Be8 is setting up in Italia to build a new biofuel plant

Be8, a Brazilian company specialising in biofuels, including biodiesel (of which it is Brazil’s largest producer, with a market share of around 14 per cent), ethanol, SAF (for aircraft) and the new Bevant, is launching in Italia with the aim of establishing a European base from which to distribute and produce Bevant – a fuel derived from food waste – which is capable of powering cars, heavy goods vehicles and ships, without the need for engine modifications and guaranteeing a reduction in CO₂ emissions of up to 99 per cent. Among its objectives is the construction of a production plant, with an investment of up to 180 million euros.

The new fuel was developed and patented by Be8 in 2023, explains Graziano Messana, a board member of Be8 Europe – with the aim of transforming waste and residues from the food supply chain, such as vegetable oils, animal fats and used cooking oil, ‘once they can no longer be recycled for other purposes, into an advanced fuel capable of directly powering diesel engines without the need for blending, without structural modifications and without any loss of performance’.

Bevant (which is a double-distilled methyl ester), he continues, ‘can be used 100 per cent pure in the engines of cars, lorries, boats, generators and heavy goods vehicles. It does not need to be blended with fossil diesel. It does not require companies to immediately replace their fleets or upgrade their facilities. And, above all, as it also has an extremely low sulphur content, it enables a substantial reduction in environmental impact whilst maintaining performance, operational power and fuel consumption in line with the industry’s requirements. According to available data, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99 per cent, in the tank-to-wheel cycle, compared with fossil fuels.”

In 2025, Be8 recorded net revenue of $1.97 billion, an EBITDA of 166 million and a net profit of 96, with exports accounting for 12 per cent of revenue. “The company,” emphasises Messana, who is also president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, “already has a factory in Geneva, so it could just as easily have decided to manufacture there. Instead, it chose Italia to drive forward technology and the energy transition. This is also very positive news for me, as I am Italian and have been living in Brazil for 20 years. Moreover, whilst we have brought many Italian companies to Brazil, this is the first time we have gone the other way and brought a major Brazilian company to Italia.”

Be8 Europa has therefore ‘opened an office in Milan with a share capital of 1 million euros. Last March, we received the green light from the Italian Government for the golden power. It took five months, as the application was scrutinised not only by the Ministry of Enterprise but also by the Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment, which then gave their approval. We are pursuing two scenarios: one in which we focus on marketing the products – which requires little investment and is a matter of agreements with distributors – and, in the meantime, we are pressing ahead with Bevant’s certifications: we are aiming to build a factory, with an investment of between 150 and 180 million euros and plans to create 300 jobs. These are our plans.”