Research Lines

AREA :  BIOENERGY

RESEARCH LINES -  2022

BIOFUELS

Bioenergy is currently seen as one of the ways to generate renewable fuels, with greater possibility for replacing fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The large-scale introduction of biomass energy could contribute to sustainable development along environmental, social and economic lines. Brazil has abundant forms of biomass for bioenergy production. The increase in agricultural productivity, the availability of arable land and the climate will elevate Brazil to the category of one of the largest producers of bioenergy in the world. Among the forms of bioenergy, biofuels have been highlighted, which tend to play an important role in the gradual replacement and reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. Biofuels can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass and oleaginous plants, through fermentation processes, anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis, hydrolysis, esterification and other processes, and the resulting forms of biofuels are: synthesis gas, biofuels, oil, biodiesel, biogas and ethanol, among others.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Renewable energies are energy sources that are generated from natural processes and resources that are continually replenished on a human time scale. This includes solar energy, geothermal heat, wind energy, tidal energy, hydropower (water), and various forms of bioenergy (biomass). These renewable energies cannot be exhausted and are constantly renewed. Renewable energy replaces conventional fuels. The sun's energy can be converted into electricity or heat, such as photovoltaic or thermal solar panels for space or water heating. Wind energy that can be converted into electricity through wind turbines or wind turbines. The energy of water from rivers, tides and waves that can be converted into electrical energy, such as dams. Earth energy can be converted into heat for space heating or water heating. From the energy generation scenario, the term biomass encompasses recent derivatives of living organisms used as fuel or for their production. From an ecological point of view, biomass is the total amount of living matter present in an ecosystem or in an animal or plant population. Biomass is used in the production of energy from processes such as the combustion of organic material that is present in an ecosystem.