Sugar cane by-products as

biobased commodities

Tecnicaña, 2015

Renewable energy, sustainability and environment

18 09 2015, Jan E.G. van Dam

Outline and Introduction

FBR-WUR

Biobased economy developments in EU

Markets for biomass (near future)

● 10-30 Mt pellets

● Prices 130-160 € /ton pellet (@Rotterdam)

Biomass sourcing and imports of bio-commodities

Sugar cane by-products

● Challenge pellets from sugar cane residues

● Quality price

NO SUGAR CANE IN THE NETHERLANDS!

Wageningen UR

Domain: healthy food & living environment

Extensive international network

Forty locations, main hubs in Brazil, China and Chile

…to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life…

Wageningen UR

‘to explore the potential of nature to improve the

quality of life’

Research

Top 3 in our domains

Top 100 worldwide in university ranking

Exploitation and valorisation of research

Education

> 11,000 students

> 6,000 faculty and staff

Turnover € 710 million

Organisational structure

Wageningen International

IMARES

Wageningen Academy

RIKILT

Food & Biobased Research

Livestock Research Central

Veterinary Institute

Alterra LEI Centre for

Development Innovation

Plant Research International Applied Plant

Research

Agrotechnology& Food Science

Animal Sciences Environmental Sciences

Social SciencesPlant Sciences

Agrotechnology& Food Sciences

Group

Animal Sciences Group

Environmental Sciences Group

Social Sciences

Group

Plant Sciences Group

Supervisory Board

Executive Board

Concern Staff Facilities & Services

Wageningen University

Research Institutes

Food & Biobased Research

Agrotechnology & Food Sciences

Agrotechnology & Food Sciences

Group

Food & Biobased Research

Market oriented R&D approach

Connection with Wageningen University

Up-scaling: from lab to pilot

From idea to processes and products

Biobased Products

Biobased chemicals

● Alcohols and acids (lactic acid, butanol and isopropanol)

● Biohydrogen

● Diols and diacids (furandicarboxylic acid and isosorbide/isoidide)

● Monomers for radical polymerisation (acrylic acid, itaconic acid and methacrylic acid)

● Bioaromatics based on lignin, carbohydrates and amino acids

● Fatty acid derivatives

● Fine chemicals (peptides and glucosamine glycans)

Results Biobased Products

New sustainable production

routes and process development

for biorefinery based on

biomass feed-stock

Development of new biobased

platform chemicals

New biobased performance

materials and product

development: e.g. bioplastics,

composites, resins and coatings

Biobased Products

Biorefinery

● Fresh biomass

● Lignocellulosic crops

● Aquatic biomass

Biobased chains and logistics

● Chain design

● Policy advice

Biobased Products

Biobased materials

● Natural polymers – cellulose, starch, lignin, protein

● Polymers made by micro-organisms such as PHAs (including PHB) and polypeptides

● Polymers made from biobased building blocks, such as (poly)lactic acid (PLA), furans (FDCA/PEF) and isosorbide

Expertises Biobased Products

Sustainable logistics & chains

Biomass production and pre-treatment

Proteins, lipids and carbohydrates

Biobased materials

Biobased chemicals

Bio-fuel technologies

Products and Markets

Developing:

● Added value products from Bio-based residues

● Added functionality products

● Packaging

● Textile

● Fibres

Bioplastics

Fibres &

products

Biocomposites

Bulk & fine chemicals

Paper and board

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EU Policy for sustainable development

HORIZON 2020

● Long term solutions

● Combat climate change

● Renewable resources

● CO2 neutral, abate greenhouse gas emissions

● Imports of biomass

● Brazil, Malaysia, Ukraine, Colombia..

● Bio-commodities

Bioeconomy and biobased economy

Circular BioEconomy

EU political debate

Thermal power CO2 reduction

● Electricity and heat (co-firing ~20% pellets)

● Gasification and combustion

Int. biomass sourcing and trading (IBST)

World bioenergy association (WBA)

Biomass to chemicals, materials and 2nd generation fuels

Constraints and potential supply

Land use (ILUC)

Biobased economy developments

Global Biomass market developments

New Biocommodities

● Raw materials, products or intermediate products that are

fungible and being traded in bulk volumes world-wide. Consist

of selected parts of a crop or extracted and derived

components. The composition is well known and defined.

