Elaboração de um reator contínuo para síntese de biocombustível: avaliação experimental com sebo animal.

Abstract

In search of alternatives to recovery waste to animals slaughter, was studied a prototype of affordable continuous reactor for public use and local agribusiness, for purposes of producing liquid biofuels. As well, through the experimental evaluation of tallow use, acquired in public and homemade slaughterhouses Catolé Rocha-PB, using two types of methods, namely: hidroesterification and catalytic thermal cracking. The system was built on a laboratory scale, composed of metallic materials of stainless steel and some silicone connections. The system is composed of reactor, heat exchanger and pumps a commercial peripheral 1/4CV. Heating was affected by flame gas, and both flow with temperature and pressure were monitored. The reactor was manufactured resulting in a volume of 687.22 mL. The experimental evaluation of the system was carried out by introducing animal fat, which was extracted from tallow by two techniques, plates and autoclave techniques in order to investigate the best performance. The autoclave was more significant (75.7%). Thereafter, the biofuels synthesis was performed in the system, initially with the method of hidroesterification, in which one cannot observe operating line of the system, the reactor outlet connection, since these were broken due to formation of steam internally, causing returning the mixture heated for connecting to peripheral pump. Was expected reach 260 °C temperature and 3bar pressure, without success. A second attempt was carried out in order to achieve 2bar to 200 ºC, but at 157 ºC was new line of reflux. Given this fact, the system was modified between the reactor and the heat exchanger in order to hold a thermo catalytic cracking using two types of catalysts, independently, calcium carbonate and nickel ferrite. Adopted the ratio of 1:10 catalyst/fat injected into the system, ambient pressure and temperature above 600 °C. This method showed good run for the idealized system, but still needs to be improved since the yield of bio-oil was lower than that cited in the literature. Comparing the synthesis of the catalysts as calcium carbonate bio-oil obtained better yield (49.51%), acidity index (1.45 mgKOH/g), however the thermal profile suggested greater presence of fatty acids combined, diacilglicerídeos and triacilgerídeos molecules. Already with nickel ferrite had lower yield (32.22%), higher acidity index (5.36 mgKOH /g) and ix characteristic thermal profile of just one thermal decomposition suggesting a better catalytic action. Both bio-oils had acidity index above the standard of the ANP.