Implementation of a process unit for energy generation from vinasse and integration in a ethanol production biorefinary

Abstract

Great efforts are being made towards energetic optimization of bioethanol production process in Brazil seeking to improve its sustainability and productivity. In this context, the anaerobic digestion of vinasse, the most abundant effluent from a sugarcane distillery, appears as a possibility. Through this process it is possible to combine the energy recovery from biogas in the same time in which to get a better fertilizer for disposal in the field. This work intends to implement a process unit for energy production using vinasse as substrate. Biogas will come from anaerobic digestion of vinasse in two-stage system (composed by two-phase bioreactor that uses acidogenic and methanogenic bacteria) to produce vapour and to use the vapour in the process, as well as, to evaluate the use of biogas as energy source in order to reduce the moisture of the bagasse used as fuel in the boiler. Mathematical modelling and simulation of the unit operations that take place in this process will be carried out. Afterwards the developed models will be coupled to the 1G ethanol biorefinary and simulated in the EMSO platform, evaluating three different scenarios. It will be implemented a hydric balance of the plant, as well as, the technical, economic and environmental analysis of the process. This research project is linked to the FAPESP thematic project entitle "Simulation of 1st generation sugarcane biorefinery in EMSO platform". (AU)