Caracterização e compactação de resíduos lignocelulósicos visando à produção de biocombustíveis sólidos

Abstract

The use of fossil fuels is still big worldwide, however, due to the environmental problems they cause, coupled with a rise in their prices and depletion of their reserves, interest in the use of renewable energy sources has increased. The lignocellulosic residues are classified as organic materials, and these are the main energy source from biomass. A viable technique for energy reuse of these materials is briquetting. This technique consists in waste compaction under appropriate conditions of moisture, temperature and pressure, transforming biomass into solid agglomerates called briquettes, which can replace the use of wood in several activities. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to characterize waste from agriculture and wood processing, as well as propose the manufacture of briquettes that minimize impacts on the environment. The residues were characterized according to the variables moisture, ash content, volatile and fixed carbon, grain size and bulk density. In addition, a PRECYZJA KL-5 calorimeter was adapted in order to carry out further tests of calorific value of samples. The briquettes were produced in hydraulic press at the Federal Technological University of Paraná, through statistical planning on Central Composite Rotational Outlining (CCRO), varying the pressure of the process from 2 to 5 bar and temperature from 150 to 250˚C. This test shows that the variable compression has greater significance compared to temperature. Conclusion based on the study include that the analyzed waste from the cultivation of wheat and wood shavings (both new) showed better results than the others. Within the premises evaluated, it was observed that the waste can be used in the production of briquettes as long as there is an improvement in their storage and collection conditions, in order to positively impact their moisture and ash content, in particular.