Can Poultry bones produce green fuel?
Embrapa Agroenergia, one of the 43 research units of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, in cooperation with the conmpany Haka Bioprocessos, has started on october a new reasearch project aiming to process bone waste from birds into green diesel.
The research project
According to the Unit, the result could be achieved exposing bone waste to the process of hydrogenation, obtainig a composition close to that of the diesel oil. The whole treatment is explained by Itânia Soares, who leads the research team at Embrapa: “We will use the hydrogenation process to generate paraffinic hydrocarbons with properties similar to diesel from fossil sources and which differ from biodiesel, which is a mixture of fatty acid esters, as they present greater stability and greater calorific value”. The final product will meet several chemical and physical composition standards such as density, viscosity and calorific value before being approved. Embrapa Agroenergia has already experienced a process similar to the hydrogenation working on palm oil.
The team includes researchers Rossano Gambetta, Leonardo Valadares, Dasciana Rodrigues and Diogo Nakai, all from Embrapa Agroenergia and the project will last at least two years.
Renewable diesel
This initiative could have a positive impact on the ecosystem and in particular on the animal protein chain of the country, considering that green diesel or renewable diesel is not yet part of the Brazilian energy matrix: “”With the production of green diesel from bones, we will be inserting the animal protein chain as an important agent in the energy transition to a low carbon economy, offering renewable fuels and inputs for agriculture and promoting the circular economy for the decarbonization of its activities “, says the founder and CEO of Haka Bioprocessos, Cyro Calixto.
In other countries, green diesel is already employed and is part of the increase in the percentage of mixture with biodiesel, because it is a better quality fuel, less polluting and more efficient for vehicles.
This research could represent another step forward towards the ecosystem sustainability.