Pré-tratamento do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, hidrólise e sua caracterização química e estrutural, visando a produção de etanol de segunda geração

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Determinação das melhores condições de hidrólise física com ultrassom de potência em resíduos de amendoim

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Produção de enzimas celulolíticas pelos fungos Trichoderma reesei e Myceliophthora thermophila e aplicação na sacarificação do bagaço de cana-de-açucar

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Detection of several carbohydrates using boron-doped diamond electrodes modified with nickel hydroxide nanoparticles

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Hidrólise enzimática de fibra de Caroá (Neoglaziovia variegata) visando à produção de nanocelulose e etanol

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cana-de-açúcar e álcool combustível: histórico, sustentabilidade e segurança energética

The cane sugar is important since the early days in the history of the country, following the discovery of Brazil since the colonial period, therefore, the culture has an important role in the Brazilian economy, being one of the main products. In the 1970s with the advent of the economic crisis, geopolitical and the possibility of depletion of oil, countries dependent on imported fuel, sought new energy alternatives. In Brazil, it was decreed in 1975 the creation of the National Alcohol Program - PROALCOOL, who had several years of rising, the increase of distilleries and marketing of cars powered with ethanol blend. Due to the decrease in the price of oil the importance of the program significantly reduced, returning to peak only in 1979, ie, the second phase of the program. Conceived as one of the vectors of the national response to the crisis in oil prices '70s, the program persisted at times rising in others not reaching for more than three decades. Brazil is the second largest ethanol producer, second only to the U.S., where the raw material comes from corn, which becomes a bottleneck biodiesel production because it competes with food production. New technologies developed to increase ethanol production combined with sustainability and economic viability are being held, the principal is the second generation ethanol, known as cellulosic ethanol, ethanol plus third and fourth generation.

Determinação do teor de glicose em bagaço de cana-de-açúcar hidrolizado pelo processo de conversão enzimática

The production of ethanol and sugar from sugarcane juice generate as byproduct, the bagasse. Currently, the bagasse, an industrial lignocellulosic biomass, can be used for production of second-generation ethanol, since when it is submitted to hydrolytic processes generates fermentable sugars. The objective of this study was to produce fungal enzymes capable of hydrolyzing this lignocellulosic biomass to generate glucose. For this, we used the mushroom species Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, and Pycnoporus sanguineus as potential sources of laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase enzymes, capable of hydrolyzing the crushed sugarcane. The hydrolysis process was performed with the highest enzymatic activities observed from laccase in L. edodes (39.23 U-mL after 25 day incubation), P. ostreatus (2.5 U U-mL after 27 day incubation), P. sanguineus (80 U-mL after 27 days of incubation) and P. eryngii (16.45 U-mL 15 days incubation). MnP and LiP showed no significant results. The enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse in natura (32,17% hemicellulose, cellulose 52,45% and 10,62% lignin) and bagasse hydrolyzate with 7,0% H2SO4 (0,20% hemicellulose, 68,82% to 25,33% cellulose and lignin) were evaluated for each enzymatic obtained. Compared to others, the enzymes produced by P. sanguineus incubated in sugarcane bagasse showed better efficiency resulting in glucose with an average content of 0,14 g-L. Although the levels of glucose determined in this work were low in relation to the literature, it can be stated that the laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase enzymes demonstrated good hydrolytic potential, especially those produced by the fungus P. sanguineus.

