Evaluation of high-pressure phase behavior of systems involving CO2, water and biomass conversion compounds.
Phase Equilibrium. High pressure. Biomass. Supercritical Fluids.
Nowadays, due to the high consumption of oil reserves and the environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel burning, there is a growing interest in using alternative sources of energy. Biomass has been drawing attention as a renewable carbon source as it is available in large quantities. Several methods for converting it into products such as energy, biofuels and chemical compounds are available. Depending on the type of biomass and process chosen, different products are generated, and often a mixture containing different components is obtained. Thus, in order to use the products of interest, they must be separated from the remaining components. One way to separate them is by using supercritical fluids employing CO2 as a solvent. In this sense, this project aims to evaluate the phase equilibrium under high pressure conditions of systems involving components from biomass and carbon dioxide, in the absence or presence of water. The project includes experimental study and modeling of systems composed of biomass compounds of different functions, such as alcohols, aldehydes and organic acids, at high pressures.