Caracterização e aplicação de biocarvão obtido a partir do caroço do açaí para a conversão de óleo de palma

Abstract

The focus of the work was on sustainable development, with the main objective of converting the low-value biomass of açaí seeds into a functional material that can be used as an adsorbent and catalytic support. This lignocellulosic material holds significant potential in the global energy sector in the quest for cleaner green chemistry. The material underwent a thermal degradation process in an inert atmosphere, free of oxidants, under a flow of N 2 gas. Ten experiments were conducted to obtain the biochar, varying the reaction temperature and residence time under a constant heating rate. The yields obtained for the biochars were above 37.85%. The biochars with higher yields and different particle sizes were selected to observe the effects these characteristics could bring to the chemical conversion process. Therefore, the biochars PAT2, PAT7, and PAT9 were chosen, as their particle sizes decreased compared to the experiments conducted at higher temperatures. Chemical activation with 0.1 M H 2SO 4 was performed to employ them in biodiesel production. The highest conversion of palm oil to methyl esters occurred through hydroesterification reactions with yields above 90%. Among the activated biochars, SAT2 showed the highest conversion and was used in a transesterification reaction following an esterification reaction, with a yield of 24.71%. Thus, it was observed that the activated biochar derived from açaí seeds has the potential for biodiesel production via hydroesterification reactions, with further optimizations needed for higher yields in the transesterification of palm oil.