ABSTRACT In this work, two catalysts were produced to be used in hydrolysis of cellulose reactions to obtain glucose, a raw material used in the production of bioethanol. The heteropoly acid, H3PW12O40 (HPW), reported as strong and thermally stable acid, was supported on activated carbon (AC) in a ratio varying from 1:1 to 2:1 to produce the catalysts AC-HPW (1:1) and AC-HPW (2:1). The catalysts were tested in cellulose hydrolysis evaluating some reaction variables and the results show the remarkable dependence of reaction temperature, amount and acidity of the catalyst. The results indicate the advantage of supporting HPW on carbonaceous material for using as catalyst in hydrolysis of cellulose, showing better conversion rate into sugars comparing with unsupported HPW.

ABSTRACT Heteropoly salts containing different numbers of vanadium atoms (K4[PVW11O40] - KPWV1 and K6[PV3W9O40] - KPWV3) were synthesized from the heteropoly acid H3PW12O40 (HPW), and used as catalysts in hydrolysis of cellulose reactions in order to change the redox properties and verify whether the cluster of catalysts are involved in mechanism reaction. The hydrolysis reactions following a full 23 factorial design with the variables: mass ratio (catalyst/substrate), reaction time and temperature. The variables evaluated were significant at a 90% confidence level including second and third order interactions. According to the conducted experiments, the catalysts were all active in hydrolysis. The best results occurred when HPW was used suggesting that the redox properties did not have much influence in depolymerization of cellulose and the hydrolysis mechanism are assigned to acidic properties of the medium. The main products obtained from the reactions were glucose and HMF, which are products of great interest in the chemical industry.

RESUMO Carvões ativados em forma de briquetes foram preparados a partir do resíduo da madeira de candeia, gerado no processo de extração do óleo α-bisabolol. O material foi briquetado, carbonizado e ativado com CO2,variando-se a temperatura (700-900°C) e o tempo de ativação (1-3 horas). Para a caracterização dos carvões ativados foram realizadas análise elementar (CHN-O), análise dos grupos funcionais (titulação de Boehm), bur-off, área superficial BET estimada, índice de iodo, cálculo de área superficial com azul de metileno SAM, testes de adsorção com azul de metileno e fenol e índice de resistência mecânica. Os resultados mostraram que, com o aumento da temperatura e do tempo de ativação, ocorre aumento da área superficial, do volume de poros, da basicidade do carvão e da capacidade de adsorção de azul de metileno e de fenol.

ABSTRACT ThisActivated carbons briquette shaped were prepared from Candeia wood waste, generated in the extraction of α-bisabolol oil process. The material was briquetted, carbonized and activated with CO2, varying the temperature (700-900°C) and activation time (1-3 hours). The characterization of the activated carbons were performed by: elemental analysis (CHN-O), analysis of the functional groups (Boehm titration), Burn-off, estimated BET surface area, iodine index, calculation of surface area with methylene blue, adsorption tests with methylene blue (MB) and phenol and mechanical resistance (IRI).The results showed that increasing temperature and time of activation promoted an increased in the surface area, pore volume, basicity and adsorption capacity of AM and phenol.