USO DE FERRAMENTAS DE PROSPECÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA PARA ANALISES DE TECNOLOGIAS DE PRODUÇÃO DE APARECIDA ALVES PEREIRA ETANOL COMBUSTÍVEL

Abstract

Problems related to fossil fuels encourage the use of biofuels and ethanol is one of the energy alternatives with a larger scale of production. In the field of biofuels there is competition for technological/scientific innovation, and so it is important to highlight the advances in the technologies in use, as well as the increase of gains with the advent of some technologies in development. The United States has overtaken Brazil since 2006 becoming the world's largest producer of ethanol, a proposal previously occupied by Brazil. Patent documents and scientific publications in the form of articles on ethanol production processes contain results of important research on these advances in the ethanol production sector. In this context, the published research and patent applications related to ethanol indicate possible possibilities for advances in the sector. This work assumes that new horizons can be explored from the crossreferencing of published research data and patents indicating to guide future perspectives on biofuel ethanol in Brazil and the United States. The methodology used was centered on bibliographical research for theoretical foundation and patent bases as a prospecting tool, in order to survey scientific papers and patent applications related to ethanol using available platforms from Brazil and the United States. The research for either published articles or deposited patents indicated an increase in research related to the production of ethanol over the years and technologies related to the sector are diverse, but some points still allow the possibility of new developments such as in the area of raw materials And types of yeast used in the production process. It was possible to observe that the United States invests more in the research and development of technologies in the production of ethanol in relation to Brazil, reaching the apex a 30% higher value of patent applications.