A On April 16, Unicamp signs a technology licensing contract with BioCamp Indústria e Comércio de Biodiesel Ltda, based in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso. Through the agreement, the company will be able to commercially explore, for a period of 20 years, a high-performance catalyst capable of transforming animal fat and vegetable oils into biodiesel. The expectation is that the plant built by the company, which comes into operation on the 30th, will produce up to 60 million liters of biofuel per year. Initial production will be 10 thousand liters per day. As the contract does not grant exclusivity to BioCamp, the same technology must be subject to new licensing. “Talks are already underway. We hope to sign another six partnerships of this kind”, predicts the partnerships agent at the Unicamp Innovation Agency (Inova Unicamp), Uéber Fernandes Rosário. The Mato Grosso project promises to bring important economic and social gains to the region.

The technology covered by the licensing agreement with BioCamp was developed by the professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering (Feagri) at Unicamp, Antonio José da Silva Maciel, in partnership with his doctoral student, Osvaldo Candido Lopes. The professor highlights, however, that the research would not have progressed if he had not had the collaboration of other professors at the University, such as Lireny Aparecida Guaraldo Gonçalves and Renato Grimaldi, from the Faculty of Food Engineering (FEA), in addition to Matthieu Tubino and Pedro Faria dos Santos Filho, from the Chemistry Institute (IQ). “This synergy was fundamental for the evolution of the investigations, as well as for transforming a project that was on a laboratory scale into one applicable to industry”, he states.

Researcher wants to implement certification laboratory

Benefits – The catalyst developed by Unicamp researchers has the function of promoting what experts call transesterification. In a simplified way, the process follows the following steps. First, a simple alcohol (ethanol, in this case) is added to the raw material. Then, the catalyst is added to the mixture. Then, a chemical reaction breaks the carbon chain of animal fat or vegetable oil, giving rise to two distinct noble products: biodiesel and glycerin. The latter is widely used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. According to Professor Maciel, the technology in question has two significant advantages over conventional methods of biodiesel production.

Normally, explains the teacher, the available techniques provide a yield of less than 95%. Furthermore, the catalysts on the market induce the formation of unwanted residues, such as soap or emulsion. “In the case of our catalyst, this does not happen. Furthermore, the performance obtained in the tests we carried out was around 99%”, assures Professor Maciel. He remembers that the search for renewable fuels is not a new challenge for science. Rudolf Diesel, a German engineer who designed the combustion engine, used oil extracted from peanuts in his experiments. At Unicamp, research into biofuels practically dates back to the founding of the University, which took place in 1966. In 1969, for example, the then FEA professor Leopoldo Hartman published an important article on transesterification of vegetable oils. “As you can see, we have a tradition in this type of study.”

After transferring the catalyst technology to the production sector, one of Professor Maciel's main objectives is the implementation, at Unicamp, of a laboratory for biodiesel certification. It would be the first of its kind at a public university in São Paulo. According to him, the laboratory's mission would be to provide services to the industry through the analysis of biofuel, but it would also have a strong academic character, as it would enable countless research to be carried out. Certification, he says, would assure both manufacturers and consumers of the final quality of the product. The project is being formatted and conversations in this regard are being held with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT).

Employment and income – Due to the licensing agreement to be signed with Unicamp, BioCamp Indústria e Comércio de Biodiesel Ltda built, in record time, a plant for the production of biodiesel considered a model in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso. In less than a year, the unit, which is fully automated, was ready to go into operation. The plant's construction work was consulted by professor Antonio José da Silva Maciel, from the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering (Feagri) at Unicamp. The company's partners do not disclose the amount invested in the project, but they estimate that it will generate approximately 120 direct jobs from the moment the machines are turned on.

According to BioCamp, the plant will also help boost family farming in the region. Around 700 farming families will be involved in the production of biodiesel. The company will donate close to 100 kilos of jatropha for planting. Then, it will buy the harvest, which will serve as raw material for the generation of biofuel. Initially, explains Professor Maciel, production will be made from sunflower oil. “However, the plant can use any vegetable oil, such as castor, soybean, etc. You can even use used cooking oil. In the case of BioCamp, as one of the partners owns a slaughterhouse, one of the main inputs for obtaining biodiesel will be beef tallow”, he informs.

BioCamp's investment in biodiesel production is aligned with the National Biodiesel Production and Use Program (PNPB), an interministerial action launched by the federal government in 2005. The objective of the PNPB, as its name indicates, is to implement in a sustainable way, both technically and economically, the production and use of this biofuel, with a focus on social inclusion and regional development, through the generation of jobs and income. Preliminary estimates indicate the formation of a market worth around R$1,2 billion per year in the country.

Innovation management – The work of the Unicamp Innovation Agency (Inova Unicamp) was fundamental in making the licensing contract between the University and BioCamp viable, according to professor Antonio Antonio José da Silva Maciel. “Without the work of Inova Unicamp, research with great application potential would run the risk of remaining shelved”, he analyzes. Created in 2003, the Agency's purpose is to manage the University's innovation and intellectual property policy. Among its responsibilities are precisely the support and strengthening of partnerships with companies, government bodies and other bodies in society. Since it began operating, this innovation center has already led to the signing of 24 licensing contracts for 43 different patents. This, it should be noted, is a fundamental aspect when it comes to technological development.

In general, it is not enough to patent an invention. The procedure, although essential to protect the right to discovery, does not in itself guarantee that the technology will be transformed into products or processes that will generate wealth for the country. For this to happen, it is necessary to transfer knowledge to the production sector, through licensing. From then on, yes, the license holder will be able to exploit it commercially, which will probably bring benefits both to him and to society in general. Contacts with Inova Unicamp can be made through the Agency's website (www.inova.unicamp.br) or by phone (19) 3521-2552.