Evaluation of Sugarcane Cutting Residues for the Production of Solid Biofuel

Abstract

Due to pollution and environmental deterioration, man needs to find other alternatives as energy sources, including biomass. The present research was conducted to evaluate the sugarcane-cutting resi-due; this biomass has no use and can be burned to obtain energy. Manufacturing pellets reduces the environmental impact of animals and plants on crops. To characterize, for the first time, physical treat-ments such as cleaning raw materials are carried out, drying, grinding, and sieving to have the optimal characteristics to be used in the pelleting stage. Then a proximal analysis was conducted based on the ASTM -3172-89 Standard and the determination of the calorific value using the ASTM D-240 Standard. Likewise, the pellets were analyzed in their final stage. This method analyzes the parameters of mois-ture content, volatile material, ashes, and fixed carbon.  It was obtained as a result that for the raw mate-rial, the % Hydrogen=3.543, %Volatile matter =86.53, %Cz=6.939, % Fixed carbon= 2.987, and Calorific value= 15.702 KJ/kg; and for the elaboration of the pellets it was carried out using the mixing propor-tion, 53% sugarcane cutting residue with 47% binder, this was determined using the proximal analysis and the determination of the calorific value, from which the results of % Humidity=5,768 were obtained., %Volatile matter=82.313, %Ash=6.376, %fixed carbon= 5.543 and Calorific value= 15.635 KJ/kg. Sugarcane cutting residues meet the physicochemical properties to be used as raw material in producing solid bio-fuel.