Pré-tratamento do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, hidrólise e sua caracterização química e estrutural, visando a produção de etanol de segunda geração

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Determinação de açucares em bagaço de palha de cana-de-açúcar por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência com detecção eletroquímica utilizando eletrodos de nanotubos modificados com óxidos metálicos

Pós-graduação em Química - IQ

Avaliação técnico-econômica da produção de enzimas celulolíticas por fermentação em estado sólido

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Thermodynamic analysis of direct steam reforming of ethanol in molten carbonate fuel cell

Fuel cell as molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) operates at high temperatures. Thus, cogeneration processes may be performed, generating heat for its own process or for other purposes of steam generation in the industry. The use of ethanol is one of the best options because this is a renewable and less environmentally offensive fuel, and is cheaper than oil-derived hydrocarbons, as in the case of Brazil. In that country, because of technical, environmental, and economic advantages, the use of ethanol by steam reforming process has been the most investigated process. The objective of this study is to show a thermodynamic analysis of steam reforming of ethanol, to determine the best thermodynamic conditions where the highest volumes of products are produced, making possible a higher production of energy, that is, a more efficient use of resources. To attain this objective, mass and energy balances were performed. Equilibrium constants and advance degrees were calculated to get the best thermodynamic conditions to attain higher reforming efficiency and, hence, higher electric efficiency, using the Nernst equation. The advance degree (according to Castellan 1986, Fundamentos da Fisica/Quimica, Editora LTC, Rio de Janeiro, p. 529, in Portuguese) is a coefficient that indicates the evolution of a reaction, achieving a maximum value when all the reactants' content is used of reforming increases when the operation temperature also increases and when the operation pressure decreases. However, at atmospheric pressure (1 atm), the advance degree tends to stabilize in temperatures above 700 degrees C; that is, the volume of supplemental production of reforming products is very small with respect to high use of energy resources necessary. The use of unused ethanol is also suggested for heating of reactants before reforming. The results show the behavior of MCFC. The current density, at the same tension, is higher at 700 degrees C than other studied temperatures such as 600 and 650 degrees C. This fact occurs due to smaller use of hydrogen at lower temperatures that varies between 46.8% and 58.9% in temperatures between 600 and 700 degrees C. The higher calculated current density is 280 mA/cm(2). The power density increases when the volume of ethanol to be used also increases due to higher production of hydrogen. The highest produced powers at 190 mA/cm(2) are 99.8, 109.8, and 113.7 mW/cm(2) for 873, 923, and 973 K, respectively. The thermodynamic efficiency has the objective to show the connection among operational conditions and energetic factors, which are some parameters that describe a process of internal steam reforming of ethanol.

The benefits of ethanol use for hydrogen production in urban transportation

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of sugar cane ethanol in Brazil, appointing the productivity of this type of fuel based on hectares of plantation, its carbon dioxide cycle and the contribution to reduce the greenhouse effect. In the following step the uses of ethanol for hydrogen production by steam reforming is analyzed and some comparison with natural gas steam reforming is performed. The sugar cane industry in Brazil, in a near future, in the hydrogen era, could be modified according to our purpose, since besides the production of sugar, and ethylic and anhydric alcohol, Brazilian sugar cane industry will also be able to produce biohydrogen.Fuel cells appear like a promising technology for energy generation. Among several technologies in the present, the PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) is the most appropriate for vehicles application, because it combines durability, high power density, high efficiency, good response and it works at relatively low temperatures. Besides that it is easy to turn it on and off and it is able to support present vibration in vehicles. A PEMFC's problem is the need of noble catalysts like platinum. Another problem is that CO needs to be in low concentration, requiring a more clean hydrogen to avoid fuel cell deterioration.One part of this paper was developed in Stockholm, where there are some buses within the CUTE (clean urban transport for Europe) project that has been in operation with FC since January 2004. Another part was developed in Guaratingueta, Brazil. Brazil intends to start up a program of FC buses. As conclusion, this paper shows the economical analysis comparing buses moved by fuel cells using hydrogen by different kinds of production. Electrolyze with wind turbine, natural gas steam reforming and ethanol steam reforming. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant activity of indigo and its preventive effect against ethanol-induced DNA damage in rat gastric mucosa

