Encontro de Energia no Meio Rural
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Abstract

ALMEIDA NETO, José Adolfo de, NASCIMENTO, Jeferson C. do, SAMPAIO, Luiz A. G. et al. Projeto Bio-Combustível: processamento de óleos e gorduras vegetais in natura e residuais em combustíveis tipo diesel. In Proceedings of the 3. Encontro de Energia no Meio Rural, 2000, Campinas (SP, Brazil) [online]. 2003 [cited 19 April 2024]. Available from: <http://www.proceedings.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=MSC0000000022000000200046&lng=en&nrm=iso> .

Since March of 1998, the State University of Santa Cruz (UESC) has been investing in partnerships with other institutions that have experience in biofuel technology, to start a pilot project for the production of liquid fuels using renewable and waste feedstocks in the South of Bahia, Brazil. Based on prototypes of 5 kg and 150 kg, respectively, the Department of Agricultural Engineering of Kassel University has developed a batch process transesterification unit, with a capacity of processing 7,0 t/week of raw material, which was transferred to UESC Campus in March 2000. Waste oils and fats from the cities of Ilhéus, Itabuna and Salvador were used as feedstock for the biofuel production. A study based on questionnaires collected data on the potential, quality and availability of these materials in restaurants and other establishments. It was verified that the used frying soybean oil and the hydrogenated fats meet the standards required for the alkaline transesterification process. Therefore, they represent a plant source of great potencial for biofuel production. The estimated costs of biofuel production vary from R$ 0,71/L to R$ 1,36/L, mainly depending on fat quality and costs of the feedstock used in each case.

Keywords : Óleos vegetais; resíduos gordurosos; transesterificação; biocombustível; biodiesel; azeite de dendê.