Techno-economic-environmental analysis of the use of vinasse biogas in different biorefinary configurations

• Grant number: 17/18194-7
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Antonio José Gonçalves da Cruz
• Grantee: Andreza Aparecida Longati
• Supervisor abroad: Corinne Scown
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos, SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/11468-9 - Implementation of a process unit for energy generation from vinasse and integration in a ethanol production biorefinary, BP.DD

Abstract

Nowadays a major challenge to the energy industry is to produce biofuels in an economical, efficient and sustainable way to compete in the market. In the bioethanol production process from sugarcane, large amounts of by-products are generated. Among them, the vinasse is the most abundant. The anaerobic digestion (AD) of vinasse is an interesting alternative to improve the productivity and sustainability of sugarcane biorefineries. The AD promotes the increase of available energy in the plant at the same time that produces a better fertilizer. This work intends to implement a process unit for drying the sugarcane bagasse before send it to the boiler. The energy source for the bagasse dryer is the biogas from anaerobic digestion of vinasse. Two AD units will be assessed: the first one will be composed by a single-stage (methanogenic step) and the second one by two-stages (composed by an acidogenic and methanogenic steps). Mathematical modelling and simulation of the unit operations that take place in these processes will be carried out. Afterwards, the developed models will be coupled to the 1G ethanol biorefinery and simulated in the EMSO platform, evaluating different scenarios. The technical, economic and environmental analysis of the process will be carried out.