The facility will be able to offer a range of separation processes such as ammonia recovery and absorption. Nitrogen and phosphorus are super pollutants when dumped directly into a river, but they make good fertilizers for agriculture. “All this helps us create a solution at a competitive price,” says Renan César Lindner, the project’s director of operations.

Land of vast banana plantations, agriculture is one of the main economic activities of the city, which is considered the beef and sheep capital of Santa Catarina. The municipality is located in the northern region of SC, which excels in the metal-mechanical, technological and furniture sectors.

In its continuous development cycle, the banana tree requires nutrients and fertilizers to promote its growth throughout the process, increasing the need for effective solutions to ensure the health of the plant and product. Fertilizer application should be in accordance with recommendations based on soil analysis.

Photo: Marcelo Feble

BRDE (Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul) is the sponsor of the work, which is in full swing. “We are working in partnership with the Secretariat of Agriculture, the Secretariat of Sustainable Development and the IMA, as well as with BNDES, to complete the dynamic analysis of the Santa Catarina Rural Environmental Register,” says BRDE President João Paulo Kleinubing. In addition to completing the process, this should allow small and medium-sized farmers to receive carbon credits in the future.

Representing a ton of carbon that is no longer released into the atmosphere represents a carbon credit, helping to reduce the greenhouse effect. Several methods can be used to earn carbon credits. This change not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but can also help reduce deforestation.

In 2023, Santa Catarina established the Low Carbon Agriculture Plan (ABC+SC). The goal is to strengthen the presence of Santa Catarina’s agricultural production on the world stage. This includes a voluntary commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures over the next ten years.

Photo: Marcelo Feble

The ABC+ Plan’s guiding principles include combating the negative impacts of climate change, increasing the resilience of rural communities and promoting the resilience of the agricultural sector. In this sense, the Far South Regional Development Bank is adapting to new times. BRDE President João Paulo Kleinübing emphasizes that one of the financial institution’s priorities is to “reconsider the amount of carbon emissions we finance.”

In the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, to avoid a global temperature rise of more than 1.5°C by the end of the 21st century, participating countries set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets called “nationally determined contributions” ( NDC). ).

Photo: Marcelo Feble

Brazil’s NDC has set emissions reductions of 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. This means that all of the country’s emissions must be offset by carbon capture sources such as forest planting, biome restoration or other technologies.

In this sense, the different forces and social layers in Santa Catarina work together: the farmer who is committed to environmental and sustainable solutions; financial institutions that seek to encourage socially responsible projects, and government that encourages development within environmentally sensitive goals.

Photo: Marcelo Feble