Comparative analysis for power generation and ethanol production from sugarcane residual biomass in Brazil

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 421 - 428
• Main Authors: Seabra, Joaquim E.A, Macedo, Isaias C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 2011; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Series: Energy Policy
• Subjects: Air pollution caused by fuel industries; Applied sciences; bagasse; Bioelectricity; Biomass; Biomass energy; biorefining; Brazil; Carbon emissions; Cellulosic ethanol; Cellulosic ethanol Bioelectricity CHP; CHP; Comparative analysis; Conversion; correlation; Economic data; Electric energy; Electric power; Electricity; Electricity generation; Energy; energy conversion; Energy economics; Energy policy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Ethanol; ethanol production; Ethyl alcohol; Exact sciences and technology; exports; fermentation; fuels; General, economic and professional studies; General. Regulations. Norms. Economy; greenhouse gas emissions; greenhouse gases; Industrial plant emissions; Investment; Mills; Natural energy; Plants (organisms); Power generation; Power plants; Power resources; Production systems; Raw materials; saccharification; Studies; Sugar cane; Sugar industry; Sugarcane; sugarcane bagasse; Brazil; South America; America; Cellulosic ethanol; CHP; Bioelectricity; Productivity; Sensitivity analysis; Profitability; Ethanol; Biofuel; Biomass; Pollutant emission; Case study; Return on investment; Bagasse; Greenhouse gas; Environment impact; Rankine cycle; Technicoeconomic study; Production; Biochemical treatment; Sugar cane; Agricultural waste; Electric power production; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2010.10.019

This work compares the technical, economic and environmental (GHG emissions mitigation) performance of power generation and ethanol production from sugarcane residual biomass, considering conversion plants adjacent to a sugarcane mill in Brazil. Systems performances were simulated for a projected enzymatic saccharification co-fermentation plant (Ethanol option) and for a commercial steam-Rankine power plant (Electricity option). Surplus bagasse from the mill would be used as fuel/raw material for conversion, while cane trash collected from the field would be used as supplementary fuel at the mill. For the Electricity option, the sugarcane biorefinery (mill+adjacent plant) would produce 91L of ethanol per tonne of cane and export 130kWh/t of cane, while for the Ethanol option the total ethanol production would be 124L/t of cane with an electricity surplus of 50kWh/t cane. The return on investment (ROI) related to the biochemical conversion route was 15.9%, compared with 23.2% for the power plant, for the conditions in Brazil. Considering the GHG emissions mitigation, the environmentally preferred option is the biochemical conversion route: the net avoided emissions associated to the adjacent plants are estimated to be 493 and 781kgCO₂eq/t of dry bagasse for the Electricity and Ethanol options, respectively.