Ethanol production from sugarcane is emerging as a sustainable and high-value solution in Indian agriculture. In this Agriyuvaa blog, we explore the complete process — from sugarcane cultivation to ethanol extraction — highlighting its role in boosting farmer income and reducing environmental impact.
Sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum belong to the Poaceae family, a crop of global importance that is grown in tropical and subtropical regions between latitudes 36.7°N and 31.0°S.
As people moved from New Guinea to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, it has been spread. In India, Uttar Pradesh is indeed the largest producer of Sugarcane,due to this UP is known as Sugar Bowl of India. In terms of area, UP has the largest land area dedicated to sugarcane cultivation, with a vast acreage of 28.53 lakh hectares. The total sugarcane production in UP is also the highest in the country, estimated at 2,348 lakh tonnes.
Popular sugarcane varieties in India include CoS 8436, CoJ 85, Co 118, and CoJ 64. Other varieties like CoH 119, Co 238, and CoJ 88 are also widely cultivated.
Hardy varieties like Saccharum barberi, Saccharin sinense as well as the highly valued Saccharum officinarum, which is renowned for its high sucrose content, are examples of commercial sugarcane varieties.
Bioethanol is an alcohol made by microbial fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar- or starch-bearing plants such as corn, sugarcane, sweet sorghum or lignocellulosic biomass.
The Indian government has permitted direct ethanol manufacture from sugarcane juice to limit the production of excess sugar, import less crude oil, and support renewable energy.
Making Bioethanol from Sugarcane Molasses:
- Cultivation and Harvest: Sugarcane permits several harvests from the same plot of land before replanting because of its high per-hectare production and ratooning tendency.
- Extraction of juice: Mechanical rollers are used to crush the cane stalks to extract the juice which is high in sucrose.
- Concentration of juice : During distillation, to save energy, the cleaned juice is concentrated into syrups.
- Preparation of fermentation: Concentrated juice and clarified juice are combined to make a feedstock and cooled before fermentation.
- Fermentation: The reactors, microorganisms including Zymomonas mobilis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae convert the material into ethanol.
- Distillation Process:By distilling the fermented broth from other ingredients ethanol is extracted.By molecular sieving yields process anhydrous enthanol is fit for use of as fuel.
Bagasse can also be utilized to produce 2G ethanol or biodegradable materials like paper. - Generation of Vinasse: Distillation produces vinasse, a liquid byproduct that has a high organic content and pH of 4.0 to 4.5 which is acidic in nature. Vinasse is the final byproduct of biomass distillation.
Process of turning sugarcane bagasse to bioethanol:
1.Fermentation Efficiency: During Pre-treatment processes inhibitor molecules are created which affects the overall economics of the process. For better ethanol yields, process parameters must be done.
2. Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF): SSF process will increase productivity and cut expenses. To improve ethanol production, microbial strains such as Kluveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and enzymatic cocktail are essential.
Benefits:
- Better Profits: Using extra sugar to make ethanol gives more money per ton of sugarcane than selling the sugar abroad. It’s a smarter and more stable way to earn.
- Lower CO Emissions: As ethanol blends in gasoline use less fossil fuel, they lead to a large reduction in CO emissions. For example, 5,766.8 kg COz/day might be reduced by using a 5.8% ethanol blend in Mexican gasoline.
- Enhances Engine Power: Ethanol can also enhance a vehicle’s performance. It is a fuel that generates more power in higher-compression engines.
- Reduces Greenhouse Gas (GHG): Emissions by upto 90% when compared to fossil fuels, performing better than any other liquid biofuel produced today on a commercial scale.
Conclusion:
The generation of bioethanol from sugarcane bagasse and molasses, the byproducts of sugarcane processing, has a lot of promise that it will save the environment from pollution. To maximize the production of bioethanol from sugarcane bagasse, creative and economical bioconversion techniques are important. The technique of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) is emphasized as a potentially effective way to increase efficiency.
Try to reduce the use of chemical fuels instead adopt Bio ethanol (natural fuel) which is extracted from Sugarcane.
“BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION NOT PART OF THE POLLUTION”.
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