Plantas do Semiárido Baiano para Produção de Biodiesel

Abstract

The biodiesel is an alternative to petrochemicals and derivatives because it is produced from renewable sources, as vegetable oils and animal fat, and reduces the level of pollutant emissions in the diesel. The investigation of alternative sources of triglycerides for biodiesel production has been extensively explored. In this work, seeds of 26 of different plant species (Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, Celastraceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae) of the semiarid region of the State of Bahia were collected and the oil extracted for studies as alternative source for the production of biodiesel. The present work selected the most promising plant species for the production of biodiesel, using the chromatography methods CG-MS and CG-FID to identify the fatty acids in the oils, followed by the physical-chemical characterization of the oils from the most promiing species: Syagrus coronata, Dilodendron bipinnatum, (mamoninha) and Magonia pubescens (timbó). Thus, acid index, saponification index, peroxide value, iodine index, and refractive index were determined. Because presents better physical-chemical characteristics, the oil of ‘Timbó’ was selected for the experiment about the best process conditions to produce “Timbó” biodiesel in order to improve methyl esters production (% m/m). “Timbó” biodiesel was produced by methanol route using alcohol/oil molar ratio 8:1, the concentration of catalyst was 0,5 wt%. The values determined for the physical-chemical parameters of the Timbó Methyl Biodiesel (BMT) are within the limits established by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels – ANP, except for acid index, total glycerin and kinematic viscosity.