Advances in Sugarcane Biorefinery

Technologies, Commercialization, Policy Issues and Paradigm Shift for Bioethanol and By-Products

Anuj K. Chandel, Marcos Henrique Luciano Silveira, Anuj Chandel

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9780128045343
• eBook ISBN: 9780128045442
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Agriculture
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Advances in Sugarcane Biorefinery: Technologies, Commercialization, Policy Issues and Paradigm Shift for Bioethanol and By-Products, by Chandel and Silveira, compiles the basic and applied information covering cane and biomass processing for sugar and ethanol production, as well as by-products utilization for improving the economy of sugarcane biorefineries. In this unique collection of 14 chapters, specialists in their field provide critical insights into several topics, review the current research, and discuss future progress in this research area.The book presents the most current advances in sugarcane biorefinery, including sugarcane crop cultivation, new sugarcane varieties, soil health, mechanization of crop, technical aspects of first and second generation ethanol production, economic analysis, life cycle assessment, biomass logistics and storage, co-generation of heat and electricity, process intensification and alternative by-products utilization. The book also explores the business ecosystem of sugarcane biorefineries, marketing analysis of ethanol demand and price dwindling patterns, aiming for a futuristic scenario. This book will be especially useful for scientists, researchers and technicians who are working in the area of biomass based biorefineries, as well as professionals in the sugar and alcohol industry. It also brings relevant content for policy makers, market analysts, agriculture scientists and managers.- Presents technological updates on biomass processing, system biology, microbial fermentation, catalysis, regeneration and monitoring of renewable energy and recovery processes- Includes topics on techno-economic analysis, life cycle assessment, sustainability, markets and policy- Explores the future potential of biorefineries with zero or near zero waste, and the potential of valorization of all by-products, including alternatives to current applications and the management of a large amount of residues

Chapter 1

Sugarcane Cultivation

Soil Mapping, Environmental Effects, and New Sugarcane Varieties

Jorge L. Donzelli¹, Fernando C. Bertolani² and Natalia de Campos Trombeta³, ¹Lidera Consulting and Projects, Campinas, SP, Brazil, ²CSolos Mapping and Consulting, Campinas, SP, Brazil, ³Sugar Cane Technology Center, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the last two or three decades, various researchers and specialized market analysts have been discussing the yield plateau of sugarcane cultivation. The Brazilian sugarcane industry is evolved, but still far from the fullest utilization of available sugarcane cultivation resources. Breakthrough innovation is a primary cause, but what is happening to the Brazilian sugar industry is also “lack of application of the known technology.” Following this idea, two important technologies which were developed years ago have not been properly applied to the sugarcane sector to obtain the maximum benefits.

One of them is the assessment of edaphic climatic environments of production. A case study is presented showing the inadequacy of a low detailed soil map to be adapted for the Environments of Production technology. Important differences are noted when the map of environments of production is derived from detailed soil maps, and the impact on sugarcane clone selection is also reported.

The second technology is called “Soil Groups for Agricultural Management” where the soils with the same physical and chemical characteristic were grouped. This technology is dedicated to offer series of technical recommendations for soil preparation and furrowing, erosion control (soil conservation), sugarcane cultivation, planting and harvesting zones and fertilizer, lime and gypsum application. A second study case is presented showing how the technology can be used as a tool for calculate vertical distance (VD) on soil conservation projects.

In relation to technological advancements in new sugarcane varieties in Brazil, significant work has been developed by CTC-Piracicaba, IAC-Campinas, and RIDESA breeding programs for the development of new sugarcane varieties according to Brazilian climatic and soil conditions.

Keywords

Sugarcane; clone; soil map; environments of production; agronomic management; sugarcane varieties

1.1 Introduction

In the last 45 years the success of the agronomic management of sugarcane in Brazil is mainly a result of research and development that happened in institutions like Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), Sugarcane Technology Center (CTC), Federal and State Universities (UFSCar; ESALQ; UNESP, among others), but also the technological development inside sugar mills, cane grower’s associations, multinational companies, and agronomic consultants. As a result of this large task force capacity, the yield per hectare has increased from around 45 t/ha in 1975 to an average of 75 t/ha in the last decade, with peaks of 80 t/ha in recent years (Nyko et al., 2012).

During this period, a lot of technologies were developed, amongst them: the launch of a series of varieties adapted to different soil and climate conditions; the technology of soil mapping and production environments dedicated to planting the right variety in the right place; plant nutrition and soil remediation; plant protection; large improvements of mechanization in sugarcane cutting, loading, and transportation; and geoprocessing information systems. As an example of this range of technologies, today more than 200 commercial varieties from three main Brazilian sugarcane breeding programs are planted in the cane fields.

Following this huge growing yield period, the Brazilian sugar industry is facing today a yield problem. In the last harvest seasons between 2010 and 2017 the productivity per hectare has experienced ups and downs, with a tendency to reach a lower plateau. During this period successive crop seasons have experienced low yields, not only because of adverse climate conditions, but also economic and technology adoption.

