Thermal and Thermocatalytic Study of Macaúba Pulp Oil (Acrocomia aculeata) using AlSBA-15 to obtain Bioenergy
Biofuel; Macauba pulp oil; Thermocatalytic pyrolysis; AlSBA-15
The development of alternative fuels is important to reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels, as well as reduce gas emissions and environmental effects. Biofuel can be obtained in several ways, including through thermal pyrolysis and thermocatalytic pyrolysis. So, the objective of this work is to carry out the catalytic pyrolysis of macaúba pulp oil in the presence of a mesoporous catalyst to obtain biofuel. The catalyst used must have acidity sites for the deoxygenation reaction to take place, therefore it is necessary to impregnate transition metals such as nickel in the catalyst support. In view of this, the impregnation of the catalyst with Nickel (Ni) in percentages of 5% and 10% by mass on the AlSBA-15 support was studied. The catalysts were characterized by TG/DTG thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy (FTIR), Nitrogen adsorption and desorption (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS). . The catalysts showed XRD reflections consistent with the P6mm hexagonal structure of AlSBA-15, demonstrating that the molecular sieve remained structured even with the impregnation of metals. The thermal and thermocatalytic pyrolysis of macaúba pulp oil were evaluated through thermogravimetric analysis and through the data a kinetic study was performed using the Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) models. This new route has the advantages of renewable energy production, less environmental impact and availability of raw materials in nature.