advertisement

---

Brazilian mining firm Vale recently created a consortium with Biopalma da Amazônia S.A. to produce biodiesel from palm oil by 2014.

The partners will invest $500 million in the venture and produce about 500,000 tons of “dendê” oil, making the consortium the largest producer of palm oil in the Americas, Vale said.

The miner plans to use a portion of the 160,000 tons of biodiesel that will be produced to fuel its entire fleet of 216 locomotives, as well as heavy-duty machines and equipment in the Carajás mines. The use of biodiesel will reduce Vale’s carbon dioxide emissions by 12 million tons by 2014, the company said.

Vale plans to use B20 fuel, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel. The company operates the 561-mile Vitória-Minas Railroad, 5,000-mile Centro-Atlântica Railroad and 553-mile Carajás Railroad in Brazil.