Estudo do uso de HPMC ou HEMC como precursor na produção de álcool gel combustível

Abstract

With the purpose of producing ethyl alcohol gel with HPMC or HEMC, we studied the principles of sol-gel science, referring to the tentative to define sol and gel and how could happen the transition between this two conformations. Acknowledged the general, we studied the specifics of HPMC and HEMC in order to substantiate how both could be used as precursors in this process. Seen this, it was clear that this was a hydrolytic sol-gel transition, where the hydrolysis, and so the water, should have a central play. We opted to emulate a production in a closed batch, which is the standard utilized with others precursors for this transition, where the precursor would be feed to the system ethanol/water already in due proportions of the final product and in sequence it was proposed a methodology where the HPMC or the HEMC would be disperse in an aliquot of alcohol which would be used in process, where in the dispersion would be added all water necessary to achieve the specifications of the final product (initially 72°GL or 67,05 INPM) until it formed a “primary” gel, then it is added the remaining alcohol in the system, diluting the primary gel to the formation of the final gel. When the aliquot more efficient was found, it was tested a gel production with the precursors for less water in the system (implying larges °GL and INPM). Therefore, were taken the burn duration of all gels produced. The methodology prove itself to be satisfactory and efficient, producing gels with sufficient attributes to commercialization.