Study of Tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum)waste to produce biodiesel by conjugated processes

Abstract

Transforming waste material into a value-added product has been a challenge in several aspects, legal, academic, economic, and environmental. Tucumã is a fruit widely consumed by the people of the Amazon region, offering this alternative for using the waste generated by it is to provide a source of income for tucumã producers in the northern region of Brazil. To obtain results on yields and reactions that transform tucumã waste into biodiesel, first the seed oil was extracted by decoction, followed by conjugated process. The thermal cracking reaction, produced smaller chains than the raw material, followed by the esterification reaction applying heterogeneous catalysis using aluminum oxide. These processes transform the tucumã waste into esters similar to biodiesel compounds, the products were characterized by techniques such as gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GCMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), achieving a yield in the conversion of tucumã seed oil into methyl esters (biodiesel), above 90%, in addition, we reached specific mass parameters of 863 Kg/m3 and viscosity of 4.3 mm2/s, data that allow us to affirm that the application of conjugated reactions of this material as fuel meets the product specifications, providing added value. The data generated in this work will make it possible to open space for the studies of these processes on a pilot scale, which will enable local energy autonomy regarding the use of biodiesel.