Sustainability
Origination of vegetable oils
NUOL GREENCHEMISTRY is led by a management team with more than 3 decades of experience in trading and vegetable oil origination. Through a careful compliance process, we work in partnership with the best suppliers for the acquisition of our renewable raw materials, including palm oil, palm kernel oil, corn butanol, acetone, ethanol and fatty acids.
The palm oil and palm kernel oil, for example, are originate in the Brazilian Amazon Forest (State of Roraima). Brazil has the strictest legislation in the world for palm oil cultivation: the federal decree 7,172, of May 2010, established the “Palm Oil Agroecological Zoning”, which defined more than 31 million hectares able for palm oil cultivation in the Amazon region. Through a robust work developed by EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), the palm oil cultivation in the country can only be carried out in georeferenced areas, guaranteeing its origin and prohibiting the felling of native forest for palm oil cultivation in the national territory.
NUOL´s palm oil and palm kernel oil cultivation is managed by an Agroforestry System including cocoa, cupuaçu, tucumã e mamona (castor plant), following the strictest ESG protocols in the market. Its mission is to recover deforested areas of the Amazon Forest, generating jobs and income in these isolated areas, with the aim of keeping the forest standing and combating new deforestation.
Sustainable Processes
NUOL GREENCHEMISTRY Sustainable Processes are natural, without wasting and free of toxic raw materials. Take a look at our three main processes:
Enzymatic Catalysis Process The Biocatalysis or Enzymatic Catalysis Process is an environmentally friendly technology that is based on the principles of green chemistry and sustainable development. Among the various benefits that can be cited in the use of enzymes in industrial processes, the generation of a single product at the end of the reaction stands out due to its high specificity; mild operating conditions (pH and temperature) and a reduction in effluent treatment. It is possible, only by choosing the right enzyme, to control which products will be produced, preventing unwanted side reactions from occurring, directly impacting the reduction of subsequent purification and effluent treatment steps. Industrial processes that use enzymatic reactions require low temperature values and mild pH and no pressure conditions, leading to lower energy expenditure and operational costs. Furthermore, products obtained by enzymatic catalysis are considered natural. For more information. Please visit: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00203 and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enzmictec.2005.10.016
Green Butanol ProcessBiobutanol or Green Butanol can be obtained by both fermentations of traditional sugar- or starch-containing raw materials (1st generation biobutanol) and fermentation of lignocellulosic raw materials from biomass (2nd generation biobutanol). Biobutanol produced in the process of ABE fermentation of biomass has the same characteristics as the butanol obtained by chemical synthesis. Biobutanol production through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation is one of the current research projects that produce high levels of carbohydrates as reserve polymers and referred to as third-generation biofuels. Butanol has the potential to replace ethanol as a gasoline additive due to several advantages that include low vapor pressure, high-energy density, and better blending options.
Green Butanol technologies for biobutanol production by fermentation has resulted in higher biobutanol concentrations, less fermentation by-products and higher volumetric productivities during fermentation, together with less energy intensive separation and purification techniques. The technology has the potential to provide a production process for butanol without wasting and methanol free in comparison with the petrochemical pathway for biobutanol production.
Green Butanol technologies for biobutanol production by fermentation has resulted in higher biobutanol concentrations, less fermentation by-products and higher volumetric productivities during fermentation, together with less energy intensive separation and purification techniques. The technology has the potential to provide a production process for butanol without wasting and methanol free in comparison with the petrochemical pathway for biobutanol production.
Green Esters ProcessThere has been a paradigm shift towards ‘greener’ processes, with emphasis being placed on sustainability. The traditional manufacturing processes require catalysts which needs to be removed at the end, re-working and adapting new methods to ensure that they are more efficient, cleaner and ideally cost-effective.
Typical Fisher Esterification reaction involves heating a mixture of carboxylic acids and an excess amount of corresponding alcohols in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction achieves equilibrium after a certain time, governed by process kinetics and thermodynamics. It requires addition of an excess amount of one reactant, usually alcohol, or the continuous removal of water to shift the equilibrium in the forward direction. The reaction fails to achieve completion ultimately compromising the product yield. Also, high temperature is used to drive reaction to completion.
The solution: using right strain or bacteria’s which generates enzymes who acts as catalyst, esterification can be completed using mild conditions (low temperature), no need of excess of alcohols, no chemical catalysts. Also, there is no need for alcohols to be low humidity like in the conventional chemical processes.
Applying these new technologies it’s possible to produce butyl esters, for example, using enzymes without emissions or wasting.
