© reve EXTENDED SUGARCANE BI PII: $0961-9534(96)00050-5 Biomass and Bioenergy Vol. 11, No.6 pp. 41-449, 1996 Copyright 1996 Elsevier Science Lid Printed in Great Brain. All rights reserved 0961-9534/96 $15.00 4 0.00 IOMASS UTILISATION FOR EXPORTABLE ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION IN MAURITIUS REV P. Br EEHARRY Head of Sugar Technology Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius (Received 9 February 1996: revised 29 May 1996; accepted 5 July. 1996) Abstract—The availability and exportable electricity-production potemtial of bagasse and sugarcane residues are estimated for various technologies which determine steam production and utilisation at cogenerating sugar factories. Almost $65 kg of fibrou: bagasse at 50% moisture) are potentially available for of cane milled. A “bagasse proper only™ strategy would ul potentially produce between 60 t0 180 kW and leaves as a bagasse extender would utili hi of elect lise another ‘output could range between 146 and 401 kW hjt of millable fibrous sugar cane biomass is utilised has the potential of pro Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd, Keywords—Sugarcane biomass; ex cane residues, portable electricity 1, INTRODUCTION LL. Background Although the relative contribution of the Mauritian sugar industry to Gross Domestic Product has considerably declined over the last decade, the sector remains one of the largest net foreign exchange earners of the island. Both government and the privately owned sugar industry agree that to sustain the viability of the sugar industry, value added from within the sector has to be generated from enhanced use of the sugarcane by-products.’ Use of bagasse and cane residues (cane agricultural wastes) for power generation offers the opportunity to increase the value added while diversifying revenue sources. Exploitation of these renew- able energy sources could reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and help ‘meet the rapidly increasing demand for electric- ity while reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. The emphasis in this paper is on cane residue availability and its potential as a fuel for exportable electricity production. 1.2, The Mauritian sugar industry Ever since its introduction some 350 years ago, sugar cane planting has been the major al is sugarcane biomass (expressed as kilogrammes of F exportable electricity production for every tonne tilise 28% ofthe fibrous cane biomass and can icity per tonne of millable cane, Use of cane tops F 32% of the sugarcane biomass and the electricity cane, The extreme case where 100% of the oducing up to 678 kW hit of millable cane, production; bagasse; cane tops and leaves; trash: agricultural activity in Mauritius. The surface area under sugarcane cultivation has gradually increased and has stabilised at around 80,000 ha, thus occupying almost 40% of the island’s land area which represents 80% of the cultivable land area. During the last two decades the average yield has remained nearly stable at around 75 t/ha of cane resulting in an annual cane production of around 6,000,000 t and a total output of sugar of around 600,000 t during a normal year. Currently, there are 17 sugar factories in Mauritius with an average crushing rate of 125 tonnes of cane per hour (TCH) ranging from 60 TCH for the smallest factory to 250 TCH for the largest sugar factory. In addition to satisfying the energy requirements for sugar manufacture, 13 of the sugar factories currently produce excess bagasse which, when transformed into electricity for the national grid, represents around 8% of the annual electricity generated (945 GWh in 1994) 2. COGENERATION IN MAURITIUS 2.1, System development Traditionally, bagasse was burned in specially designed furnaces for raising process steam and442 for producing motive power for the manufac- ture of raw sugar. This activity was viewed more as a way of disposing of the bagasse to avoid additional handling cost rather than as a fuel-saving alternative; production efficiency and process optimisation for energy production were given very little attention. Due to the high cost of imported energy and, to some extent, concern about the environmental implications of using various sources of fossil energy, it was found imperative to review the use of bagasse and to optimise its energy potential; it has now become not only an energy source for the manufacture of raw sugar, but also an energy source which goes beyond the sugar factory