Potencial do Panicum maximum para produção de bioetanol

Abstract

The demand for energy grows exponentially worldwide, as well as increasing environmental demands on emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Brazil is the pioneer in the use of biofuels, because it produces first generation ethanol from sugarcane, and second generation ethanol, using bagasse and sugarcane straw. Any lignocellulosic material can be transformed into ethanol provided its structure is hydrolyzed by chemical or biotechnological processes generating fermentable reducing sugars (AR). The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential for bioethanol production of the Panicum Maximum species, where the two most commercialized cultivars were used in Brazil, Mombaça (Panicum Maximum cv. Mombaça) and Tanzania grass (Panicum Maximum Jacq., Tanzania ). The samples were submitted to leaf separation, prewash, alkaline delignification, acid hydrolysis, structural characterization, determination of cellulose content and quantification of AR content. Through these processes it can be evidenced that in the two cultivars there was a disruption of the cell wall, indicating that there was delignification, however, it was noticed that the disintegration and the increase of cellulose concentration were more evident in the Mombasa grassgrass. The AR contents found were 15.5% and 17.8% RA in ma / v for samples of Tanzania grass and Mombaça grass, respectively. Considering all RA as glucose, one can suggest production of 88.15 liters and 101.22 liters of ethanol per ton of Tanzania grass and Mombaça grass, respectively. Considering the yield of 33 tons / ha / year in Brazil for both cultivars, it is possible to estimate an ethanol production of 2908.95 L / ha / year of Tanzania grass and 3340,26 L / ha / year of Mombasa grass..