Valorization of Sugarcane Fusel Oil via Catalytic Dehydrogenation

• Grant number: 25/01608-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Boscolo
• Grantee: Isabela de Sene Mantelli
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The amount of waste generated in the sugar-alcohol sector is enormous, with Brazil being one of the world's largest producers of biofuels. The development of new products from the biomass generated by industries has been the subject of numerous studies. However, fusel oil, a byproduct of ethanol production resulting from the fermentation and distillation of sugarcane, has been little explored. The objective of this project is to obtain higher value-added products from the partial dehydrogenation of fusel oil derived from sugarcane, particularly unsaturated compounds (aromatics, aldehydes, and alcohols). For this purpose, it will be necessary to develop and refine analytical techniques, as well as optimize the conditions for catalyst usage. Mixed oxides derived from Hydrotalcites and Perovskites will be used as catalysts, modified with Cu, Co, Ni, and Zn metals, and characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), specific surface area (BET), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dehydrogenation reactions of fusel oil will be carried out in a fixed-bed reactor under low pressure, and the obtained products will be identified and quantified using two chromatographic systems. Feed flow rate, reaction temperature, and ethanol addition will be the variables studied. The development of this technology could expand the potential for strengthening an economy based on renewable biomass-derived chemistry. The possibility of implementing this process in a sugarcane mill, where fusel oil is available at low cost along with all the necessary energy, aligns with the biorefinery concept.