Production of biofuel using as a source of biomass the aguapé (Eichornia crassipes)
Biomass, aguapé, green hydrocarbon, biopolymers
We are seeing a great advance in lifestyle as well as in the technologies that surround us. However, this evolution was accompanied by drastic consequences for the environment, such as: increased pollution, climatic variations related to global warming, increased spending and investments related to health problems caused by pollution, among others. An alternative to minimize the impacts related to the use of non-renewable sources of energy is the transformation of biomass into products that meet these needs. Several processes are now used in the transformation of complex sugars into hydrocarbon fractions that can be used as fuels, whether in their pure form or mixed with traditional fuels. The possibility of producing green fuel from the biomass originated from the water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) can be a good alternative considering the properties and characteristics of this plant. In the attempt to obtain the bio-oil (bio-grude), two methodologies were adopted, acid catalyzed hydrolysis and acid catalysis reactions using zeolites. In order to promote the analysis of biomass, hydrocarbon fractions as well as solid catalysts, the use of techniques such as solid state NMR of 27Al and 29Si, CG-MS, thermogravimetric analysis and infrared spectroscopy were suggested.