied on a network of expanding multimodal connections to get its product delivered across the country — including rail transport, coastal shipping operations and pipeline deliveries.

By Vinicius Damazio and Laura Guedes