Residual biomass potential of commercial and pre-commercial sugarcane cultivars

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an efficient and sustainable alternative for energy generation compared to non-renewable sources. Currently, during the mechanized harvest process, the straw left in the field can be used in part for the second generation ethanol and increasing the electric energy production. Thus, this study aimed to provide information on the potential for residual biomass cultivars of sugarcane cropping system. This study provides the following information: yield of straw, depending on the calculated leaf area index and the number of tillers per linear meter; primary energy production of several sugarcane genotypes; contribution of dry tops and leaves; biomass yield; and evaluation of fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Preliminary results obtained by researchers of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and reCviews related studies are presented. The results suggest that the production of sugarcane straw content varies according to the cultivars; the greater mass of sugarcane straw is in the top leaves and that the potential for the crude energy production of sugarcane per area unit can be increased using fiber-rich species or species that produce more straw. The straw indexes was shown to be a good indicator and allow the estimation of straw volumes generated in a sugarcane crop. The cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin composition in sugarcane is distinct among varieties. Therefore, it is possible to develop distinct biomass materials for energy production and for the development of sugarcane mills using biochemical processes and thermal routes

Modelagem matemática para o aproveitamento da biomassa residual de colheita da cana-de-açúcar com menor custo Mathematical modeling for sugarcane residual biomass exploitation with minimum cost

O palhiço derivado da colheita de cana-de-açúcar crua, com a redução gradativa das queimadas nos canaviais, tornou-se foco para os pesquisadores e produtores. As vantagens no recolhimento, na recuperação e no aproveitamento têm mobilizado pesquisadores de universidades, gerentes e diretores de usinas, interessados em encontrar a maneira mais produtiva, econômica e eficaz de realizar esse processo. O recolhimento do palhiço é feito em quatro estágios: primeiro o palhiço é enleirado, depois passado por uma máquina de compactação, posteriormente, acondicionado no caminhão e, finalmente, transportado para o centro de processamento. O estudo da viabilidade de aproveitamento desse resíduo para a geração de energia pode ser feito com base no custo e no balanço de energia, ou seja, a energia gerada por essa biomassa menos a energia consumida no processo. Neste trabalho, é proposto o uso de técnicas matemáticas para auxiliar na escolha das variedades da cana-de-açúcar a serem plantadas a fim de otimizar o balanço de energia da biomassa residual de colheita e minimizar o custo de coleta dessa biomassa do campo para o centro de produção, além de satisfazer as principais necessidades da usina.<br>With the gradual reduction in harvest burning, the straw derived from raw sugarcane harvest has become a focal point for researchers and producers alike. The advantages of retrieving, recovering and using this straw have motivated university researchers and sugar mill managers and directors to find the most productive, economic and efficient way to carry out such process. The retrievement of the straw is done in four phases: first it is joined and later bundled by a compacting machine, it is then loaded into trucks and finally transported to the processing center. The feasibility of using this residue in order to generate energy is linked to the cost and the energy balance, that is, the difference between energy generated by the biomass and the energy used in the process. In this work, it is proposed the use of mathematical techniques to assist in choosing the sugar cane varieties to be planted in order to optimize the residual biomass energy balance and minimize the cost in collecting the biomass and carrying from the field to the production center, in addition to satisfying the main needs of the mill

Análise de seis sistemas de recolhimento do palhiço na colheita mecânica da cana-de-açúcar Analysis of six systems of trash recovery in mechanical harvesting of sugarcane

A biomassa da cana-de-açúcar é uma das fontes de energia renovável mais disponível no Brasil, em virtude dos seus resíduos de colheita, como palhiço (pontas e folhas); todavia, o aproveitamento do palhiço em larga escala é dificultado pelo alto custo de sua recuperação, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao recolhimento, adensamento e transporte. Com o presente trabalho, apresenta-se uma análise dos processos envolvidos na recuperação do palhiço, como densidade final do palhiço e princípios operacionais das máquinas envolvidas, juntamente com uma análise econômica, através de um modelo de cálculo de custo, por meio de simulação de rendimentos e capacidades operacionais que compõem cada sistema de recuperação do palhiço. Seis sistemas foram avaliados, técnica e economicamente. De acordo com os resultados, o sistema de colheita integral apresentou o menor custo de recuperação do palhiço para qualquer distância, seguido dos sistemas picado a granel, fardo cilíndrico, fardo algodoeiro, peletização e briquetagem.<br>Sugarcane biomass is one of the energy sources most readily available in Brazil, mainly due to residues such as trash (tops, dry and green leaves). Large scale use of these residues still faces high recovery costs related to gathering, baling, transportation, chopping and residue utilization technology. An analysis was done of the mechanical principles involved in the packing processes. A model was defined to estimate the cost of trash recovery, simulating the field capacity, oil consumption, depreciation, repair and maintenance as well as labor required for the field and transport operations. Six recovery systems were studied both from the technical and economical points of view. The results showed that handling billets and trash together, described as "Integral harvesting", has the lowest cost for trash recovery, both for short and long distances, followed by bulk handling of chopped trash, the round bale, the cotton bale and finally the pellet and briquette systems

Sugarcane straw and the populations of pests and nematodes

The green cane harvesting represented a significant change in sugarcane ecosystem due to the presence of straw left on the soil and to the absence of fire. These two factors may affect the populations of pests and their natural enemies. Among the pests benefit from the green cane harvesting stand out the spittlebug, Mahanarva fimbriolata, the curculionid Sphenophorus levis and sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis. In areas of green cane harvesting, the population of these species grew faster than in areas of burnt cane. On the other hand, there are virtually no records of attacks by lesser cornstalk borers in areas of green cane harvesting. Populations of plant parasitic nematodes and the beetles Migdolus fryanus, very important pests of sugarcane, were apparently not affected by the green cane harvesting. Despite the absence of more consistent information, it appears that populations of ants and the giant borer Telchin licus can increase in green cane areas, due primarily to the difficulty of pest control. The partial or total removal of straw from the field represents an additional change to the ecosystem that could alter the status of pests and nematodes. It is likely that spittlebug, the curculionid S. levis and sugarcane borer populations decrease if a portion of the straw is removed from the field. However, the pest populations in areas where the straw is collected will not return to their original conditions at the time of burnt cane harvesting because the absence of fire will be maintained

Technical and economic assessment of trash recovery in the sugarcane bioenergy production system

Mechanized sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) harvest without burning has been increasingly adopted in Brazil, increasing trash availability on the field. This study aims at showing the importance of using an integrated framework tool to assess technical and economic impacts of integral harvesting and baling trash recovery strategies and different recovery rates as well as its implications in the sugarcane production, transport and processing stages. Trash recovery using baling system presents higher costs per unit of mass of recovered trash in comparison to system in which trash is harvested and transported with sugarcane stalks (integral harvesting system). However, the integrated agricultural and industrial assessment showed that recovering trash using baling system presents better economic results (higher internal rate of return and lower ethanol production cost) than the integral harvesting system for trash recovery rates higher than 30 %. Varying trash recovery fraction, stalks productivity and mean transport distance for both integral harvesting and baling systems, sensitivity analyses showed that higher trash recovery fractions associated with higher stalks yields and long transport distances favors baling system, mainly due to the reduction of bulk load density for integral harvesting system under those conditions