Sustainable petrochemical plataform from Elephant Grass

The objective of this research is to demonstrate the potential of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum) as biomass for obtaining other value-added byproducts, such as biofuels, lignocellulosic ethanol, adsorbents, among others. Through the pyrolysis process, biochar and bio-oil with average yields of 24.45% and 4.92% were produced, respectively The main components found in the bio-oil were carboxylic acids (64.47%), followed by esters (19.74%). The carbohydrate adsorption percentage observed in the biochar was lower than that found in commercial activated carbon, which is desirable in the food industry. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was possible to observe that the biochar consists of non-uniform particles with numerous pores, suggesting its potential use as an adsorbent material. The (BET and LANGMUIR) surface area values did not yield significant results; however, there was an increase in pore size after the pyrolysis process. The glucose content found in this study was 70.33%, and the reducing sugar content was 14.24 g.L-1. Based on the theoretical yield calculations for 2G ethanol, it is possible to infer a potential production of 0.88 tons of 2G ethanol per hectare of elephant grass planted per year. The calculated theoretical yield for levulinic acid (LA) was 35.16%, and for formic acid (FA), it was 14.07%. It is worth noting that the use of such waste for the production of biochar and bio-oil represents a promising and cost-effective alternative, as elephant grass is currently highlighted among the most exploited crops for energy purposes.