The impact of economic subsidy policies in the Babassu palm biodiesel productive chain

Abstract

Biodiesel was introduced in the Brazilian energy matrix in 2004 and actually stimulated the prospection of new energy sources and the inclusion of family agriculture within the biofuel market. The above was strengthened in 2009 with the launching of subsidy policies, the Policy for the Guarantee of Minimum Prices for socio-biodiversity products (PGPM-Bio). The babassu (Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng) is a potential plant species for the biodiesel chain and its oil has favorable chemical characteristics for biodiesel production. Through informetry methodology, the current analysis evaluates the impact of PGPM-Bio on the use of babassu oil in the biodiesel market. A slight growth in the number of patents has been detected, with a trend towards increase, shown by the publication of articles, albeit at a slower pace. Results are linked to the extractive characteristics of the species, or rather, even if its technological use is competitive, the lack of agricultural production scale hinders its application in the short term.