Evaluation of the chemical potential of extractives and pyrolysis products of orange wood

• Grant number: 14/10432-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Technology and Use of Forest Products
• Principal Investigator: José Otávio Brito
• Grantee: Carolina Kravetz
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/24703-3 - Chromatography analysis of the extractives and products from the pyrolysis of orange wood, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

The state of São Paulo is responsible for 80% of the Brazilian orange production. Despite of the constant modernization of de production chain, the instabilities in the price of the juice has brought important problems. One of them refers to the fact that discouraged by this situation, the producers prefer to leave the fruit in the orchard, which induces plant culture problems, leading often in need of eradication of large plantations areas. The eradication of the orchards has increased, resulting in a large amount of biomass available, whose destiny, in general, is the simple burning. Given the facts, the present study aims to evaluate the chemical potential of the wood resulting from planting orange groves submitted to eradication process. In particular, it's intended to study the obtaining of extractives got by removing water and organic solvents, besides the products obtained from the pyrolysis of wood. In the extractions will be tested hot water, acetone, ethanol: toluene (1:2) and dichloromethane. As the pyrolysis products will be available charcoal, condensable gases and non-condensable generated in the process. Expected to gain new knowledge about Orange wood, which may contribute to the development of actions intended to an increased valorization of the available biomass along the production chain of culture.