{"id":229044,"date":"2017-01-02T16:28:08","date_gmt":"2017-01-02T18:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/?p=229044"},"modified":"2017-01-02T16:28:08","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T18:28:08","slug":"oil-for-biodiesel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/oil-for-biodiesel\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil for biodiesel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Macauba

L\u00e9o Ramos<\/span>Macauba fruit and its oil at the IAC laboratory in CampinasL\u00e9o Ramos<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

An April 2016 presidential decree increased the percentage of biodiesel blended with diesel fuel from the current 7% to 8% by 2017, with further increases to 10% by 2019. \u00a0In 2015, Brazil produced 3.9 billion liters of biodiesel\u00a0 \u2013 a 15% increase over 2014, making it the second largest producer in the world, behind only the United States, and ahead of Germany and Argentina.\u00a0 Demand is expected to reach seven billion liters by 2020.\u00a0 In 2015, 76.5% of Brazil\u2019s biodiesel was made using soy, 19.4% with animal fat, 2% with cotton and another 2.4% using other types of raw materials such as used cooking oil and dend\u00ea palm oil.\u00a0 Production of this biofuel occurs through the chemical process of transesterification in which vegetable oils or animal fats are combined with methanol, an alcohol extracted from natural gas, and another catalyst, a chemical substance.\u00a0 It takes 300 liters of methanol to obtain 1,000 liters of oil.<\/p>\n

The increased percentage of biodiesel in diesel fuel will stimulate the demand for raw materials to produce vegetable oil.\u00a0 There are a number of options. The most recent, which is a subject of study at research institutions in Brazil, is oil from the fruit of the macauba palm tree, which is found in nearly all parts of Brazil, from northern Minas Gerais State to the north of Argentina.\u00a0 It is the latest promise for biodiesel production.\u00a0 What is attractive about the plant is the amount of oil that a space measuring 10,000 m2 or one hectare (ha) yields without any soil improvements:\u00a0 up to 4,000 liters (l).\u00a0\u00a0 For comparison purposes, soy yields 500 l\/ha.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacauba palm oil will be extremely important for the future of biodiesel in a few years. It really represents Brazil because it is a native plant and is the subject of a lot of research.\u00a0 It won\u2019t take long for it to gain market share,\u201d says Donizete Tokarski, chief executive officer of the Brazilian Biodiesel and Biojetfuel Union (UBRABIO), made up of growers. He guarantees that at current industrial capacity, the percentage of biodiesel can be gradually increased to 15% of the diesel mixture. This is possible because nearly all raw material for biodiesel comes from byproducts, such as soybean oil, animal fat and cottonseed oil.\u00a0 There is also cooking oil, for example, which according to Tokarski, is a nearly untapped source.\u00a0 Depending on the region, one liter can be purchased for sums ranging from R$0.40\/l to R$1.80\/l.<\/p>\n

\"Macauba

L\u00e9o Ramos<\/span>Macauba palm trees…L\u00e9o Ramos<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The future also includes oil from another palm tree \u2013 the dend\u00ea \u2013 that can yield 4,000 l\/ha. This crop has not yet achieved the required volume for biofuel production and it certainly will have a more favorable cost in Brazil\u2019s Northern region, where it is grown and is best suited.\u00a0 Estimates with regard to the macauba are that within four years, producers will have seedlings for cultivation and in over six years, oil for sale.<\/p>\n

The macauba plant (Acrocomia aculeata<\/em>) is an oil-bearing native palm found in the Cerrado savannah of the Central-West region, the Pantanal wetland, and even in southwestern portions of the Amazon region.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNever in Brazil\u2019s history has a native plant attracted the attention of so many researchers in such a short period of time,\u201d says agricultural engineer Carlos Augusto Colombo, a researcher at the Campinas Institute of Agronomy (IAC). \u201cThere are more than 100 researchers in Brazil engaged in studying the genetic improvement of macauba and the chemical characteristics of its oil.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Work at IAC began in 2006, when the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and other funding agencies started issuing requests for proposals to promote research into using oleaginous plants for the production of biodiesel.\u00a0 Colombo\u2019s project, funded by FAPESP, involved surveying and identifying macauba plants in various locations in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo. \u201cWe collected seeds from its fruit so that we could study the genetic variation in the population and use crossing techniques among them for future development of plant cultivars.\u201d After 10 years, Colombo says that within four years, IAC could introduce a variety of oil-producing plants in the agricultural market.<\/p>\n

