Carbon Case Study – AB Mauri, Brazil

The AB Mauri yeast factory in Brazil traditionally used heavy fuel oil to generate steam for the process. Heavy oil boilers are not very efficient and give out high levels of CO² for every unit of heat. The company reviewed alternatives and decided to invest in a modern biomass boiler.

The feedstock for the new boiler is a mixture of sugar cane fibre (bagasse) and woodchips. As the biomass is considered renwable , the greenhouse gas emissions are zero. The biomass is obtained from what would otherwise be waste from the wood industries and the sugar and alcohol plants in São Paulo state, where the biomass mixture is prepared and transported to the new boiler. The biomass transportation and processing has generated new jobs in the local community such that there are ten new employees working in three shifts daily to keep feeding the boiler and ensure continuous supply of steam.

The use of this biomass ensures that we do not need to use timber from the rainforest.