Characterization of Nanomaterials Produced from Sugarcane Bagasse

The traditional sugar production associated with the growing production of ethanol combustible made of the sugarcane industry to be one of the most important segments of Brazilian economy. Brazilian industries of sugar and ethanol processed about 630 million tons of sugarcane in 2010, which generated approximately 142 million tons of bagasse. A novel technique to produce nanomaterials using the gases generated during the pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse was developed. In this work, the microstructural characterization of such nanomaterials is presented by using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Results showed that the nanomaterials were in the form of long, straight, tubular structures with smooth walls and axially-uniform diameters, which is characteristic of carbon nanotubes. Typical lengths were in the order of 50 μm and diameters were in the range of 20 nm to 50 nm. Therefore, sugarcane bagasse may be pyrolyzed to generate bio-syngas for power generation while, at the same time, produce addedvalue byproducts, such as carbon nanotubes.