Native palm tree up to 15 meters tall, present in the Brazilian cerrado, in savannas and open forests of tropical America, the Caribbean and south Florida (USA), the macaúba is a plant with multiple uses already known in the countryside, crafts, house construction , pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Recently, it has been used for experimental production of biodiesel.
Technology leader powertrain, FPT Industrial, a CNH Industrial brand that has research and encouragement of alternative fuels in its DNA, invested in a production and testing plan dedicated to macaúba biodiesel, investing in this new source of sustainable fuel. Initially, the research carried out at the Technical Center in Betim (MG) considered the application of the fuel in agricultural tractors. Tests are also planned for the future on trucks and buses, as well as power generators.
As raw material, macaúba oil was used, extracted by Cooper Riachão, a cooperative of rural producers in the region of Montes Claros (MG). Subsequently, biodiesel was produced in an experimental plant through transesterification – a chemical reaction to obtain biodiesel – and characterized in the laboratory, meeting the standards established by the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP).
The project was carried out in partnership with PUC Minas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and Bchem Biocombustíveis, using the FPT N67 MAR-I/Tier 3 engine present in agricultural tractors from Case IH and New Holland Agriculture, brands that also belong to to CNH Industrial. During the tests, mixtures of 10% and 20% of macaúba biodiesel in fossil diesel were used – mixtures known as B10 and B20, respectively. The results demonstrated performance and consumption comparable to Brazilian commercial diesel, with a tendency to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions.
"The biggest challenge was correcting the acidity of the oil, accentuated by storage for almost a year, to then enable the transesterification process", says engineer at FPT Industrial América do Sul and project coordinator, Gustavo Teixeira
The pulp (mesocarp) and almond (endosperm) of macaúba have excellent characteristics for the production of quality biodiesel. “Macaúba biodiesel provides more complete combustion, with a tendency to reduce emissions compared to commercial type B diesel. Due to the lower content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it has greater resistance to oxidation than soy biodiesel, which corresponds to lower impacts on the engine's fuel injection system”, points out Teixeira.
Macaúba has been exploited for decades in an extractive manner and has now been the subject of several studies focusing on large-scale industrial production. The tree begins to produce fruit between the fourth and sixth year, and its productivity is about ten times greater than soybeans (in liters/hectare), and can be planted in intercropping with other vegetable crops or in conjunction with livestock farming. . Studies show that the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) absorbed by each adult macaúba tree corresponds to the CO2 emitted by a cattle. This palm tree has been used to recover degraded soils and rivers, and harvesting the fruit is a source of income for small rural producers, who, after extracting the oil, use the pulp cake to feed livestock. In the future, these same producers will be able to generate their own macaúba biodiesel in the cooperatives and feed the tractors, reducing the environmental impact and operating costs.
“Palmaceae (macaúba plant family) generally have oils with high acidity, but the correct harvesting and storage process is essential to obtain low acidity levels, enabling the production of the fuel. High acidity of the oil favors saponification reactions, makes phase separation difficult and increases the consumption of reagents, directly impacting the productivity of the process", explains Teixeira. The acidity was corrected through glycerolysis, a procedure in which free fatty acids, under controlled conditions of temperature and pressure, they transform into triglycerides, enabling the transesterification process.
The next step of the project is to test the new biofuel in IVECO trucks and buses and FPT Industrial power generators, which also use the FPT N67 engine family.
“This work demonstrates FPT Industrial's continuous effort to develop engines capable of operating with new fuels", says the Engineering Director of FPT Industrial South America, Alexandre Xavier.
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