Shyna Maes
Sugarcane is the most produced agricultural commodity in tropical and subtropical regions, where it is primarily used for the production of sugar and ethanol. The latter is mostly used to produce alcoholic beverages as well as low carbon biofuel. Despite well-established production chains, their respective residues and by products present unexploited potentials for further product portfolio diversification. These fully or partially untapped product streams are a) Sugarcane trash or straw that usually remain on the fields after mechanized harvest, b) Ashes derived from bagasse combustion in cogeneration plants, c) Filter cake from clarification of the sugarcane juice, d) Vinasse which is the liquid residue after distillation of ethanol, and e) Biogenic CO2 emitted during bagasse combustion and ethanol fermentation. Utilizing these leftover biomass components to create novel cascade processes might lower final disposal costs dramatically, increase energy output, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and broaden the product range offered by sugarcane mills. In addition to reviewing cutting edge sugarcane bio refinery concepts, this study also makes novel suggestions for increasing the value of leftover biomass. This study is divided into four main sections: i) Cascading use of organic residues for making carboxylates, bio plastic, and bio-fertilizer; ii) Recovering untapped organic residues through anaerobic digestion to make biogas; iii) Valorizing biogenic CO2 sources; and iv) Recovering silicon from bagasse ashes.