Spanish multinational oil and gas company Cepsa has teamed up with Spanish association of co-operatives Agro-Alimentarias to promote biofuel production from agricultural and livestock waste.
As part of the partnership, Cepsa’s Research Center would analyse waste from the olive, olive oil, wine and livestock industries to research the potential of processing the raw materials into biofuels, the company said on 25 May.
Meanwhile, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España would coordinate contact between the company and the different cooperatives within the association, Cepsa said.
“Moving forward with the energy transition requires collaboration and establishing synergies along the entire value chain. That is why we have reached this agreement … with the aim of identifying new sources of circular raw materials for the production of second-generation biofuels,” Cepsa’s biofuels manager Javier Antúnez said.
Cepsa said the agreement also aimed to facilitate partnerships with co-operatives interested in biomass production using cover crops.
Through its study with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the company said it would be able to identify the most suitable areas and crops for planting. These crops, which did not compete with food, would generate feedstock to produce 2G biofuels while improving soil quality and increasing rainwater retention capacity, Cepsa said.
The company has set a target of being the leading 2G biofuels manufacturer in Spain and Portugal by 2030.
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España represents more than 3,600 agricultural cooperatives and over 1M members, farmers and ranchers.