boundaries. Sugar factories use bagasse to fire boilers for producing high-pressure steam that is expanded in back pressure or extraction steam turbines and exhausted at process conditions. Cogenera- tion and delivery of surplus power to the national grid has a long history in Mauritius. Beginning in 1956, adjustment of the steam balance and installation of a turbo alternator at RP. Beranny the St Antoine sugar factory enabled the production of exportable electricity. Other sugar factories followed suit and by the late 1960s almost 16 out of the 21 sugar factories (which existed then) were producing exportable electricity on an intermittent basis. With the exception of minor variations, all the sugar factories had adopted similar partially closed steam cycles (see Fig. 1). It was only at the beginning of the 1980s that condensing turbines were introduced at two sugar factories which led to improved steam cycles (see Fig. 2). In 1982 the Medine Sugar Estate installed a 10 MW cogeneration plant to deliver power to the grid continuously during the crushing season. In 1985, Flacq United Estates Limited, the country’s largest sugar factory, began exporting power year-round from a 22 MW cogeneration. plant fired with bagasse and coal. Coal was introduced for electricity production during weekend shut-downs and crop off-season when bagasse is not available. The installed capacity of such dual-fuel cogeneration plants in Mauritius is currently 37 Esha Beier 15-20MPs Live Stam >| >| he Sages eat fachinges i cae mits /O aw 0 20 30kW perence Mines mila cane she a , Seam contents 02-03 Ma ree Make-up Water { Oveow Produce Fig. 1. Cogeneration with conventional steam turbines,Extended sugarcane biomass utilisation in Mauritius 443 Exhaust Condensates HP. Steam 40-80 MPa LP. Steam 1.520 MPa Condenser Hex Exchangers TY 30- SOKWh per tonne rillable cane A Fig. 2. Cogeneration with condensing steam turbine. ‘out of a total of 300 MW. In 1994, almost 13% provided around 8.1% of the electricity. of the 945GWh of electricity generated in However, during the early 1970s, bagasse Mauritius was produced by sugar-industry provided almost 16% of the 140 GW h annual based bagasse/coal systems; bagasse alone electricity generated. Energy statistics for the Above Ground Suparcane Biomass Basis: 10001 (00% [Tile [tetas 7s ‘nis (cra on one ton tat tat a= 7 7 "es 1 \ ae ' ' “otf nace a \Sntuevereete SL Neeser ne ; SS ‘Water and vosrael {perinecone — 1 fbr smgorceme com Fag | Ipertammerhuve promt | Fig. 3. Sugarcane biomass components and bagasse equivalence,aus R.P. Ben period covering 1970-1993 clearly indicate that electricity production from bagasse has not kept pace with the rapidly growing electricity demand.’ Though efforts to increase the contribution of bagasse to the energy mix were initiated in the 1970s, the government's Bagasse Energy Development Programme (described in the next section) was not launched until the early 1990s, 2.2. Planned cogeneration projects Four sugar companies have recently started negotiations with the Central Electricity Board (utility) for the setting up of a total of 30 MW of bagasse-based power plants to supply a total of 64GWh of electricity annually. These facilities would supply electricity to the grid during the cane-crushing season only, but on a firm power basis for seven days a week and for around 160 days per year. The key ingredient to ‘modalities for energy contracting and pricing from independent power producers like Union Saint Aubin are laid down by the government's Bagasse Energy Development Program (BEDP).' The BEDP, formally adopted in 1991, seeks to: (1) capture available bagasse for elec- tricity production within an overall least-cost energy capacity expansion plan; and (2) promote technology development for efficient utilisation of sugar cane biomass for energy pro- duction emphasising cane residue exploitation. 