Concerning technology adoption, various researchers and specialized market analysts have been discussing this yield plateau resulting from a lack of innovation (Nyko et al., 2012). Of course innovation is a cause, but what is happening to the Brazilian sugar industry is also what is called “lack of application of the known technology.” The industry is paying a penalty for the impact of the huge and fast increase in the planting area in the mid-2000 decade (2005). Several sugar mills were set in areas with adverse soil and climate conditions, using an inadequate source of nurseries, and worse, applying technologies in a nonappropriate manner. The objective in this chapter is to review some of these agronomic technologies, and show the way to use them.

1.2 Soil Mapping and Sugarcane Cultivation Environment

Soil mapping systems were widely used in the Brazilian sugar industry in the late 1970s as a base for the Proalcool Program to choose places to install sugar mills and alcohol distilleries. These maps were derived from soil maps produced by National Center of Agronomic Research and Teaching, i.e., the São Paulo State soil survey (CNEPA/SNPA, 1960) and National Service of Soil Survey and Conservation (Serviço Nacional de Levantamento e Conservação de Solos—SNLCS) later absorbed by EMBRAPA. Later, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), São Paulo State has produced soil maps with the same purpose. These maps were presented in a scale of 1:100,000 to 1:250,000, where only a few details of the soil types could be properly evaluated, but for the final purpose they were used in an appropriate manner. After this large use, the sugar industry felt that was necessary to use the soil maps in their daily operations. Soil scientists from universities and research institutes were hired by the companies to produce soil maps according to the old EMBRAPA soil key. At that time (1980s) the sugar mill agronomists had no idea of the soil scale map that would be adequate for daily field operations. As a result of this, several soil maps were produced using an inadequate scale. It was common to find no correlation i.e., soil types and tonnes of cane per hectare, when cross-referencing these two basic parameters.

Based on this fact in 1992, the Copersucar Technology Center (CTC—presently the Sugarcane Technology Center) decided initiate a research program dedicated to studying soil types and their correlation with yields of different sugarcane varieties. As a result of this large data bank study, in 1994 a system was launched called “Environments of Production” for sugarcane crops (Joaquim et al., 1994), where the different soil types were grouped in five classes A, B, C, D, and E (where “A” equaled high yield potential and “E” low yield potential). Later, with the inclusion of climate zones, this system became called “Edaphic Climatic Environments of Production” when the final concept was presented (Joaquim et al., 1997; Bertolani et al., 2009; Donzelli et al., 2010; Joaquim et al., 2010; Bertolani et al., 2015). The final system is based on detailed soil maps grouped in soil classes (A, B, C, D, and E), and several climate zones existing in the sugarcane regions in Brazil (climate zones I, II, III, IV, and V for Center South Brazil, where “I” equals the best climate zone, and “V” is the worst climate zone) (Table 1.1).

Table 1.1

Expected Yield Potential for Different Edaphic Climatic Environments of Production

Edaphic Climatic Environments of Production^a
Climatic Zones	Environments of Production (Soils)
	A	B	C	D	E
I	101	96	90	85	78
II	97	91	86	82	75
III	91	87	82	77	70
IV	87	83	78	74	67
V	82	78	74	70	64

^aYield average (5 cuts).

Source: Joaquim, A.C., Donzelli, J.L., Quadros, A.C., Sarto, L.F., 1997. Potencial de Produção de cana-de-açúcar. In: VII Seminário Copersucar De Tecnologia Agronômica. Centro de Tecnologia Copersucar, Anais, Piracicaba/SP, pp. 68–76; Bertolani, F.C., Joaquim, A.C., Donzelli, J.L., 2015. Sistema de Classificação Edafoclimática para a Cultura de Cana-de-açúcar. In: Sistema de P...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Quotes
• List of Contributors
• Biography
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Sugarcane Cultivation: Soil Mapping, Environmental Effects, and New Sugarcane Varieties
• Chapter 2. Sugarcane Trash as Feedstock for Biorefineries: Agricultural and Logistics Issues
• Chapter 3. The Use of Synthetic Biology Tools in Biorefineries to Increase the Building Blocks Diversification
• Chapter 4. Technological Advancements in 1G Ethanol Production and Recovery of By-Products Based on the Biorefinery Concept
• Chapter 5. Bioconversion of Hemicellulose Into Ethanol and Value-Added Products: Commercialization, Trends, and Future Opportunities
• Chapter 6. Second Generation Ethanol Production: Potential Biomass Feedstock, Biomass Deconstruction, and Chemical Platforms for Process Valorization
• Chapter 7. Sugarcane Vinasse, Molasses, Yeast Cream: Agricultural, Environmental, and Industrial Aspects
• Chapter 8. Valorization of By-Products Following the Biorefinery Concept: Commercial Aspects of By-Products of Lignocellulosic Biomass
• Chapter 9. Nanocelluloses From Sugarcane Biomass
• Chapter 10. Techno-Economic Analysis of Cogeneration of Heat and Electricity and Second-Generation Ethanol Production from Sugarcane
• Chapter 11. Life Cycle Assessment of Sugarcane Biorefinery: Energy Use, Environmental Assessment, and Other Sustainability Indicators
• Chapter 12. Comparative Account of Carbon Footprints of Burning Gasoline and Ethanol
• Chapter 13. Global Ethanol Market: Commercialization Trends, Regulations, and Key Drivers
• Chapter 14. Evolution in Public Policies Designed to Develop the Sugar–Energy Industry in Brazil
• Index