Sugarcane vinasse: Evaluation of their use as an alternative fuel

An alternative to the energy matrix diversification and leveraging the use of renewable sources is the energy recovery of wastes. In this sense, sugarcane vinasse is a potential by-product of the sugar-energy sector and it is estimated a generation of 10 to 15 liters per liter of ethanol produced. The study developed in this work evaluated the use of vinasse as an alternative fuel, aiming at expanding the sustainability of the ethanol production process. Vinasse in natura samples were provided by a facility located in the State of São Paulo for the analyses of total solids (16,887 mg/L) and density (1.009 g/mL). Through literature data, the higher heating value on dry basis and the lower heating value on wet basis were estimated. Using data from the sugarcane harvests from 1987/1988 to 2019/2020, a mathematical model was developed capable of estimating the quantity of vinasse produced for 2019/2020 harvest (287 to 430 thousand cubic meters), being its environmentally adequate destination an important challenge to the sugar-energy sector. (author)