Ethanol-induced oxidative damage is commonly associated with the generation of reactive oxygen molecules, leading to oxidative stress. Considering that antioxidant activity is an important mechanism of action involved in cytoprotection, the aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of the alkaloid indigo (1) (2 mg/kg, p. o.), obtained from the leaves of Indigofera truxillensis Kunth (Fabaceae), on rat gastric mucosa submitted to ethanol-induced (100%, 1 mL, p.o.) gastric ulcer. Enzymatic assays and DNA fragmentation analysis were performed. When ethanol was administered to the control group, the sulfhydryl content (SH) and the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity decreased by 41% and 50%, respectively; in contrast, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities increased by 56% and 67%, respectively. Additionally, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, a marker for free radical generation caused by polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) tissue infiltration, also increased 4.5-fold after ethanol treatment. Rat gastric mucosa exposed to ethanol showed DNA fragmentation. Indigo alkaloid pretreatment protected rats from ethanol-induced gastric lesions. This effect was determined by the ulcerative lesion area (ULA), indicating an inhibition of around 80% at 2 mg/kg. This alkaloid also diminished GPx activity, which was higher than that observed with ethanol alone. However, this effect was counterbalanced by increased GR activity. Indigo was unable to restore alterations in SOD activity promoted by ethanol. After indigo pretreatment, SH levels and MPO activity remained normal and gastric mucosa DNA damage caused by ethanol was also partially prevented by indigo. These results suggest that the gastroprotective mechanisms of indigo include non-enzymatic antioxidant effects and the inhibition of PMN infiltration which, in combination, partially protect the gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced DNA damage.

CURRENT ASPECTS OF FUEL ETHANOL-PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL

Brazil has become a great producer of bioethanol using sugarcane as the basic raw material. Fed-batch process and continuous process are used. Biogas generation from vinasse, production of dry yeast, and autolyzed bagasse for animal feed are making the ethanol production less polluting and more profitable. Bagasse surplus has also been converted into electrical energy. Another alternative use for bioethanol is its conversion to petrochemical derivatives. Up to the present, however, this conversion has been carried out on only a small scale by the industry.

Thermodynamic analysis of direct steam reforming of ethanol in molten carbonate fuel cell

Fuel cell as MCFC (molten carbonate fuel cell) operate at high temperatures, and due to this issue, cogeneration processes may be performed, sending heat for own process or other purposes as steam generation in an industry. The use of ethanol for this purpose is one of the best options because this is a renewable and less environmentally offensive fuel, and cheaper than oil-derived hydrocarbons (in the case of Brazil). In the same country, because of technical, environmental and economic advantages, the use of ethanol by steam reforming process have been the most investigated process. The objective of this study is to show a thermodynamic analysis of steam reforming of ethanol, to determine the best thermodynamic conditions where are produced the highest volumes of products, making possible a higher production of energy, that is, a most-efficient use of resources. To attain this objective, mass and energy balances are performed. Equilibrium constants and advance degrees are calculated to get the best thermodynamic conditions to attain higher reforming efficiency and, hence, higher electric efficiency, using the Nernst equation. The advance degree of reforming increases when the operation temperature also increases and when the operation pressure decreases. But at atmospheric pressure (1 atm), the advance degree tends to the stability in temperatures above 700°C, that is, the volume of supplemental production of reforming products is very small for the high use of energy resources necessary. Reactants and products of the steam-reforming of ethanol that weren't used may be used for the reforming. The use of non-used ethanol is also suggested for heating of reactants before reforming. The results show the behavior of MCFC. The current density, at same tension, is higher at 700°C than other studied temperatures as 600 and 650°C. This fact occurs due to smaller use of hydrogen at lower temperatures that varies between 46.8 and 58.9% in temperatures between 600 and 700°C. The higher calculated current density is 280 mA/cm 2. The power density increases when the volume of ethanol to be used also increases due to higher production of hydrogen. The highest produced power at 190 mW/cm 2 is 99.8, 109.8 and 113.7 mW/cm2 for 873, 923 and 973K, respectively. The thermodynamic efficiency has the objective to show the connection among operational conditions and energetic factors, which are some parameters that describes a process of internal steam reforming of ethanol.