USE OF BRAZIL NUT AGRICULTURAL WASTE THROUGH PYROLYTIC TREATMENT IN A FIXED BED REACTOR

Abstract

The Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsea) is one of the main products of the Amazon region due to trade and use in food, in its processing, the shell is removed, generating a residue. The study aimed to produce and characterize the residue (biomass) and activated carbon produced from pyrolysis from a Brazil nut processing plant in Acre (Brazilian state). The thermal conversion was carried out in a stainless steel fixed bed reactor. In order to obtain the solid fractions, a multivariable design was carried out in the pyrolysis system with two factors: temperature and heating rate. The analyzes carried out showed a biomass with an average moisture of 14.73% and the dehydrated crushed biomass of 5.06%. The biomass presented 69.21% of volatile material, ash (1.5%) and fixed carbon (24.21%). The results of the elemental analysis of the biomass showed 48.68% of carbon, 5.42% of hydrogen and 0.71% of nitrogen, and in the activated carbon, 80.87% of carbon, 2.8% of hydrogen and 1.07% nitrogen. The lowest temperature tested (409ºC) in the pyrolysis obtained more charcoal (47%), it was found that of the variables evaluated, only the temperature influenced the yield. The biomass studied revealed a great potential for use, by taking advantage of residues and obtaining a charcoal with high efficiency in the removal of the methylene blue dye, demonstrating that it can be an opportunity to add value to the brazil nut production chain and have a return environmental and social.