Ouriço da castanha do Pará (Bertholettia excelsa): characterization and its possible uses

Abstract

The handling of materials from the agricultural industry generates large amounts of organic waste from agriculture and industry during production, causing various environmental issues resulting from concentration and disposal in improper areas. The biological diversity of the flora in the Amazonian Forest is of great proportion, being the vegetables and their respective fruits, being possible to highlight the Brazil nut that is taken from the plant with family lecythidaceae, with species bertholettia excelsa and its fruits containing seeds. The vast majority of Brazil's Brazil nut harvest is designated for natural use, but when they are frowned upon by the international market for being damaged or fragmented, they are not consumed. The objective of the present work was to characterize the Brazil nut hedgehog through analytical, structural and chemical characterization techniques, in order to propose possible uses for this material and its byproducts generated in the extraction and its agroindustrial processing. To characterize the Brazil nut residue, infrared (IR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques were used. The results of the IV analysis showed bands that confirm that the studied residue has in its composition the main constituents of plant biomass: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, being considered as lignocellulosic residue. The images obtained by SEM analysis revealed a fibrous and irregular surface. Great prospects for the utilization of the fruit were evidenced, both in adsorption processes using the material as activated charcoal, charcoal and biofertilizer.