Produção e caracterização de bioquerosene a partir de óleos de coco e babaçu por destilação em coluna de Vigreux

Abstract

The aviation sector still depends heavily on fossil-based jet fuels, which leads to high levels of atmospheric emissions and reinforces the need for the gradual introduction of renewable fuels such as biokerosene. In this context, the present work aimed to produce biokerosene from two vegetable oils, babassu and coconut, and to evaluate its compliance with the specifications required by regulatory agencies for aviation fuels. For this purpose, biodiesel was first obtained by alkaline ethylic transesterification, using oil:alcohol molar ratios of 1:9 and 1:18 for both oils. This biodiesel was then subjected to vacuum distillation in a Vigreux column in order to obtain two main fractions: the top fraction, considered as biokerosene, and the bottom fraction, composed of the remaining ethyl esters. The fractions obtained were characterized by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and by physicochemical tests of density, viscosity, total acidity, flash point, freezing point and appearance. The results were consistent with profiles reported in the literature, with a higher concentration of lower molar mass esters in the top fraction and heavier esters in the bottom fraction. Comparison with ANP Resolution No. 856/2021 and reference data indicated that both oils have potential for application in the aviation sector, although some properties still require adjustment to fully meet the standards, and the biokerosene derived from babassu oil was the one that most closely matched the established criteria. The results suggest that the fuels produced should not be used alone in combustion engines, but are promising for blending with fossil aviation kerosene, contributing to the reduction of the environmental impact associated with the aviation sector.