ACADEMIC ARTICLE

Ana Beatriz Soares Aguiar, Maria Paula Cardeal Volpi, Luiz Gustavo Antonio de Souza, André Motta Leguisamo, José Maria Jardim da Silveira, Nara Brandão Costa Santos, Cecília Sambusiti, Bruna de Souza Moraes | Biomass and Bioenergy 

Biogas plays a crucial role in the development of a low-carbon economy as a renewable energy source that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions and stimulates sustainable waste management. In the context of sugarcane mills, vinasse and filter cake increasing number of commercial plants in Brazil in recent years. However, the challenge of maintaining continuous operation during the sugarcane off-season still needs to be solved. Sugarcane mills typically experience a reactor shutdown during this time due to the lack of vinasse, which lowers anaerobic digestion (AD) system efficiency, resulting in energy and financial losses. Alternative substrates could be used in place of vinasse to maintain the AD reactors in operation, given the abundance of biomass from livestock and agriculture in Brazil. In this context, this review aimed to prospect for residues and byproducts, both inside and outside the borders of sugarcane mills, to sustain biogas production during the sugarcane season and off-season, providing a literature survey on the characterization of such substrates. Then, innovative scenarios involving the integration of different substrates and co-substrates through different technological arrangements were developed. The advantages and disadvantages of each scenario, as well as the opportunities and challenges, were assessed and discussed through a SWOT analysis. This work is a pioneer in exploring innovative solutions to address real challenges in the biogas chain within the sugarcane sector.Biogas plays a crucial role in the development of a low-carbon economy as a renewable energy source that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions and stimulates sustainable waste management. In the context of sugarcane mills, vinasse and filter cake increasing number of commercial plants in Brazil in recent years. However, the challenge of maintaining continuous operation during the sugarcane off-season still needs to be solved. Sugarcane mills typically experience a reactor shutdown during this time due to the lack of vinasse, which lowers anaerobic digestion (AD) system efficiency, resulting in energy and financial losses. Alternative substrates could be used in place of vinasse to maintain the AD reactors in operation, given the abundance of biomass from livestock and agriculture in Brazil. In this context, this review aimed to prospect for residues and byproducts, both inside and outside the borders of sugarcane mills, to sustain biogas production during the sugarcane season and off-season, providing a literature survey on the characterization of such substrates. Then, innovative scenarios involving the integration of different substrates and co-substrates through different technological arrangements were developed. The advantages and disadvantages of each scenario, as well as the opportunities and challenges, were assessed and discussed through a SWOT analysis. This work is a pioneer in exploring innovative solutions to address real challenges in the biogas chain within the sugarcane sector.

Full Article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953425012395