Utilização de matérias-primas lignocelulósicas para produção de álcool etílico: estudos da hidrólise ácida da palma forrageira e da destilação do hidrolisado fermentado.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the process of acid hydrolysis, using the raw material Lignocelulósica racket of cactus pear, and the project of adaptation of the copper still to distill up to concentration of ethanol 93ºGL. This was a pre-treatment with acid at low temperatures using a matrix of factorial design in which 23 variables were: temperature, acid concentration and ratio of dry mass and volume of acid, the time was kept constant and equal to one hour. Chromatographic analysis show that the best result, ie higher concentrations of xylose and arabinose, made under the following conditions: temperature equal to 90°C, concentration of acid, 5% and ratio of 1/8. The hydrolysis was performed user is the solid material resulting from the pre-treatment showed the best result under the following conditions: temperature equal to 190°C, acid concentration of 8% and ratio of 1/8, for an hour. It was the liquor resulting from the hydrolysis as the correction of pH and addition of nutrients and adcionou to the mash to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at a concentration of 10g/L for preliminary test of fermentation. The environment was maintained at temperature between 28 and 32ºC and is ferment for 176 hours. The fermented material was analyzed by gas chromatography and none showed no concentration of ethanol. Adjustment of the copper pot still, built up a column filling made of stainless steel.