Typical Fisher Esterification reaction involves heating a mixture of carboxylic acids and an excess amount of corresponding alcohols in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction achieves equilibrium after a certain time, governed by process kinetics and thermodynamics. It requires addition of an excess amount of one reactant, usually alcohol, or the continuous removal of water to shift the equilibrium in the forward direction. The reaction fails to achieve completion ultimately compromising the product yield. Also, high temperature is used to drive reaction to completion.
The solution: using right strain or bacteria’s which generates enzymes who acts as catalyst, esterification can be completed using mild conditions (low temperature), no need of excess of alcohols, no chemical catalysts. Also, there is no need for alcohols to be low humidity like in the conventional chemical processes.
Applying these new technologies it’s possible to produce butyl esters, for example, using enzymes without emissions or wasting.
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Enzymatic Catalysis Process The Biocatalysis or Enzymatic Catalysis Process is an environmentally friendly technology that is based on the principles of green chemistry and sustainable development. Among the various benefits that can be cited in the use of enzymes in industrial processes, the generation of a single product at the end of the reaction stands out due to its high specificity; mild operating conditions (pH and temperature) and a reduction in effluent treatment. It is possible, only by choosing the right enzyme, to control which products will be produced, preventing unwanted side reactions from occurring, directly impacting the reduction of subsequent purification and effluent treatment steps. Industrial processes that use enzymatic reactions require low temperature values and mild pH and no pressure conditions, leading to lower energy expenditure and operational costs. Furthermore, products obtained by enzymatic catalysis are considered natural. For more information. Please visit: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00203 and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enzmictec.2005.10.016
Biobutanol Green Butanol ProcessBiobutanol or Green Butanol can be obtained by both fermentations of traditional sugar- or starch-containing raw materials (1st generation biobutanol) and fermentation of lignocellulosic raw materials from biomass (2nd generation biobutanol). Biobutanol produced in the process of ABE fermentation of biomass has the same characteristics as the butanol obtained by chemical synthesis. Biobutanol production through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation is one of the current research projects that produce high levels of carbohydrates as reserve polymers and referred to as third-generation biofuels. Butanol has the potential to replace ethanol as a gasoline additive due to several advantages that include low vapor pressure, high-energy density, and better blending options.
Green Butanol technologies for biobutanol production by fermentation has resulted in higher biobutanol concentrations, less fermentation by-products and higher volumetric productivities during fermentation, together with less energy intensive separation and purification techniques. The technology has the potential to provide a production process for butanol without wasting and methanol free in comparison with the petrochemical pathway for biobutanol production.
Green Butanol technologies for biobutanol production by fermentation has resulted in higher biobutanol concentrations, less fermentation by-products and higher volumetric productivities during fermentation, together with less energy intensive separation and purification techniques. The technology has the potential to provide a production process for butanol without wasting and methanol free in comparison with the petrochemical pathway for biobutanol production.
Green Esters ProcessThere has been a paradigm shift towards ‘greener’ processes, with emphasis being placed on sustainability. The traditional manufacturing processes require catalysts which needs to be removed at the end, re-working and adapting new methods to ensure that they are more efficient, cleaner and ideally cost-effective.
Typical Fisher Esterification reaction involves heating a mixture of carboxylic acids and an excess amount of corresponding alcohols in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction achieves equilibrium after a certain time, governed by process kinetics and thermodynamics. It requires addition of an excess amount of one reactant, usually alcohol, or the continuous removal of water to shift the equilibrium in the forward direction. The reaction fails to achieve completion ultimately compromising the product yield. Also, high temperature is used to drive reaction to completion.
The solution: using right strain or bacteria’s which generates enzymes who acts as catalyst, esterification can be completed using mild conditions (low temperature), no need of excess of alcohols, no chemical catalysts. Also, there is no need for alcohols to be low humidity like in the conventional chemical processes.
Applying these new technologies it’s possible to produce butyl esters, for example, using enzymes without emissions or wasting.
Typical Fisher Esterification reaction involves heating a mixture of carboxylic acids and an excess amount of corresponding alcohols in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction achieves equilibrium after a certain time, governed by process kinetics and thermodynamics. It requires addition of an excess amount of one reactant, usually alcohol, or the continuous removal of water to shift the equilibrium in the forward direction. The reaction fails to achieve completion ultimately compromising the product yield. Also, high temperature is used to drive reaction to completion.
The solution: using right strain or bacteria’s which generates enzymes who acts as catalyst, esterification can be completed using mild conditions (low temperature), no need of excess of alcohols, no chemical catalysts. Also, there is no need for alcohols to be low humidity like in the conventional chemical processes.
Applying these new technologies it’s possible to produce butyl esters, for example, using enzymes without emissions or wasting.
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Decarbonization
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