Assessment of the Economic and Energetic Potential of Residues from the Green Coconut Industry

Abstract

This work uses new waste feedstock, essential to increase the range of new biomasses, demonstrating experimentally and numerically the economic potential of coconut husk residues to produce renewable biofuels (pyrolytic oil and biochar) through slow pyrolysis. The samples were submitted to a pyrolysis process (500 ºC for 30 min, with a heating rate of 20 ºC min-1, using water vapor as carrier gas), where the biochar and bio-oil yields reached were 31 and 30%, respectively. The main components found in bio-oil were furfural (29.23%), phenol (22.18%), and isoeugenol (10.26%). The surface area values (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Langmuir) found for biochar were greater than 300 m2 g-1 and a micropore volume of 0.11 cm3 g-1. The estimated theoretical energy potential of biochar and bio-oil were 208,107,180 MJ and 190,205,438 MJ, equivalent to 3,729,518.4 tons of coconut husks. Thus, this study brings as a novelty a new feedstock associated with bioprocess technological models that will pave sustainable avenues for the development of biorefineries, offering a sustainable green option to produce bioproducts and bioenergy. In the proposed model, the wastes are valorized using various processes addressing economy.

Socioeconomic analysis of bioproducts derived from babassu nut breakers pyrolysis in legal amazonia communities

“…Given the costs described in Figure 4 and Table 4, obtaining bioproducts from babassu shell is considered economically advantageous because a total income of up to US $344,571.20 can be obtained. In a similar situation, Romão et al (2022), using green coconut biomass and discarding transportation and energy costs, obtained an income of US $81,017.48. The feasibility of biochar co-production and Santana et al (2020) discovered a profit of US $12,131.73 under similar conditions,, ignoring energy and transportation costs.…”

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Business Analysis in Terms of Economic Income

“…In the Philippines, VCO obtained from farmers is sold through drug stores before finally reaching consumers. The demand for VCO in India for domestic consumption and export also continues to increase due to increasing knowledge about the proven health benefits of VCO products (Beegum, 2022) (Romão, 2022).…”