Tecnologias de produção de biodiesel: uma revisão

Abstract

Biodiesel is a synthetic biofuel considered as a natural and renewable substitute for petroleum diesel, which can be produced from vegetable oils, oils of microbial origin and / or animal fats in reaction with an alcohol, in the presence of a catalyst. This reaction is called transesterification. Biodiesel represents an essential component in the establishment of a sustainable energy matrix, taking into account the increase of consumption in today's society, the increase of the price of petroleum, the possibility of depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental impacts caused by them. The purpose of this project is to carry out an extensive and commented review of the available literature on the different technologies for the production of biodiesel. For the development of this project, the following topics will be addressed with emphasis: reagents; catalysts; type of process (chemical or enzymatic, batch or continuous); reaction route; separation and purification of biodiesel; physicochemical characteristics of the product; economic outlook and market demand; storage and distribution; by-products; diesel oil / biodiesel blends. Finally, a proposition to use ethanol on the transesterification process to produce biodiesel was presented, considering concepts learnt during the Chemical Engineering graduation and the current context.