Biofuel production from renewable sources: use of cocoa's husk biomass.

• Grant number: 23/04874-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ian Castro-Gamboa
• Grantee: Yves Cassiano Zuchini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increase in the world's population brings the need for greater energy production, making this one of the greatest challenges for the 21st century. A sustainable alternative is the production of energy using lignocellulosic biomass from the cocoa shell. In 2017, 4.2 million tons of cocoa were produced, of which 85% is made up of waste (cocoa husk, cocoa bean shell, and mucilage), so there is an opportunity to treat this waste. The treatment of lignocellulose has already been researched, aiming at more efficient ways of transforming it into different forms of energy and fuel. To this end, the processes used involve physical, chemical, and biological treatments, as well as a combination of them, which aim to break the resistance mechanisms of lignocellulose and make its components available in simpler compounds. However, physical and chemical treatments have a relatively higher cost compared to biological treatments and are also non-environmentally friendly, and although this treatment is more cost-effective and more sustainable, it has not received as much attention. Specifically, for biological treatment, fungi (white and brown rot, among others) are used, as well as specific enzymes capable of breaking down the lignocellulose structure. In view of the above, the objective of this project will be to develop an agile and effective method for the treatment of cocoa husks, aiming at the production of biofuel, in a sustainable and economically viable way.