Estudo da Influência do Solvente na Descarboxilação Eletroquímica do Ácido Palmítico para a Produção de Biocombustíveis Drop-In e Bioprodutos

Abstract

Changes in the environment as a result of anthropogenic actions have led to changes in the atmospheric composition of planet Earth with an increase in its temperature and greenhouse gas levels, especially CO2 and methane. In this context, there is a global concern to reduce emissions of these gases, especially those from the transport sector, which contributes significantly. Thus, electrochemistry appears to be a promising methodology, given its broad, well-defined industrial applicability and the recent possibility of developing more sustainable technologies. In this vein, (non-)Kolbe's organic electrosynthesis, which has recently received renewed interest, has become evident for its ability to transform renewable raw materials, biomass, into non-oil fuels. Thus, the work described here sought to study the influence of the solvent (methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, acetone, dichloromethane and hexane) on the electrodecarboxylation of palmitic acid, aiming at the synthesis of hydrocarbons with potential for drop-in biofuels and bioproducts. Therefore, the product mixtures were characterized by the GC – MS (Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometer) technique, where considerable selectivity was noticeable (relative amounts equal to 42.89% and 41.33%, respectively) for toluene when using dichloromethane and hexane, in addition to being suitable solvents for obtaining drop-in biofuels. The use of other solvents, despite being inefficient for drop-in production, presented an encouraging perspective regarding the production of various bioproducts.