Jean Constantino Gomes da Silva

Macauba palm ( Acrocomia spp.) is a perennial, fruit‐bearing plant native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, predominantly found in South and Central America. Belonging to the Arecaceae family, it thrives in diverse climatic conditions and is characterized by its oil‐rich fruits, suitable as feedstock to produce various biofuels. Within Acrocomia genus, species such as Acrocomia aculeata , Acrocomia totai , and Acrocomia intumescens are of industrial interest due to their potential role in energy production. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of scientific research focused on macauba biomass, emphasizing their potential applications in bioenergy and value‐added byproduct development. The analysis was conducted using RStudio and Bibliometrix, based on data retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The resulting bibliometric data allowed for a detailed evaluation of material characterization and emerging research trends, highlighting a growing interest in biofuel production or other products, particularly biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and biochar, within Brazil and South America countries. Among the byproducts of oil extraction, the residual cake from the pulp and kernel have been widely studied, especially for applications in animal, human nutrition and adsorbents for pollutant removal. The endocarp has attracted crescent attention for production of biochar and adsorbent materials for heavy metals remediation. Over the past decade, research has also expanded to previously underexplored components such as the epicarp (husk) and leaves, revealing their potential as a secondary lipid source and raw material for biochar, briquettes, and enzymatic processes. Recent studies point out the mass distribution of macauba fruit components is approximately 22.6% epicarp (husk), 42.6% mesocarp (pulp), 28.4% endocarp, and 6.4% kernel. The diversity of biomass fractions and transformation routes underscores the significant potential of macauba and its residues to support the bioeconomy through the development of biofuels, adsorbents, and other high‐value bioproducts.

Biochar has emerged as a scalable negative emission technology with promising agronomic and environmental benefits. In this context, arid and semi-arid regions represent promising zones for carbon removal through soil biochar application, particularly when exploring new non-food biomass sources with high energy potential, such Agave wercklei. This study aims to evaluate the properties of biochars produced from Agave wercklei and its potential in carbon capture in semi-arid region. Additionally, this work also investigated the role of pyrolysis atmosphere by comparing nitrogen (N2) and recirculated pyrolysis gas (PyGR) across four temperatures (350, 425, 500, and 575 ºC). PyGR-based biochars exhibited higher carbon content (up to 71.36%), energy density, and enriched surface chemistry with increased aliphatic functional groups, retention of dissolved organic carbon, while N2-based biochars showed greater aromaticity, higher thermal stability, and lower content of volatile compounds. Differences were also observed in handling and interfacial properties, with PyGR-based biochars presenting superior flowability and higher hydrophobicity, while N2-based biochars exhibited greater water retention. Multivariate analysis revealed that the pyrolysis atmosphere plays a crucial rule in key indicators, including atomic ratios (H/C, O/C), aromatic indices, and thermal degradation profiles. Thus, the use of inert gas in bench-scale studies may thus misrepresent the carbon permanence and agronomic behavior of biochars produced under realistic industrial conditions. Furthermore, Agave wercklei demonstrated favorable biochar properties, positioning it as a valuable biomass for carbon removal in semi-arid regions.

The agave plant’s economic chain generates a significant waste, which has potential for sustainable bioenergy through pyrolysis. However, the diversity and heterogeneity of chemical composition of agave species may pose challenges. This study investigates the impact of species heterogeneity on the pyrolysis of three different agave species (Agave sisalana, Agave tequilana, and Agave wercklei), aiming to correlate pyrolysis and biomass properties. Solid characterization and Py-GC/MS were used to understand agave physicochemical characteristics and organic group distribution in volatiles, respectively.A multi-step model and advanced numerical methods were employed for the kinetic study. The physicochemical characteristics showed similar values but a distinct distribution of inorganic compounds, predominantly composed of alkaline metals (6-11%w.b.), potentially influencing the organic groups’ distribution in the volatiles. High relative areas of aliphatic components (13-28% at 773K and 16-36% at 873K) and low quantity of acidic groups (0.9251), QOF (>94%), and MSE (<2.73×10-3). This underscores the model's potential to describe decomposition profiles solely based on knowledge of inorganic composition, regardless of agave species.

This scientific paper provides an overview of the current state of pyrolysis in Europe, with a focus on mapping the key research areas and technologies employed. This research relied on search equations that centered on the utilization of biomass and plastics as primary feedstocks in pyrolysis, with a particular emphasis on biochar generation and different technologies applied. The results showed that both plastic and biomass pyrolysis can contribute to reducing waste and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, plastic pyrolysis can release harmful pollutants due to the presence of chlorine and other additives in plastics, which requires sophisticated emission control systems to be implemented. The production of biochar from sewage sludge is identified as a promising approach for phosphorus recovery, which can subsequently be utilized as a valuable fertilizer in agricultural applications. The data from this study contribute to exploring future applications at pilot and industrial scales for pyrolysis, with a critical assessment of the use of feedstocks. Moreover, this work provides information about current companies that are already operating on a large scale with pyrolysis and a map of the principal countries in Europe engaged in pyrolysis research, correlating the characteristics of the pyrolysis processes investigated.

Energy cane is a genotype derived from species of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum) with a lower sucrose content and higher fiber content for bioenergy purposes. It is a rustic plant that demands less fertile soils that do not compete with food crops. In this work, an analysis of energy cane bagasse pyrolysis products was performed, assessing the effect of reaction temperature and kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Anhydrosugars, such as D-allose, were the primary compounds derived from the decomposition of energy cane at 500 °C. Methyl vinyl ketone and acetic acid were favored at 550 and 600 °C. At 650 °C, methyl glyoxal, acetaldehyde and hydrocarbons were favored. Among the hydrocarbons observed, butane, toluene and olefins such as 1-decene, 1-undecene, 1-tridecene and 1-tetradecene were the most produced. The Friedman isoconversional method was able to determine the average activation energies in the ranges 113.7−149.4, 119.9−168.0, 149.3−196.4 and 170.1−2913.9 kJ mol⁻¹ for the decomposition of, respectively, pseudo-extractives, pseudo-hemicellulose, pseudo-cellulose and pseudo-lignin. The thermodynamic parameters of activation were determined within the ranges of 131.0 to 507.6 kJ mol⁻¹ for ΔH, 153.7 to 215.2 kJ mol⁻¹ for ΔG and −35.5 to 508.8 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ for ΔS. This study is very encouraging for the cultivation and use of high-fiber-content energy cane bagasse, after sucrose extraction, to produce biofuels as an alternative to the current method of conversion into electricity by low-efficiency burning.