Boeing and Embraer have partnered on sustainable aviation biofuel research with a new joint venture in São José dos Campos Technology Park, Brazil.

The Boeing-Embraer Joint Research Center will work with the Brazilian universities and other institutions to develop technologies associated with feedstock production, techno-economic analysis, economic viability studies and processing technologies.

Boeing and Embraer signed a memorandum of understanding in May last year to open the joint research centre.

Boeing Brazil and Boeing Latin America president Donna Hrinak said: "Boeing and Embraer, two of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, are partnering in an unprecedented way to make more progress on sustainable aviation biofuel than one company can do alone.

"Our purpose is to support work on developing and maturing the knowledge and technologies needed to establish a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil with global reach."

"Brazil, a pioneer in the sustainable fuels industry, will play a leading role in establishing the biofuels industry and helping meet aviation’s environmental goals."

Boeing Research & Technology-Brazil will collaborate with Brazil’s research-and-development community to design technologies for Boeing’s business units.

The company is already engaged in biofuel-development projects in the US; Middle East, Africa, Europe, China, Japan, south-east Asia and Australia.

Embraer engineering and technology executive vice-president Mauro Kern said: "Our purpose is to support work on developing and maturing the knowledge and technologies needed to establish a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil with global reach."

Boeing, Embraer, the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do São Paulo (FAPESP) and the State University of Campinas have earlier conducted workshops in Brazil and published Flightpath to Aviation Biofuels in Brazil roadmap in 2014.

Sustainably produced aviation biofuel is claimed to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with fossil jet fuel.

More than 1,600 passenger flights have been conducted so far using sustainable aviation biofuel since 2011.