BIODIESEL OBTIDO A PARTIR DO ÓLEO DA AMÊNDOA DA MACAÚBA

Resumo

A biofuel that stands out in the Brazilian energy scene is biodiesel. It is obtained from an oil of vegetable or animal origin, and goes through the transesterification process aiming at replace totally or partially the diesel. Currently in Brazil, its main raw material is soybean oil, followed by bovine tallow and cotton oil. However, the study and application of other oilseeds are viable since it is an area in constant development. Among these oilseeds, one stands out as an option to obtain biodiesel, the Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeate (Jacq.) Lood. Ex Mart), a typically tropical coconut tree, present mainly in the states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso and Goiás, which produces fruits with high oil content, conducive to obtaining this biofuel. In this way, macaúba's almond oil becomes potentially viable as a new alternative in the production of this biofuel. This work aims to evaluate the yield of biodiesel obtained from macaúba almond oil. For that, transesterification reactions were carried out through homogeneous acid catalysis in 4, 8, 12 and 24h times. After the evaluation of the results, it was verified that the reactions showed similar conversions of the fatty acids in biodiesel for all the times, being a band of 98% of conversion.