Rede brasileira de tecnologia de biodiesel: formação, estruturação e contribuições para superação de gargalos e avanço da indústria do biodiesel no Brasil.

Abstract

Since the introduction of biodiesel in the Brazilian energy matrix in 2005, more than 50 billion liters of this biofuel have been produced, and different blending percentages have been adopted, contributing to the decarbonization of road freight transportation. This was only possible due to the elimination of numerous technical-scientific bottlenecks, which required the dedication and commitment of numerous researchers affiliated with hundreds of Brazilian Science and Technology institutions that are part of the Brazilian Biodiesel Technology Network (RBTB). After 20 years since its (re)creation, the RBTB has become a reference on how a scientific-technological base can be structured to support and guide a political-social program. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to analyze the formation, structuring, and the role of the RBTB's scientific collaboration networks in overcoming technological bottlenecks that hinder the competitiveness and sustainability of biodiesel in Brazil. To address this, an exploratory and descriptive research with a qualitative and quantitative approach was conducted, involving social network analysis and complex network analysis applied to a sample of 3,788 scientific articles on biodiesel, published between 2004 and 2023. The SNA analysis allowed identifying a cohesive and heterogeneous network, formed by 284 institutions and 1,962 collaboration relations. The RBTB showed an upward trajectory until 2018, with a significant increase in inter-institutional collaborations. A decrease in the number of S&T institutions and authors occurred between 2019 and 2023, due to several factors, the main one being the Covid-19 pandemic. In total, 29 institutions accounted for 80% of the scientific production in the area, with the largest hubs being USP, Unicamp, Unesp, UFC, UFBA, UFRJ, UFMG, Embrapa, UFSC, and UFPR. The researcher network revealed that 529 authors were responsible for more than 80% of the production. Of these, 23 authors from the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering stood out as the most prolific, working in biodiesel research groups. The dynamic analysis of these networks indicated the formation of specialized subcommunities, demonstrating the maturity and diversification of the research. The networks also exhibited small-world and scale-free structural characteristics, facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge, fostering interdisciplinary and institutional collaboration, and increasing the network's resilience. The keyword co-occurrence analysis indicated a significant alignment with the Science, Technology, and Innovation Plan for Renewable Energies and Biofuels, demonstrating that the scientific community has been seeking solutions to overcome the bottlenecks faced by the biodiesel industry. The patent analysis revealed that the main filing areas encompassed ester production, processes for obtaining fuels from organic materials, and separation and purification technologies. Universities stood out as the main filers, while the participation of private companies was low, which could hinder the effective transfer of technology to the biodiesel production sector. When comparing the article and patent networks, it was observed that USP, Unicamp, UFRJ, UFBA, and UFMG excelled in both, demonstrating the ability to combine fundamental research and applied technological development. Additionally, 42% of the inventors were among the top authors of scientific articles, pointing to a connection between research and development. The presented results indicate that the RBTB remains vibrant, with the formation of increasingly specialized communities, and that the research is aligned with national priorities to eliminate technical-scientific bottlenecks faced by the biodiesel industry in Brazil and aid in the decarbonization of road transportation. The results achieved highlight the central role played by the RBTB in the technological development of biodiesel over the past 20 years, supporting MCTI's strategy to strengthen it and stimulate R&D actions, since biodiesel will continue to be the main substitute for fossil diesel in the long term, while the renewable hydrocarbon industry is in the implementation phase in the country, and the electrification or use of hydrogen in trucks is still a distant reality.