Bagasse Storage Donal Day and Benito Stradi Audubon Sugar Institute Audubon Sugar Institute Factory Operations Seminar 2007

The Problem  Decreases in fiber levels experienced at factories can lead to shortages in bagasse and a decreased capacity for mills, shortages that can no longer economically be made up with alternative fuels.  Further pressure can be expected on bagasse supplies in the future with the development of new uses for this energy source, ranging from electricity generation to alcohol production.

The Goal  Determine the rate of deterioration of bagasse between operating seasons  Determine whether there is any loss of fuel value on storage

Methodology  Quantify the changes in composition of biomass (i. e. carbon content) of fiber in bagasse over a season of storage.  The specific approach will be to investigate storage under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Methods  Monitor the temperature and humidity evolution inside a bagasse pile over time  Determine changes in bagasse composition with time  Construction of a “split” pile that contains aerobic and anaerobic segments

Setting up the Bagasse Pile

Bagasse storage set-up

Temperature and Humidity Relative Humidity (%) Time (hr) 27 days –no essential difference between piles

Initial findings…  After 27 days both piles reached the same humidity levels  Both piles had 100 % saturation as result of the rain. The aerated pile was wet but the non-aerated pile was really wet.  The temperature in the non- aerated pile is lower but with the high humidity feels hotter

Composition Changes

Initial findings  The non aerated bagasse seemed to retain water longer  Monitoring of variation in composition will be continued and evaluation of heating values will conducted for more complete analysis  There does not seem to be any rapid changes in composition on storage

In Progress  Sampling and monitoring composition of the bagasse will continue until next season  Calorific value of bagasse stored at different conditions will be determined

Acknowledgements  Dr. G. DeQueiroz  Eng. Victor Bazan  Joy Yoshina  ASI analytical facility and mechanical staff without whose efforts the work would not be possible  The research was supported by a grant from the American Sugar Cane League