MEET THE TEAM: Marcelo Perpetuo, Country Manager LCBA Brazil

Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience in renewable energy projects, engineering and plant management and over 15 years managing teams, Marcelo joins LCBA Brazil as the new Country Manager. His broad technical knowledge and experience in the Brazilian market are key to generate strategic business alliances for the development of the program in the country.

What motivates you the most from your position?

This new challenge allows me to have contact with new technologies developed in Europe and present them to Brazilian companies to contribute to the decarbonization of the planet and encourage the circular economy.

Beyond that, decarbonization and the circular economy are initiatives that I advocate as a means of saving our planet. I want my children and grandchildren and all the generations to come to inhabit this beautiful planet. It is a unique opportunity to work on a project to contribute to the causes you believe. All of this can be part of the legacy we are building, and we will leave for generations to come.

What would you highlight as main challenge from the LCBA program in Brazil?

I believe that the biggest challenge is to convey how the Project can add value to Brazilian companies in the process of transitioning them to a sustainable economy.

What do you consider to be the main challenge that Brazil is facing in its path towards the green economy?

We have enormous challenges. Brazil is a continental country with different cultures and different socioeconomic levels. I believe that the population’s education and the country’s economic condition are the most significant barriers. But we also have customs barriers, some resistance to new and disruptive technologies. Nor can we forget the difficulties that the pandemic has been adding to the current scenario;

However, looking and seafaring above from the perspective of opportunities, I see a great time to seek and deploy new technologies that will increase productivity, reduce losses and waste, contributing to a low-carbon economy, “Let’s use the difficulty to leverage our growth.”

What opportunities are rising for European technology providers in Brazil?

As I said in the previous question, the socio-economic scenario is quite difficult, and hence the needs, and the courage to go for innovative and destructive solutions.

It is a very delicate but very special moment where new European technologies can contribute strongly to the irreversible movement of increased productivity and a low-carbon economy. The main target sectors  are Agriculture, Mining, Chemical,  Steel,Pulp and Paper, Transportation,  and  Plastics.

We have already applied several technologies in the projects of RenewableEnergy,  Biogas and Biomethane, Production of organominerals from biofertilizers, Sustainable and Precision Agriculture and Livestock, “Carbonfree farm”, Software & Hardware for measuring CO₂ emissions, IoT & Blockchain for traceability of agricultural production  ,  Biofertilizer/wastewater incorporators in soil, Industry 4.0, Green cities, Use of ETE sludge for fertilizer,  Wastewater for biogas with focus on thermal energy for use in sludge dewatering,  FRB technology-wetlands system (filter gardens) for sewage treatment,  Electric transport,to mention a few.

Why should Brazilian businesses participate in the LCBA program?

Because of LCBA is a platform for the transfer of knowledge and technologies that can support Brazilian companies,  LCBA is a “machine” of finding European companies and technologies, often in and underexploited countries by Brazilian companies.

Bringing companies together is very fast. We help break down communication and cultural barriers, and we support the business to prosper and succeed, all in a structured way in widely tested processes.

The LCBA acts neutrally, that is, without any commercial interest, letting the parties reach the ideal agreement.