Mapping of Alternative Oilseeds from the Brazilian Caatinga and Assessment of Catalytic Pathways toward Biofuels Production

Aline Scaramuzza Aquino, Milena Fernandes da Silva, Thiago Silva de Almeida, Filipe Neimaier Bilheri, Attilio Converti () and James Correia de Melo
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Aline Scaramuzza Aquino: Northeast Strategic Technologies Center (CETENE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Av. Prof. Luís Freire, 01, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Milena Fernandes da Silva: Northeast Strategic Technologies Center (CETENE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Av. Prof. Luís Freire, 01, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Thiago Silva de Almeida: Northeast Strategic Technologies Center (CETENE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Av. Prof. Luís Freire, 01, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Filipe Neimaier Bilheri: Northeast Strategic Technologies Center (CETENE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Av. Prof. Luís Freire, 01, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil
Attilio Converti: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa (UNIGE), Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genoa, Italy
James Correia de Melo: Northeast Strategic Technologies Center (CETENE), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), Av. Prof. Luís Freire, 01, Cidade Universitária, Recife 50740-545, PE, Brazil

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-25

Abstract: Biofuels are increasingly important renewable resources in the world’s energy matrix that have challenged the scientific community as well as small and large farmers to develop alternatives to fossil fuels in order to achieve the aims of energy transition. In particular, Brazil’s proven competitiveness in agribusiness together with its rich biodiversity put the country in a key position in the biofuels market. The semiarid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil, an exclusive biome rich in many oilseed species suitable for potential energy purposes, is of particular interest in this field. Nowadays, soybeans are the main feedstock used for the production of biodiesel, but, due to the increasing demand for biofuels, the search for alternative sources of oil from tropical flora with high productivity is crucial. Under this premise, this systematic review focuses on mapping Caatinga’s vegetable oil crops that could be used as alternative raw materials for biofuels’ production in Brazil, in addition to traditional soybeans and sugarcane. To gain more detailed insight into these matrices, their main properties, including oil content, fatty acid profile and physicochemical properties, are discussed. Moreover, an overview is provided of processes to synthesize different types of biofuels, particularly biodiesel and aviation biokerosene, including the routes employing homogeneous, enzymatic and mainly heterogeneous catalysts. Finally, future prospects and challenges for renewable biofuels and the Caatinga biome are addressed.

Keywords: Brazilian tropical flora; Caatinga biome; feedstock; vegetable oils; biodiversity; catalysis; biodiesel; biojet; biofuels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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