3, SUGARCANE BIOMASS 3 Sugarcane biomass consists of four distinct fractions: (a) the underground rhizome and roots that facilitate development of the ratoons; (b) the cane stalk free of the tops and leaves is the millable cane processed for sugar and bagasse: (c) the green immature cane tops and Ieaves removed from the cane during harvest; and (d) the dead and dry leaves known as trash. Molasses and scum, by-products of cane Definitions Table |. Availability and bagasse e processing for sugar, are exploited for their biofuel potential and fertilising value, respect- ively. As is shown in Fig. 3, above-ground sugar cane biomass can be divided into three distinct fractions. The millable cane accounts for around 69% on a green weight basis, the cane tops and leaves account for another 21% and trash accounts for around 10% of the total above-ground sugarcane biomass. It should be noted that the relative fractions of the three components are typical for Mauritius; climatic conditions, varietal differences and agronomic factors are likely to influence the relative weights of each component. Alexander reports a relative weight fraction of 68.6% for the millable stems, 17.1% for the cane tops and leaves and 14.3% for the trash using data from Puerto Rico mainly. The nature and availability of sugarcane biomass (see Fig. 3) in Mauritius are further described below. Bagasse (or bagasse proper) is the fibrous material left after juice extraction from milled cane stalks and represents 21% of above- ground sugarcane biomass. In Mauritius. bagasse containing 50% moisture at a gross calorific value of 9.9 MJ/kg provides all the sugar factory energy requirements. Cane tops and leaves (CT and L) represent 20% of above-ground sugarcane biomass ‘These are generally not collected and left in the field as a soil conditioner except for a negligible amount used for animal feed. In cases where the cane fields are burnt prior to harvest, almost 90% of the CT and L is destroyed. Burning is on the rise in Mauritius as the costs associated with harvest are considerably reduced if the cane fields are burned prior to harvest. Trash or cane straw typically containing about 25% moisture is produced during the growth period of the cane plant. These consist of both attached and detached dry leaves representing about 10% of above-ground sugarcane biomass. Unlike cane tops and leaves. all the cane trash is completely incinerated if pre-harvest burning of fields is practised. squivalence of sugarcane residues ——* Bagasse equivalence (tonnes (h Above Moisture bagasse at 50% moisture Sugarcane ground sugarcane (% Millable content per tonne of biomass biomass) cane) a) green cane biomass) Bagasse 2 30 Ey 10 Cane tops and 2 30 0 06 leaves Trash 10 1s 2s 1s445 Extended sugarcane biomass utilisation in Mauritius Tarpstapuos jo Turpivar aaIdwoD WOME VUE uausyeasn saveM “sauigim, wirais uonDesix9 SuIs42puCD fostuos ouatouy orot seooro ‘ed W 0°8 PUE 0°9 UaKIEg saqiog aunssaud UBEEL u pur uonewoine aojduos pue a.0ge 241 paouequg AL souigam wars uonsene3 jeBryunus9 snonuruos pur sued oesz oro-seo ujsuspucs "Bg 0'9 Punose Tw aunssaid Joqlog __uuNN9eA snonuNUoS Jo UoHEIRponU! puE (jp) SE 2S paourapy UI Kwouoss auiqim ——_eaeas 105 waists om) “Kouaroya uoneiodens sete 090-0r'0 ways Bussuapuod "eaWW O'f punose re aunssaxd 42}109, ‘sxoudus 01 sorwuodeaa-sud “Sioway somnf adAL-aieId §— aEIpoWN, IL Paw oe ZTZOZ__saywasi 20 090 mojaq sounssosd Bunesado yaw su3Ioq po K|fe9UIH —_“ssormodmas ayo ajdrupenb “ euonuswwoy 1 - oss) Tainveaj woNeiauSe WPA sounww3j aon rojouaL assefinq 0} weaig —_uonduinsuo> vais s4ads ‘Souorbey ids TupeIouaMOD uy yuSuBTEURN KBioUD 10) SOMBOIOUYDEL, TAGE446 RP. Bersianey Molasses, the fermentables-containing liquor left after sugar crystals are centrifuged out. represents around 2% of above-ground sugar- cane biomass. Around 25% of the total molasses produced is used locally for rum production and as a chemical feedstock for small industries; the balance is exported since large-scale biofuel production from molasses is not favored in the Mauritian context. This is mainly due to the low intra-island transpor- tation cost of molasses which helps to fetch relatively good export prices and thus render alternative uses uneconomical. Scum, the precipitated impurities contained in cane juice (also known as filter mud), represents around 3.5% of above the ground sugarcane biomass. This material has some fertilizer value and it is returned to the cane fields. Thus, bagasse, CT and L and cane trash are the three sugarcane biomass com- ponents that are considered for evaluating 2004- - -- - = og 4 oss | & | 3 oa | ys oas | & | 3 050 i ol 4 2 oy 2 J k 0.60 3 | Advanced Technologies Electricity production {kWh /tonne millable cane) Inermediate Technologies Steam to bagasse ratio (r.) © Individual sugar factory performance in Mauritius O stand average ‘Specific Steam Consumption (SSC) isthe weight of steam required per uit weight of ean processed ‘Steam to bagasse ratio() isthe weight of steam produced ‘er unit weight of bagasse Fig. 4. Electricity production as a function of ra und SSC.Extended sugarcane biomass utilisation in Mauritius the potential for sugar-industry-based power generation. 