The wood of the palo santo tree of the South American Chaco is a dense hardwood with aromatic properties. The essential oil compounds within the tree are often extracted and sold to be used in perfumes, cosmetics, and for medicinal uses. This project addresses alternative uses for the sawdust byproduct for the company Nelixia, which is mainly responsible for the extraction of essential oils from palo santo. Through interviews, literature research, and technical experiments, the team gathered qualitative and quantitative data to offer suggestions for viable alternative uses for the factory. We determined that using the residuals for biofuel in the form of a compact briquette was the most viable option, though several other options were also determined to mitigate the residual accumulation.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Preble, Shannen
• Murray, Sofi
• Nieto, Brandon
• Cummings, Abigail

Subject

• Innovation
• Energy
• Industry
• Project-Based Learning
• Sustainability
• Environment

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 66616
• E-project-050122-121739

Keyword

• Palo Santo
• Waste Management
• Wood Residuals
• Essential Oil
• Sustainability
• Biofuel

Advisor

• Davis, Curt J.

Year

• 2022

Center

• Asunción, Paraguay Project Center - IQP

Sponsor

• Nelixia

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
• 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
• 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
• 13 - Climate Action
• 15 - Life On Land
• 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Date created

• 2022-05-01

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright