Friday, 06 March 2026 at 1 PM, in room 401 at TBI
“Technical and Environmental Assessment of waste-to-bioeconomy Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) value chain”
The presentation will be given in English.
Abstract:
The cultivation of Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata), a native species of the Atlantic Forest, has emerged in Brazil as a sustainable alternative to recover degraded land. Its fruit oils are extracted from the kernel and pulp. The kernel oil is of high quality and is intended for the food and cosmetic markets, whereas the pulp oil typically has high acidity, leading many producers to discard it as waste. Therefore, producers face the challenge of optimizing the efficient utilization of this co-product, here referred to as crude Macaúba pulp oil (MCPO), the core object of this PhD thesis. A foreseen promising alternative in Brazil is its use in biodiesel production. In fact, the National Biofuels Policy (RENOVABIO) establishes the gradual substitution of diesel with biodiesel, with a target of 15% by 2030, in addition to providing financial incentives to biofuel producers. In alignment with this policy, current legislation (Law No. 14.993) encourages investments in the production and use of renewable fuels for terrestrial transport (biodiesel), aviation (biokerosene), and energy generation (biogas, direct heat and power). This PhD thesis first analyzed, both through experimental and simulation work, the technical feasibility of producing ethyl biodiesel from MCPO, more specifically under the enzymatic catalysis route rather than the well-established chemical catalytic route. To this end, it considered applying liquid low-cost commercial enzymes from Aspergilus oryzae with ethanol, assumed to be less polluting than traditional routes using methanol and alkaline catalysis. Second, this work assessed, through consequential Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the environmental implications of MCPO competing uses within the broader context of the bioeconomy, including soap production, biodiesel, biokerosene for aviation and refined food-grade oil.
