Mapeamento patentário das técnicas aplicadas na hidrólise de biomassa.

Abstract

Due to environmental problems, the search for renewable raw materials and alternative energy sources has been increasingly frequent. In this context, studies on the use of biomass, through hydrolysis processes, have stood out due to their innovative character and the fact that the applied material is abundant and low cost. With this, the present work aimed to map patent techniques applied in the hydrolysis of biomass and with that to understand the state in which the patents in this area are found and from the results achieved, to obtain answers about the viability of investment in the development of new techniques. Initially, a survey was carried out in the INPI database, in which it was possible to analyze the production of patents registered in Brazil related to biomass conversion processes, through hydrolysis processes. This consultation resulted in 224 patent deposits in the period from 1993 to 2022. After reading the abstracts of each application, 205 deposits related to the processing of biomass by hydrolysis were identified. With the data obtained, it was possible to analyze the IPC Classification of the Search Result page, the countries of origin of the deposits, the profile of the depositor, the types of processes applied, the raw material used, and the products generated. The countries with the most registrations were the United States and Brazil, with 56 requests for each, representing almost 55% of the total. Regarding the profile of the depositor, Private companies and Institutes and Universities are responsible for 123 and 76 requests, respectively. In Brazil, 44 of the 56 requests are from Institutes or Universities, which represents 78.6%. Regarding the type of process applied, in most of the deposits, 70, the application of enzymatic hydrolysis was observed. Generic lignocellulosic biomass was the most applied raw material, with 182 records being observed, and the most generated product was sugar and derivatives, observed in 77 requests. The concentration of records in more consolidated processes, which apply acid catalysts or enzymes, suggests the development of new techniques to overcome the difficulties encountered in those currently applied.