UNAERP study contributes to reducing the volume of vinasse in ethanol production

The development of energy integration technologies to reduce the volume of
vinasse, the main residue of the sugar and alcohol industry, generated during
ethanol production, is the subject of study in the Graduate Program in
Environmental Technology at Unaerp, in contribution to agribusiness.

Developed by master’s student Gianpaolo Barci, the research seeks to assign a
greater value to the waste that is currently discarded in the field through the
fertigation technique. In addition, the intention is to solve an important problem
for the mills, since the volume of vinasse derived from fermentation can
currently reach a volume 15 times greater than that of alcohol produced.

The amount of vinasse generated on average in Brazil is high: approximately
170 billion liters. Also, the residue is rich in potassium and its excessive
application can cause changes in the chemical properties of the soil.

According to Barci, distillation, the process used in the production of alcohol, is
one of the least efficient unit operations that exist, since about 90% of the
energy inserted in the distillation column to separate the components is lost in
the condenser, being dissipated into the environment. In this context, the
energy would be reused in another operation, which consists of reducing the
volume of stillage via vaporization.

INNOVATION IN AGRIBUSINESS – The controlled use of vinasse is recognized
as a good practice in sugarcane cultivation, from an environmental and
productive point of view. In this scenario, Barci highlights the importance of
developing innovative technologies that contribute to reducing the volume of
waste.

The researcher explains that even the most modern distilleries generate
between 9 and 10 liters of vinasse for each liter of ethanol, a value that is still
very high. “With the evaporation system, we were able to reduce this from 15 to
1, 6 to 1, 3 to 1, we are able to even reduce it from 1 to 1. This has never been
done, with a lower cost and using energy that would be used in the plant itself,
with no increase”, he says.

According to the coordinator of the Graduate Program in Environmental
Technology, professor Murilo Daniel de Mello Innocentini, the studies
developed at the Institution aimed at agribusiness seek to develop technological
alternatives to solve real problems of the plants, and, at the same time,
environmental ones.

The researcher emphasizes that the study seeks to reduce the volume of
vinasse at its origin, considering not only an environmental bias, but also an
economic one. “It is necessary to dimension equipment, process, energy
optimization, so that the plant can use this technology, otherwise it will simply
remain in this scientific environment and we want to transform this into applied
technological knowledge”, points out Innocentini.

Check out the program about the study produced by TV Unaerp.