Commodities should be easily tradable and storable. Examples:

wheat/flower, soy beans/soy oil, wood/pellets, bioethanol/lactic

acid.

Sourcing and sustainability of supply

Biomass handling and storage

Biomass to power and materials

Transition to the bio-based economy

• Total annual growth of dry weight biomass by photosynthesis in green plants estimated 175-250 billion tons (175-250 Gton / 2500-3500 EJ)

• For human consumption (food, feed, non-food) 6 Gt is harvested each year (or 2.5-3.5% of total plant production)

• Current world wide land use: • 10-12% cultivated terrestrial surface• or 50% of the suitable arable land area• Inefficient use and low productivity

If 15% of the Global energy demand for human needs in 2050 is provided by biomass:

10 Gtons (160 EJ) is needed

Including population growth to ca 10 billionand

increase in standards of living to current W. Europe

Transition to the bio-based economy

Estimate world biomass demand in 2050

Food/feed 10 Gton biomass for 3 billion ton

Energy: 10 Gton equivalent to 160 EJ

Chemical industry: 1 Gton for 0.3 Gton product

Materials 4 Gton

Total 25 Gton (10-14%)

Transition to the bio-based economy

• Big challenge to make enough biomass available

• How to change to the bio-based economy sustainably?

• There is not one strategy………..

• Required: sophisticated combination of resources and processes leading to defined value added products; precision agriculture;

• Mobilizing biomass.... no waste!

Food

Biomass production

1st Agro logisticsFood pretreatment

Food productionConversion

Non-

food:• Feed

• Compost

• Waste

management.

Agri sourcesAgro-food productionBy products & waste

Logistics&storage

productionImports

Conversion Production

$

$

$

Biobased

Products• Biobased

materials

• Green

chemicals

• Bio-fuels

• Bio-energy

ProductionPerformance materialsBase&platform chemicalsPerformance chemicalsBio Energy

Pre-treatment & conversion

Bio-based economy: linking of markets

Competing claims biomass resources

Sustainable production

food supply security

land use (ILUC)

avoid deforestation

promote rural development

Rapid expansion of demand for energy purposes

DEVELOPMENT OF BIOREFINERY

EU Biobased economy

Policy intentions : Market demands 650 Mt (in EU-27) for 2020

Up to 50-100 Mt biomass trade imports

● Heat and electricity lignocellulose

● 2nd generation

● Ethanol

● Oils for biodiesel

● Yet fuel

● Chemicals (not included)

Bio-based economy Opportunities

• Value addition in materials, and ‘green’ chemicals

• sufficient renewable resources available for

– food

– feed

– energy

– materials

– chemical industry

• Position of residues as biocommodity in the bioeconomy?

Biobased chemical industry

Now mainly petrochemical based (platform chemicals: Methane C1; Ethene C2; Propene C3; Butene C4; BTX)

Biobased platform chemicals production can be produced from biomass (carbohydrates, lignin, glycerol) by thermomechanical processes (Fisher Tropsch):

C6H12O6 6 CO + 6 H2

4 CO + 8 H2 2 C2H4 + 4 H2O

• Agroresidues of food and non-food crops

– sugar cane bagasse / by-products

– palm oil residues

– cotton stalks

– rice straw / wheat straw / hulls

– corn cobs

– coconut husk / cocoa / coffee residues

– jute fibre and other fibre crops

– eucalypt bark

– verge grasses

– bamboo

Potential biocommodities

Sugar (C6 / C5) platform

Commercial status

Unused biomass resources

Agricultural crops Agricultural

residues

Food industry wastes

Forestry crops Forestry residues

Black liquor

Waste paper

Animal waste Manure

Municipal solid waste Sewage

Marine crops

Sugar cane residues

Major global commodity

Sugar Cane production

● Brazil, India, China, Cuba, Pakistan, Thailand, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, USA

