A comparative study between sugarcane bagasse gassification and direct combustion during energy production in sugar mills

Abstract

Bagasse is one of the byproducts of the sugar processing industry. It is a dry fibrous material left after extracting juice from sugarcane and it is usually burnt in boilers to produce electricity and steam. Direct combustion is commonly used but it is an inefficient conversion technology and results into high emissions of greenhouse gases. Due to this, gasification is presented as a promising alternative.This project provides a comparative study between gasification and direct combustion of sugarcane bagasse. A simulation was performed using ASPEN Plus to determine effect of different parameters on gasification process. The results for ultimate and proximate analysis of bagasse were used to calculate the calorific value of the bagasse. The dry flue gas compositions from combustion of both bagasse and syngas were determined and compared. The results obtained in this study showed that gasification is a source of cleaner energy as compared to combustion.