Cibiogás, 10 Years of Experience in Brazilian Biogas Market

By Felipe Marques, Technology Development Director at CIBiogás

Created in 2013, CIBiogás is considered a key player in the Brazilian biogas market and has been working for over 10 years in the promotion of innovative solutions and business modeling for the smart management of organic waste as a source of renewable energy.

The International Renewable Energy Center (CIBiogás), installed in the Itaipu Technological Park, in Foz do Iguaçu – Brazil, is a non-profit technology and innovation institution. However, CIBiogás is business-oriented, prioritizing business development of the Brazilian biogas market, whether in the first applications of technologies, business models, or market strategies.

It has a pioneering spirit and more than 10 years of experience in the development of biogas and biomethane projects, starting its operations through the creation of a biogas laboratory and Biogas Study Center (CEB).

The Biogas Laboratory is the 1st in Brazil to be accredited by the ISO/IEC/ 17025:2005 standard, meeting the criteria required worldwide for BMP testing. The laboratory carries out tests on samples from all over Brazil and across the world. In total, the team has already carried out more than 31,000 tests, with more than 350 different types of substrates.

The Center develops customized solutions for monitoring biogas plants, waste management, energy management, biofertilizer management, the economic viability of biogas, sustainable development, technical consultancy, courses and training.

The trajectory of CIBiogás and the evolution of the Brazilian biogas market are correlated. In 2010, when the center launched its activities, Brazil had 94 biogas plants, growing to 936 today. CIBiogás has been heavily involved in the execution of the following projects for the country:

• Development of projects to integrate producers through collective arrangements.
• Coordination with the federal and state governments to improve regulatory issues, especially the sale of biogas, sale of biomethane, electricity generation, biogas refining and thermal applications of biogas.
• Implementation of innovative projects in Brazil, such as Ajuricaba Agroenergy Condominium, Entre Rios do Oeste Agroenergy Condominium, Microgrid at Granja São Pedro, biomethane unit for Itaipu Binacional’s dedicated biomethane fleet and implementation of the hydrocarbon production unit renewables.
• Regional biogas market studies to identify the potential for production and use of biogas, as well as the best energy demands to increase regional competitiveness. Some examples include studies for the Amazon Region, Rondônia, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
• Project development and acting as the main operational partner of the Biogas Applications in Brazilian Agroindustry Project (GEF Biogas Brasil), a project led by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The project has a very broad scope, comprising regulatory issues, information, market strategies, business models, technical training, technological tropicalization and demonstration units.

Considering the growth of the Brazilian biogas market and the proximity to the market’s main players, BiogasClub, a CIBiogás’s business club, was created in 2022 to promote the development of a positive environment for exchanging information relevant to the sector and promoting business opportunities. Currently 41 companies participate in the business club.

In 2023, BiogasWorld and CIBiogás started a partnership that creates a collaborative space in Biogas Community to exchange knowledge, meet new professionals, and generate business opportunities in the biogas and biomethane industry.