The Netherlands / EU large importer of biomass

Development of biobased economy

● Bio-energy

● Green chemicals

SUGAR CANE production

(FAO 2013)Country Production (ton) development %

Brazil 739.267.042 + 39.4

India 341.200.000 + 18.2

China 125.536.000 + 6.7

Thailand 100.096.000 + 5.3

Pakistan 63.749.900 + 3.4

Mexico 61.182.077 + 3.3

Colombia 34.876.332 = 1.9

Indonesia 33.700.000 + 1.8

Philippines 31.874.000 = 1.7

Australia 27.136.082 - 1.4

USA 27.905.943 - 1.4

Guatemala 26.334.667 + 1.4

Argentina 23.700.000 = 1.2

Vietnam 20.018.400 + 1.1

South Africa 18.000.000 - 1.0

Egypt 16.100.000 = 0.8

Cuba 14.400.000 - 0.7

Total world 1.877.105.112 100

Sugar cane processing chain

Growing

● biomass (leaves)

Harvesting

● biomass (leaves and tops/ trash / straw)

Processing

● sugar

● bagasse / molasse / filter cake (cachaza)

Storage, expedition

(Exports)

Bioethanol / e.a vinasse

Sugar cane by-products

Simplified scheme sugar cane production

Sugar cane residues

Primary resiues (at the field) :

● Fresh leaves (7 t)

● Tops (6 t)

● Straw and dry leaves (8 t)

Secondary residues

● Bagasse

● Molasse (35% sucrose)

● Filter cake (cachaza)

Vinasse

%

Cellulose 40-45

Hemicellulose 25-27

Lignin 20-22

Other(sugar /

protein)

7-9

Ash 1-3

Global mass balance

sugar cane production

Field 1st

cleaningsugar factory

%

Cane 100 70-80

Residues 23-28 5-7 5-7

Water 60

Fibre 10

Soluble solids

10

filter cake ca 4

molasse ca 3

sugar 10-11

bagasse 23-25

Potential interesting components

Lipids● Triglycerides

● Unsaponifiable lipids / wax

Carbohydrates● Xylan

● Cellulose

Proteins

Organic acids,

Phenolics, lignin/ tannins

Minerals

Uses cane residues (2)

Energy and thermal conversion

● Briquettes / pellets

● Pyrolysis

● Biodiesel

Activated carbon

● odor / waste water cleaning

Composite materials

● filler in thermoset resins

● building materials

Textile yarns

● Viscose / modal

Application options Bagasse

Energy pellets / briquettes

● Pretreatments / Washing

● Compaction (bale pressing)

● Pelletizing / briquetting

Torrefied pellets / briquettes

Torwash (pellets / briquettes)

● ECN, Petten NL

Application options

Pyrolysis oil (+ char)

● Drying (<15% moisture)

● Shredding (<30 mm)

● Low dust and fines

BTG demo-line Malaysia

2t / hr dry input

fast pyrolysis

(50-60% yield)

Biomass handling

Storage and transport (pellets / dust)

● Health and safety

● Dust explosion

● Moisture and self heating

Removal of minerals, proteins

Drying

Compacting

Sugar cane field residues

At the field the green (dry) leaves and tops (trash) are produced as primary crop residues.

Per hectare 6 tons of tos, 7 tons of green leaves and 8 tons of straw and dry leaves are produced or approximately 28% of the total biomass weight at an average productivity of 72 tons dry weight per ha per anpnum.

Part of this biomass is currently used as animal feed or fuel for domestic use, or left at the field to form organic compost.

Harvestable biomass (10-15 t dm net)? Nutrients (NPK)

Sugar cane whole crop harvest

Trash useful biomass source (ca 25% )

● Green leaves and tops (Cane Leaf Matter / CLM)

● Dry leaves

CO2 driven (greenhouse gas abatement)

Market in Europe (pellets)

● Wood pellets @ 170€/t or 9-10 €/GJ

Alternative uses (fibres cellulose / pyrolysis oil / torrefaction)

Effects of biomass harvest

Relative high ash (K,Ca, Mg..) and protein

Return of nutrients (NPK) and soil carbon

Options for whole crop harvesting

● Post harvest collection

● combined harvesting

● Whole crop harvest / separation at mill

Juice extraction (aconitic acid recovery, protein & fermentable sugars)

Solids / pellets with reduced ash

Sugar factory (secondary) residues 1

Bagasse the main solid waste

sugar cane contains almost 25%

Now used to fuel plant operations by (inefficient) burning. The calorific value of bagasse at 50% humidity is 7640 kJ/kg.

