Considerações sobre sebo bovino como matéria prima alternativa à síntese de biodiesel

Abstract

Most of the concerns of global governments are related to preserving the environment, generating cleaner energy and a healthy economy, parameters that are directly interconnected. In this way, society has been seeking development and improvements in ways to obtain energy in a less polluting way. One of the countless technological and renewable energy alternatives is biodiesel, which is produced by both vegetable oils and animal fats. Among animal fats, beef tallow has saturated chain fatty acids, with chemical structures similar to those of vegetable oils and has been tested for this purpose. In this sense, biodiesel produced from beef tallow has a higher cetane number than vegetable oils, allowing better combustion in diesel engines. However, this raw material has some disadvantages, such as a high cloud point. This work aims, therefore, through a brief literature review, to present specificities of beef tallow, to be used as an alternative for biodiesel synthesis. Studies indicate that tallow can be an alternative as a raw material for the production of biodiesel, even with limitations in its use, but alternatives can be used to minimize these situations, for example, the use of blends with other oils.