Nexa Resources advances in the acquisition of 10,000 tons of bio-oil from Aperam BioEnergia to reduce emissions when producing zinc oxide

Aperam S.A. / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Nexa Resources advances in the acquisition of 10,000 tons of bio-oil from Aperam BioEnergia to reduce emissions when producing zinc oxide 14-Dec-2023 / 19:01 CET/CEST Nexa Resources advances in the acquisition of 10,000 tons of bio-oil from Aperam BioEnergia to reduce emissions when producing zinc oxide

Luxembourg, 14 December 2023 (19:00 CET)  

• Company starts large-scale use of green fuel at Três Marias (MG) unit;
• Project represents an annual reduction of 25,000 tons of CO2 (scope 1) released into the atmosphere.

Nexa Resources has entered into an agreement to acquire 10,000 tons of bio-oil from Aperam BioEnergia in order to gradually replace the use of fossil fuels in the production of zinc oxide at the Três Marias (MG) metallurgical unit.

Recovered and processed as a co-product from the production of charcoal from Aperam BioEnergia's renewable forests in the Jequitinhonha Valley, the biofuel will be used by Nexa in 12 zinc oxide production furnaces later this year. It is a sustainable solution that contributes to the energy transition and industrial decarbonisation.

With vegetable origin, 100% renewable and low sulfur content, the bio-oil has been  tested since 2017. It has  been used in and adopted to different  applications  and is now capable of replacing the use of fossil oils in industrial processes, such as 1A, BTE, among others.

Paulo Nogueira, General Manager of Nexa's Três Marias Metallurgical Unit, says that the next step in the partnership is the gradual application of biofuel in the 47 furnaces of the Três Marias unit. "Today, Nexa is already the zinc producer with the lowest carbon footprint worldwide. The use of bio-oil in our operations will intensify the achievement of our decarbonization goals by 2030, which foresees a reduction in direct emissions (scope 1) by 20%, which means a total reduction of 52 thousand tons of carbon, in addition to maintaining the high share of renewable sources in its electricity matrix", he highlighted.