Produção de ésteres por biocatalisador utilizando gordura residuária proveniente da indústria de alimentos e energia

Abstract

Global demand for energy has increased significantly, due to the exhaustion of fossil fuels, and the continuous growth of world population. Most fuels, used today, are obtained primarily from fossil fuels. These sources end up harming the environment, besides being non-renewable (and, as such, facing risks of scarcity) and causing health damage. Biofuels appear as an alternative to produce clean and sustainable energy. Biofuel can be defined as a mixture of acid methyl esters of long-chain, produced with renewable materials, as vegetal oil, animal and residual fats. In this context the search for alternative sources and the production of energy through a clean and sustainable manner is being justified through research which utilizes residuals to produce esters. This work studies the production of enzymatic biodiesel using as a subtract residual fat coming from the process of flotation of the effluent from an industry of nutriment and energy, using as a catalyzer a new lipase obtained through Thermomyces lanuginosus, a NS-40116. Through testing variables of enzymatic concentration (0,3%, 0,7%, 0,5%) molar fraction fat:etanol (1:3, 1:5, 1:4) for the production of esters, the conversion of esters (biodiesel), free fatty-acids and residual enzymatic activity. The results show that in the production of esters the better results were acquired in the test 6, where it was attained a conversion of esters of 87,9%, with enzymatic concentration (0,5%) and the ratio fat:etanol (1:4) in the reactional time lapse of 8 hours. In this condition, batches of these esters were produced in a manner as of attaining volume of sample needed for quality analysis comparison of the esters produced in the required limits demanded by ANP. Through comparison of results, we can conclude that all the parameters evaluated, apart from sulfur content, find themselves within the limits of the conformities required by ANP. With those results it was possible to verify the potential use of this residue of treatment station for the production ethylic biodiesels through enzymatic transesterification using the enzyme Novozymes NS-40116.