The aldol condensation between furfural and acetone was studied in the presence of organic bases, such as Piperazine (PIP), 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo [4.4.0] dec-5-ene (TBD), as basic catalysts. The latter base showed the highest conversion rates of furfural and high selectivity to the single-condensation product 4-(2-Furyl)-3-buten-2-on (F-Ac). These data are consistent with the greater basicity of TBD in relation to the other amines. This study was carried out aiming at the future anchoring of the bases in inorganic supports for the production of heterogeneous catalysts.

The high free fatty acids content in some vegetable oils can have a negative impact in the sustainable production of biodiesel. The previous treatment of these feedstock oils can contribute to the reduction of the process total costs as well as the environment, turning the biodiesel a more competitive in relation to the fossil diesel. The aim of this work was to adequate low cost vegetable oils to the production of biodiesel by homogeneous catalysis. The feedstock was evaluated by its acidity, by its free fatty acids content, by its saponification index and its specific mass. The Biodiesel produced was characterized by high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed significant free fatty acids and humidity content, which are the main factors in the raising of the production costs. The results also showed that the esterification of the vegetable oils reduced its acidity in about 99%. The transesterification of the Brazilian nut oil previously esterified yields about 98% of biodiesel. Even though the biodiesel processing presents an alternative to the energetic self-sufficiency of Brazil, there are many challenges in the adequacy of these high acidity oils and fats for its production.