Memories of physic nuts<\/strong>
\n\u201cMacauba oil is very stable and contains lauric acid, an important ingredient in the cosmetic industry.\u00a0 In nature, the plant generates about 3,000-4,000 liters of oil per hectare each year. By using our improvements, we could increase the yield to 8,000-9,000 l\/ha,\u201d Colombo says. Among projects he takes part in is one sponsored by the World Bank together with Leuphana University of Germany that\u00a0 funds the cultivation of macauba on 2,000 ha in Patos de Minas (in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais) with support from the IAC and that operates in conjunction with livestock farming. This type of association is contributing to the recovery of pasturelands.<\/p>\n

\"...and

L\u00c9O RAMOS<\/span>…and seedlings for developing a plant varietyL\u00c9O RAMOS<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Colombo says that all steps are being taken to keep the macauba from suffering the same fate as that of the physic nut (Jathopha curcas<\/em>) a few years earlier: overly optimistic forecasts among biodiesel producers before research had been completed and agricultural data had been obtained about the crop.\u00a0 \u201cThe physic nut does not produce small plants, which makes harvesting difficult. It has both large and small fruit that ripens at different times on different plants sown at the same time,\u201d he recalls. To avoid this situation, the researchers are trying to identify the best macauba plants, which are small in size, yield more fruit and have a higher oil content.\u00a0 Macauba can bear fruit for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Another line of research and the potential production of macauba plant varieties is taking place at the Federal University of Vi\u00e7osa (UFV), in Minas Gerais, where agronomist Sergio Motoike has been heading up a project funded by Petrobras and the Minas Gerais Research Foundation (FAPEMIG) since 2005. The group began studying dend\u00ea palm oil (Elaeis guineenses<\/em>) and has discovered a system of micropropagation (multiplication), which received funding from CNPq and the Agropalma company. \u201cWe were able to obtain 20 clones from the best plant and they are now being tested.\u201d Dend\u00ea palm oil is still little used in producing biodiesel. What oil is produced in Brazil goes to the food and cosmetic industries.\u00a0 The same is true for castor beans, although the oil of this plant has a high viscosity content that complicates the process of obtaining biodiesel. \u201cWith regard to dend\u00ea palm oil, crop area in the state of Par\u00e1 is being increased so that when there is a surplus of oil, a few years from now, it can be used for biodiesel production,\u201d Motoike says.<\/p>\n

\u201cProspects are good for biodiesel production using macauba, not only because of the high yield per hectare, but also due to the physical-chemical properties that result in a high-quality biodiesel product,\u201d explains food engineer Aldara da Silva C\u00e9sar, a professor and coordinator of the Agroindustrial Systems Analysis Group at the\u00a0 Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), in Volta Redonda (RJ). Yet she thinks the oil produced could be targeted mainly to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.\u00a0 \u201cRight now, financial returns to this sector are better than if they were used to make biodiesel.\u00a0 Although, extractive harvesting in regions where the macauba plant is native could lead to social inclusion which is also the focus of the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB),\u201d C\u00e9sar suggests.<\/p>\n

\"At

L\u00e9o Ramos<\/span>At IAC, oil analysis is important for selecting the best fruitL\u00e9o Ramos<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe are now selecting the best specimens of macauba in an effort to find a definitive and high-yield variety,\u201d Motoike explains. This is carried out through traditional crossing among the best and highest-yielding plants. One of the Vi\u00e7osa studies concerns the breakdown in dormancy of the macauba seeds, an important step in establishing crop cultivation of this palm tree. \u201cThat was in 2007.\u00a0 Seed germination had been 3% and using our method, which resulted in a patent, we were able to achieve 80%,\u201d\u00a0 he says. The technique uses a hormone in the seed that triggers pre-germination.<\/p>\n

