Brazil’s Petrobras is exploring blockchain-based traceability for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable-content diesel through two research applications developed with the Cardano Foundation and PUC-Rio’s Ledger Labs.
The initiatives are designed to improve the traceability and verification of environmental claims associated with lower-carbon fuels, including by reducing the risk of duplicate claims for SAF and creating a digital record of renewable diesel across its supply chain.
The projects form part of an ongoing research and development relationship involving Petrobras, the Cardano Foundation and PUC-Rio. The collaboration began with blockchain education for Petrobras employees in 2023 and expanded into energy-sector research in 2025.
Neither the Cardano Foundation nor Petrobras has disclosed the volumes of fuel that could be covered by the applications or a timetable for broader commercial deployment. The initiatives should therefore be viewed as research and development projects rather than a confirmed company-wide blockchain rollout.
Blockchain application targets SAF environmental claims
The SAF application was developed by Petrobras and PUC-Rio’s Ledger Labs with support from the Cardano Foundation.
It uses a Book-and-Claim model, in which the environmental benefit associated with SAF is separated from the physical movement of the fuel.
Under this model, an environmental attribute can be allocated to an airline, company or passenger even when the SAF itself is produced or consumed at another location. The digital record is intended to provide a verifiable link between the original fuel certificate and the subsequent environmental claim.
The system tokenises SAF environmental attributes into digital units called CS-SAF. According to the Cardano Foundation, the tokens contain metadata aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
The tokens can be issued, transferred and ultimately retired. Retirement records that an environmental attribute has already been claimed, helping prevent the same benefit from being claimed more than once.
Passenger-level SAF claims also included
The application is designed to extend beyond corporate and airline users.
According to the Cardano Foundation, passengers can enter their departure and destination airports through a dedicated application and calculate a corresponding CS-SAF allocation. They can then receive a certificate containing information about their journey and the associated environmental claim.
This creates a digital chain connecting the original SAF certificate with the eventual environmental claim.
For the wider SAF market, such systems could address one of the challenges associated with Book-and-Claim models: maintaining credible records of who has received an environmental benefit and ensuring that the same attribute is not counted multiple times.
The technology itself, however, does not establish the underlying sustainability of the fuel. The quality of the environmental claim still depends on the validity of the original certification, feedstock information, emissions calculations and applicable sustainability standards.
Second application tracks Petrobras’ Diesel R
The second project applies blockchain-based traceability to Diesel R, Petrobras’ diesel product containing renewable material.
Petrobras says Diesel R is produced by co-processing petroleum-derived diesel with renewable feedstocks such as vegetable oils or animal fats. The renewable material is processed through refinery hydrotreatment units and becomes the renewable component of the finished fuel.
The Cardano-based model creates digital checkpoints across the fuel’s lifecycle, covering production, transportation and use.
The resulting record could help connect information generated at different stages of the supply chain and support emissions reporting, including Scope 3 reporting covering indirect emissions across a company’s value chain.
The Diesel R application is currently a proposed research model rather than evidence of a fully deployed commercial tracking system.
Petrobras expanding its renewable-fuel portfolio
The blockchain research comes as Petrobras expands its broader low-carbon fuel strategy.
Under its 2026–2030 Business Plan, the company has identified ethanol, biodiesel, biomethane, Diesel R, SAF and biobunker among its low-carbon energy priorities. The plan also includes biorefining investments, including a dedicated SAF and 100% renewable HVO plant at the Presidente Bernardes Refinery (RPBC), as well as refinery adaptations for SAF production through co-processing.
Petrobras has also been increasing its operational activity in SAF. In the second quarter of 2026, the company reported marketing 6,100 cubic metres of SAF produced through co-processing at the Duque de Caxias Refinery (Reduc), with 1% renewable content.
In September 2026, Petrobras said Reduc had become its first refinery certified to supply SAF to the international aviation market. The refinery had also produced a 3.8-million-litre SAF batch using certified soybean oil feedstock.
The company therefore has an expanding physical renewable-fuel portfolio alongside the digital infrastructure being explored for traceability.
Blockchain already being explored for SAF Book-and-Claim
Petrobras’ initiative is not the first use of blockchain technology for SAF environmental-attribute tracking.
Shell has used blockchain through Avelia, a Book-and-Claim platform launched in 2022 with the aim of tracking SAF environmental attributes and preventing double counting.
The Petrobras project differs in its specific architecture and application, but the underlying objective is similar: create a verifiable digital record for environmental benefits that may not correspond directly to the physical movement of SAF.
The Cardano Foundation said the Petrobras projects add another example of blockchain being tested within renewable-fuel value chains.
Traceability becomes increasingly important as SAF scales
As SAF markets expand, traceability will become increasingly important for producers, airlines, regulators and corporate buyers.
Book-and-Claim systems can potentially allow environmental attributes to be allocated separately from physical fuel deliveries, which can help connect SAF demand with production that may be geographically distant.
But the credibility of such systems ultimately depends on the quality of the underlying data and certification. Blockchain can create an immutable record of information entered into a system, but it does not independently verify whether the original information is accurate.
For Petrobras, the current Cardano projects represent an exploration of how digital infrastructure could complement the physical expansion of its SAF and renewable-diesel businesses.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
Petrobras’ Cardano initiative highlights an emerging intersection between renewable fuels, digital traceability and environmental-attribute markets. For SAF in particular, the ability to separate physical fuel from its environmental benefit is becoming increasingly relevant as producers and airlines operate across geographically dispersed supply chains.
The more significant question will be whether research-stage systems such as the Petrobras applications can move into operational use while maintaining robust certification, data integrity and regulatory compatibility. At present, there is no disclosed commercial deployment timeline or fuel volume associated with the two applications, so their eventual market impact remains uncertain.
