Sugarcane energy use: accounting of feedstock energy considering current agro-industrial trends and their feasibility

The sugarcane agro-industry is seen as a great opportunity for economic and industrial development in many sugarcane-producing countries. Important changes happening in recent decades have converted the sugar mill from being just a food producer into a diversified production factory. The sugar mill has become a multipurpose factory since it produces food, energy, and biofuels at present. The key cause of this change is the use of sugarcane agro-industrial residues as feedstock for energy cogeneration and biofuel production. The main aim of this paper is to carry out an assessment on sugarcane feedstock availability and its energy use in the sugar mill. The trade-off on sugarcane bagasse energy use (electricity cogeneration vs. bioethanol production), considering the agro-industrial development level, is analyzed in this work, too. The better options in each case are highlighted. The main environmental and techno-economic aspects concerning the sugarcane agro-industry were taken into account during the assessment process. The most promising trends of the sugarcane agro-industry and the barriers to overcome in its implementation are pointed out.