Methylic and ethylic biodiesels from pequi oil (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.): Production and thermogravimetric studies

• A new optimized route for pequi biodiesel production.
• An interesting proposal for an alternative fuel to diesel.
• A contribution to the chemistry of biofuels.

This research reports on the synthesis of methylic and ethylic biodiesels from pequi oil using the transesterification reaction process via alkaline homogeneous catalysis. Thermogravimetric studies helped to evaluate the thermal stability of the biodiesels. A methanol/ethanol 20:80 (w/w) alcoholic solution furnished the ethylic biodiesel and allowed for straightforward optimization of the biodiesel–glycerin phase separation. Classic physicochemical analyses, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) aided characterization of the synthesized biodiesel samples. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) provided information about the thermal decomposition kinetics of pequi biodiesels. The biodiesels obtained here had satisfactory thermal stability and qualified as potential substituents of conventional mineral diesel.

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