Biofuels and Oils from Amazon Crops: Challenges and Opportunities for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity Resources

This review focuses on the literature from the last decade (2010-2021) pertaining to the use of oils from plant materials sourced from the Brazilian Amazon region for biofuels and essential oils production, focusing on aspects of sustainability and the biorefinery and green chemistry potential involved in these processes. Our survey showed that the oils from buriti (Mauritia flexuosa Mart.) and pracaxi (Pentaclethra macroloba (Willd.) Kuntze) as well as fat from murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru Mart.) showed great potential to be used for biodiesel production. The use of innovative resources to produce biodiesel are in line with governmental incentives to diversify oil sources. Additionally, essential oils extracted from buriti and cacay (Caryodendron orinocense Karst.) showed interesting properties, with potential for use as bioactive ingredients for food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetic products. Finally, our study also revealed gaps in literature regarding the identification and extraction of essential oils from Amazon fruits and the utilization of this biomass for other green energy production processes, such as biogas and/or bioethanol production.