Preserving the fruit<\/strong>
\nOne factor that could adversely affect the macauba oil is rapid acidification of the fruit.\u00a0 \u201cProcessing time is two days.\u00a0 After that, it begins to acidify,\u201d explains microbiologist Elisa Costa Cavalcanti, a graduate student at the Chemistry Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Cavalcanti says that the group led by Professor Denise Freire has conducted several experiments to try to preserve the fruit for more days.\u00a0 \u201cThe most appropriate method appears to be in an autoclave, using a process that heats the fruit, which is then dried in an oven.\u00a0 It can then be stored for 180 days,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Learning how to preserve the fruit is also important for competing with soy, a grain that can be stored for up to six months with no special handling and that has a large domestic and international market. \u201cIts main product is bran, a protein used in the food industry as well as in animal feed.\u00a0 In order to obtain bran, the grains have to be crushed; the oil is a byproduct of this process, which is increasingly being used in cooking,\u201d explains agricultural engineer D\u00e9cio Gazzoni, a researcher at Embrapa Soja, in Londrina, Paran\u00e1 State.<\/p>\n

\"Biodiesel_245\"<\/a>Ten years ago, it was algae that represented biodiesel production\u2019s greatest hope.\u00a0 At that time, there were experiments demonstrating that the mass of fats extracted from growing algae could reach 50,000 l\/ha. But that endeavor came to a screeching halt on the economics side.\u00a0 In 2007 and 2008, several companies were established, mainly in the United States, and the expectation was that the cost involved in biodiesel production would fall.\u00a0 There were some cost reductions, but not enough to make the process competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiofuels from algae ended up not being viable,\u201d says Sergio Goldemberg, a partner in Algae, a S\u00e3o Paulo company that developed technology for the production of fats using microalgae cultivated in vinasse, a byproduct of sugarcane ethanol production\u00a0 (see Pesquisa FAPESP <\/em>Issue n\u00ba 186<\/a>) Goldemberg is now looking for other uses for the microalgae that feed off vinasse, as animal feed and additives for cosmetics.<\/p>\n

Until macauba and dend\u00ea become viable alternatives, biodiesel will likely continue to be produced as an agricultural and industrial byproduct. Experts say that Brazil needs to take better advantage of the potential involved in used cooking oil from homes, restaurants and industry. What is not used is poured down drains and into sewers or even into bodies of water. \u201cCooking oil collection is a challenge because sites are scattered among small units throughout any city,\u201d says Aldara da Silva C\u00e9sar.<\/p>\n

Projects<\/strong>
\n1.<\/strong> Development of SSR loci enriched libraries and characterization of the genetic population structure of macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) (n\u00ba 2005\/56931-6<\/a>); Grant Mechanism\u00a0<\/strong>Regular Research Grant; Principal Investigator<\/strong>\u00a0Carlos Augusto Colombo (IAC); Investment<\/strong>\u00a0R$77,126.93.
\n2.<\/strong> Genetic diversity and selection of higher plant with progeny testing of macaw for biodiesel production (n\u00ba 2011\/13182-4<\/a>); Grant Mechanism\u00a0<\/strong>Regular Research Grant \u2013 Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN); Principal Investigator<\/strong>\u00a0Carlos Augusto Colombo (IAC); Investment<\/strong>\u00a0R$236,494.57.
\n3.<\/strong> Selection of donor macauba trees aiming at biodiesel for forming garden seed and commercial seedling production preserving genetic variability (n\u00ba 2014\/23591-7<\/a>); Grant Mechanism<\/strong>\u00a0Thematic Project; Principal Investigator<\/strong>\u00a0Carlos Augusto Colombo (IAC); Investment<\/strong>\u00a0R$555,424.25 and $40,078.03.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Future biofuel production will likely use several raw material alternatives ","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[207,259,227],"coauthors":[97],"class_list":["post-229044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-bioenergy","tag-chemistry","tag-energy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229044\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229044"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=229044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}