Petrobras Adds Certified Soybean Oil to SAF Production
Petrobras announced on June 17, 2026 that it had completed the production and sale of its first sustainable aviation fuel batch made using soybean oil certified under CORSIA Low ILUC Risk criteria.
The fuel was produced at the Duque de Caxias Refinery, known as Reduc, in Rio de Janeiro.
The commercial batch totalled approximately 3,800 cubic metres and contained 1 percent renewable content.
The certified soybean oil was supplied by Bunge, while the finished fuel was sold to Brazilian fuel distributor Vibra Energia.
Petrobras described the operation as the first SAF production using soybean oil associated with international CORSIA Low ILUC Risk certification.
Co-Processing Uses Existing Refinery Infrastructure
The technological feature of the project is its use of co-processing rather than a completely separate renewable fuel production line.
Co-processing allows renewable feedstocks to be introduced alongside conventional refinery streams and processed within existing refining infrastructure.
For the Reduc campaign, certified soybean oil was integrated into the refinery process to produce aviation fuel containing renewable material while maintaining compatibility with established fuel production and distribution systems.
Petrobras says the approach gives the company greater flexibility to introduce different certified renewable feedstocks into its fuel portfolio.
The model is particularly relevant for refiners seeking to begin renewable fuel production while making use of existing industrial assets, processing equipment and logistics networks.
Low-ILUC Certification Adds a Feedstock Requirement
The soybean oil used in the production campaign was certified under CORSIA Low ILUC Risk criteria.
ILUC, or indirect land-use change, addresses the risk that increased demand for an agricultural commodity could indirectly encourage the conversion of land elsewhere for new production.
According to Petrobras, the certification provides assurance that the soybean feedstock used for this batch meets sustainability requirements intended to minimise that risk.
The 1 percent renewable content is also aligned with the initial requirements established under Brazil’s Fuel of the Future legislation for reducing emissions from domestic aviation.
For the renewable fuels industry, the project demonstrates how certification, agricultural feedstock traceability and refinery technology are increasingly becoming part of the same SAF production chain.
It also shows a different route to increasing renewable aviation fuel supply: adapting existing refinery processes to certified renewable feedstocks rather than relying exclusively on newly built standalone SAF plants.
Sources
Petrobras — Petrobras Markets First SAF Batch Produced from CORSIA-Certified Soybean Oil, June 17, 2026
Reuters — Petrobras Produces and Sells First CORSIA-Certified Soybean SAF Batch, June 17, 2026
Bunge — Bunge, Petrobras and Vibra Announce SAF Operation Using Certified Brazilian Soybean