Alternative uses in:

● paper pulp production / cellulose

● particle boards

● furfural production.

Possible uses for bagasse

Cellulose Matrix

Sugar factory (secondary) residues 2

The molasses for conversion by a biotechnological approach, since its composition allows easy fermentation(35% sucrose, 10% other sugars). It also contains the minerals and probiotics that stimulate micro-organisms to grow. It is commonly used for the production of ethanol. Per ton of cane approximately 30 kg molasse is retrieved

The filter cake or cachaza now to animal feed or fertilizer. Protein rich (15% dry weight) with waxes, oil (phytosterols) and resin fractions makes it interesting for other uses (surfactants, pharma). Each ton of cane yields 40 kg cachaza.

Residues of Ethanol fermentation

Ethanol from sugar cane yields vinasse,

and yeast (Saccharomyces)

Disposal of vinasse, is a major environmental problem. The black liquid that is produced at a 12-15 times larger amount than ethanol is a mixture of water and organic (pentosans, phenolics) and inorganic compounds (potash). The liquid has a high BOD (biological oxygen demand). The heating value (60% dry solids) is 7.600 kJ/kg.

Per hl of ethanol circa 7 kg recovered yeast biomass is produced. This yeast fraction is rich in protein and vitamins (B).

SWOT Colombian Sugar Cane

Highest productivity per ha

Concentrated production

area

Logistics and infrastructure

in place

Modern operational mills

Distance to harbour

Voluminous biomass

High ash

Added value for by products

Bulk biomass exports to EU

Innovative technologies

Competition other

lignocellulose biomass

Low world market sugar

price

Conservative stakeholders

Valorisation pyramid

Economic feasibility

• Market demands

• Technical performance / availability

• Cost of processing / modification

• Acceptable costs range of treatment

• Investment for implementation

• Economic scale of biomass processing

Side streams

Feed

Paracetamol, 40.000 €/ton, 0.17 ktonDM

Agro feedstockTransportation fuels

ChemicalsBasic food

Energy

(Bio)energy

Meat

Processed food

Materials

Volume versus price of productsin NL

Bos, van den Oever, Meesters, 2014

Animal feed

Transportation fuels

Agro feedstockBasic food

Side streams

Magnification

Conclusions

EU Imports of sugar cane biomass is considered attractive from countries that have a large surplus capacity of sugar cane production

Imports from South and Central American countries with high productivity of sugar cane will be most suitable for tracing feedstock supplies

Conclusions

The primary residues released at the field (trash, straw) are suitable as biomass feedstock, when collection systems have been developed. The (wet) green parts are sensitive for decay and require methods for cleaning, densification and preservation.

Methods for pretreatment of primary residues need to be installed (washing, pelletizing, pyrolysis, HTU)

Conclusions

The secondary residues (bagasse / molasse), released at the sugar mill, are collected in bulk quantities and find limited added value. The bulk density of bagasse restricts its use as biomass feedstock for exports. On site conversion of the biomass in more concentrated – more energy dense forms is required

Conversion into transportable and tradable commodities, such as ligno-cellulose pulp, particle board, pyrolysis oil, ethanol or furfural will be required for economic operation

Conclusions

Much interest for Biomass imports for bioeconomy in EU

Companies are looking for alternative sourcing of biomass

Sugar cane residues are attractive

Companies seek to transfer technology to partners in Colombia

Match-making options to explore (Economic Missions)

Conclusions

• Organization of sustainable supply chains needed

• R&D efforts and exchange of multidisciplinary expertise needed to implement innovations

• Cooperation between Colombia and EU offers opportunities for the future of sustainable bioeconomy and CO2 neutral production

Thank youfor

your attention

Gracias

por su atención