Petrobras tests Cardano blockchain to track jet fuel and diesel emissions claims
In brief
- Petrobras is testing the Cardano blockchain in two research projects, the Cardano Foundation announced Wednesday.
- The sustainable aviation fuel project uses a book-and-claim model meant to prevent double counting.
- A proposed Diesel R model would trace the fuel through production, transportation and use.
- The announcement disclosed no fuel volumes and no timeline for wider use.
How the jet fuel project works
Sustainable aviation fuel is a lower-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel, and it can be used in existing aircraft and airports. The aviation work is built around a model called book-and-claim. Under it, an airline can pay for the environmental benefit of sustainable fuel even if the fuel itself is used somewhere else.
That's where the ledger comes in.
Book-and-claim needs a record of who owns the benefit and when it was claimed, so two companies can't count the same emissions reduction. The application uses Cardano to log where each benefit originated, who received it and when it was claimed (the double-counting problem, in other words). A passenger can enter departure and destination airports, calculate the matching fuel benefit and get a certificate linking that allocation back to the original fuel certificate.
Diesel R and Scope 3 reporting
Diesel R is made partly from renewable materials such as vegetable oils or animal fats. The proposed diesel model would record information at each stage of production, transportation and use, then join those records into a history of the fuel's journey. That could help companies report Scope 3 emissions, the indirect emissions across their suppliers and customers.
It's still research. Both projects remain research work, the diesel model is described as proposed, and the announcement didn't disclose fuel volumes or a timeline for wider use. CoinDesk's report doesn't carry a statement from Petrobras itself.
Foundation points to Brazil and x402
Frederik Gregaard, chief executive of the Cardano Foundation, placed the projects in a longer run of Brazilian adoption when he spoke to CoinDesk.
"Brazil has been one of the most consistent adopters of Cardano, from SERPRO in government to SENAI in industry. It's great to see Petrobras, one of the largest firms in the region, continue to see value in on-chain provenance and traceability,"
Gregaard also cited x402 arriving on Cardano and Fireblocks adding support for Cardano Native Tokens as drivers of what he described as growing institutional interest. Cardano joined x402 this month, a payment standard that lets apps and AI agents pay for data or computing services as they request them. Its initial payment-processing software was tested on Cardano's pre-production network, though commercial use on the live blockchain hasn't been demonstrated yet.
Frequently asked questions
What is the book-and-claim model for sustainable aviation fuel?
Under book-and-claim, an airline can pay for the environmental benefit of sustainable fuel even if the fuel itself is used elsewhere. The arrangement needs a record of who owns the benefit and when it was claimed, so two companies can't count the same emissions reduction.
How does Petrobras use Cardano in the jet fuel project?
The aviation application uses Cardano to record where each benefit originated, who received it and when it was claimed, which helps prevent double counting. A passenger can enter departure and destination airports, calculate the fuel benefit and receive a certificate linked to the original fuel certificate.
Are the Petrobras Cardano projects in commercial use?
No. Both projects remain research work, and the diesel model is described as proposed. The Cardano Foundation's announcement disclosed neither fuel volumes nor a timeline for wider use.
