Biomasa de Eucalyptus globulus como materia prima en la obtención de biocombustible líquido

Atmospheric pollution and accelerated environmental deterioration for the increasing use of fossil fuels have directed research in the energy field towards the search for alternative, renewable, efficient and, above all, more environmentally friendly sources. Among the raw materials that are of great interest in the generation of biofuels are lignocellulosic residues, which are currently produced in abundant quantities, either by the simple action of nature or because they are part of the agro-industrial chain of a given region. For this reason in the present work, the biomass of Eucalyptus globulus was evaluated as a low-cost and widely available source for obtaining liquid biofuel, for which a preliminary physical and chemical characterization was carried out, by considering established standard specifications. Thermochemical conversion tests were carried out by pyrolysis in an N2 atmosphere and through the application of a factorial experimental design (22) contemplating the influence of experimental variables such as residence time and temperature, it was possible to obtain at 550 ºC and during 20 min of reaction, a bio-oil with a maximum yield of 45,2 % and whose physical and chemical properties are within the range estimated in the literature for biofuels of lignocellulosic origin, such as the calorific value (16,7 MJ/kg). Therefore, the biomass of Eucalyptus globulus can be considered as a raw material with potential to be explored in the generation of energy. La contaminación atmosférica y el acelerado deterioro ambiental por el creciente uso de combustibles fósiles, ha direccionado las investigaciones en el campo energético hacía la búsqueda de fuentes alternativas, renovables, eficientes y sobre todo más amigables con el medio ambiente. Entre la materia prima que cobra gran interés en la generación de biocombustibles, se encuentran los residuos lignocelulósicos que actualmente se producen en abundantes cantidades, ya sea por simple acción de la naturaleza o porque hacen parte de la cadena agroindustrial de una región dada. Es por ello que en el presente trabajo se evaluó la biomasa de Eucalyptus globulus, como fuente de bajo costo y amplia disponibilidad en la obtención de biocombustible líquido, para lo cual se llevó a cabo una caracterización física y química preliminar teniendo en cuenta especificaciones establecidas en normatividad del sector. Se realizaron ensayos de conversión termoquímica por medio de una pirólisis en atmósfera de N2 y a t