3.2, Availability of bagasse and cane residues Cane tops and leaves (CT and L) together with cane trash are also collectively known as cane residues. Assuming a collection ratio of 100%, it is estimated that almost 37% of the annual total energy (767 GJ) that can be harvested from one hectare of sugarcane plantation is in the cane residues and the balance is in the millable cane stalks.’ Also, around 72% of the 767 GJ of energy is in the form of lignocellulose. Thus if cane is to be utilised for its energy content, more effort should be made in harnessing it from the lignocellulose which is the main constituent of bagasse, CT and L and trash. On a dry matter basis, bagasse, CT and L, and trash have approximately similar gross calorific values of around 17 MJ/kg.’ In order to provide a uniform comparison of the three different fractions, bagasse at 50% moisture was assumed in calculating the availability of cane residues for energy exploitation (see Fig. 3). Using moisture content data from Table 1, it was thus possible to establish an equivalence between bagasse proper and bagasse that could | | eco 04nb=2s sot esse“ nb-30 -+ssc~030 $80 ~030,18+40 ‘SSC: Specte Steam Consumption fq Start Bogasse Rate Bags Proper Only ars) Le [potable hey production [Wome mabe cae) € o 0 « actor of svgucne bona ile (4) 4a be produced from CT and L, and similarly between bagasse proper and bagasse from cane trash. For example. 1kg of CT and L containing 70% moisture when expressed. as bagasse equivalent (at 50% moisture) represents only 0.6 kg, while | kg of trash is equivalent to I.Skg on a 50% moisture equivalent basis. As shown in Fig. 3, for every tonne of above-ground sugarcane biomass, 207 kg of bagasse proper, 124 kg of CT and L bagasse, and 155 kg of trash bagasse, represent- ing a total of 486 kg of bagasse equivalent (at 50% moisture), are potentially available for energy production. Since sugarcane biomass availability and sugarcane derived electricity is usually reported on a per tonne of millable cane basis, the amount of sugarcane biomass potentially available is also reported as 705 kg of bagasse equivalent at 50% moisture per tonne of millable cane. However, sugar factory energy balances indicate that not all the bagasse proper (representing 300 kg/t of millable cane) can be used for exportable electricity pro- duction, Assuming a rigorous steam economy, sugar manufacture would require almost 140 kg/t of millable cane for raising steam needed to provide motive power for cane crushing as well as for juice heating.’ Conse- quently, this would leave 160 kg of bagasse ague Roper = CTAL Baga Ta Sage: — (ives ” " *” 100 Fig. 5. Enhanced fibrous sugarcane biomass utilisation for electricity production48 proper and 405 kg of bagasse equivalent from cane residues potentially available for produc- ing exportable electricity; the whole amounting to 565kg of bagasse equivalent (at 50% moisture) for every tonne of millable cane. 4. ENERGY FROM SUGARCANE BIOMASS 4.1. Bagasse-based electricity generation Sugar-factory-based power generation for export can only be achieved if the energy generated from bagasse exceeds the process energy requirement. The two major parameters which need to be considered while optimising energy production at a sugar factory are the steam to bagasse ratio (r,) and the specific steam consumption (SSC). The first ratio r., is a measure of the yield of steam per unit weight of bagasse, thus representing the efficiency of steam production. The second ratio SSC. is a measure of weight of steam required per unit of cane being processed and is a measure of the efficiency of steam utilisation for the manufac- ture of raw sugar. Operating parameters such as: (1) moisture and fibre content of bagasse; (2) excess air ratio; (3) flue gas temperature; and (4) furnace temperature and boiler pressure, have a strong bearing on ry. The sugar manufacturing process equipment and the degree of steam and condensate recycling being practised influences the SSC.’ Thermodynami- cally it may be possible to increase the rj, up to 4.0 and reduce the SSC down to 0.3 as pointed out by Harel. High efficiencies of steam generation (high r,) and low process steam utilisation (low SSC) would necessitate the use of equipment such as high-pressure boilers, boiler feed water treatment plants, condensing turbines and modifications of the process steam cycles.” As shown in Table 2, the overall strategy adopted by the sugar manufacturing plant determines the achievable electricity output Figure 4 illustrates the potential of producing excess electricity under different operational conditions. In Mauritius the average r. is around 2.2 and the average SSC is in the range of 0.40.6. The island's average electricity output where only bagasse proper is used for power generation is around 40 kW hjt of millable cane.’ It should be noted that almost 20 kW h/t of millable cane is required for on-site electrified factory operations in addition to the process steam requirements determined by SSC. This leaves the current average R. P. BreHarey exportable electricity output at around 20 kW h/t of millable cane. 4.2, Sugarcane residues as a bagasse extender for electricity production Based on the above analysis (see Table 2) and the illustration provided in Fig. 4, it is clear that the potential for bagasse-based electricity production using steam cycles ranges between 10 and 200 kW h/t of millable cane depending on the energy production and utilisation technologies in use at cogenerating sugar factories. Further increases in electricity output can be achieved in two ways: (1) utilisation of cane residues as a bagasse extender; and (2) adoption of emerging Brayton cycle-based cane biomass gasification/combustion technologies."° While the two options are not exclusive and could in fact complement each other, the analysis that follows considers only the biomass extender option. It is thus evident that almost 565 kg of bagasse equivalent per tonne of millable cane can potentially be made available for exportable electricity production. Figure 5 illustrates the impact of utilising various fractions of this biomass for exportable electricity production. This exportable electricity potential is computed on the basis of the following assumptions: (1) 20 KW h/t of millable cane are allocated for clectrified factory operations; and (2) 0.02 KW h/kg of “bagasse is consumed for biomass fuel processing assuming relatively short cane-field to plant transit distances. The “bagasse proper only” strategy (see Fig. 5), for example. would utilise 28% (i.e. 160 out of 565 kg) of the available biomass and depending on the technology adopted (SSC and r.). exportable electricity would range between 60 and 180 kW h/t of cane (see the Appendix for a sample calculation). Similarly, a combination of bagasse proper and CT and L bagasse would utilise 60% of the potentially available sugar- cane biomass and electricity output could range between 146 and 401 kW hjt of cane. Utilisation of the full biomass (ie. all the 565 kg) could boost exportable electricity output to almost 678 KW hyt of millable cane. 5. CONCLUSIONS The analyses presented in this paper have shown that a total of 565 kg of sugarcane biomass expressed as kilogrammes of bagasseExtended sugarcane biomass utilisation in Mausitius (at 50% moisture) equivalent, are potentially available for energy exploitation for every tonne of millable cane. The exportable electricity potential of such systems would range between 60 and 678 kW hit of millable cane, depending on the technologies adopted, the fraction of the sugarcane biomass exploited and the efficiency of the sugar manufacturing process. Although the bagasse extender option appears to be viable from the estimates of electricity output, the agronomic aspects of exploiting large fractions of the sugarcane biomass are yet to be fully studied in the Mauritian context. Other issues that remain to be resolved prior to commercial exploitation of cane residues for energy production include harvesting and transport, storage, boiler design and fuel mixing, In the Mauritian context, issues such as: (1) capacity building to help the energy sector in meeting such future challenges; and (2) capital avail- ability and cost-sharing between steam utilis- ation efficiency improvements and modes of investment for power generation projects are likely to influence the future course of extended sugarcane biomass use for power generation. ‘Acknowledgements—Professor J. Baguant, Pro-Vice Chan- cellor at the University of Mauritius and Mr Rene Noel, Sugar Consultant, are thanked for providing valuable criticism during the preparation of the article, APPENDIX: COMPUTATION OF EXPORTABLE, ELECTRICITY OUTPUT Basis: 1000 kg of millable cane. Bagasse at 50% moisture is assumed, Total fibrous biomass available = 705 kg (see Fig. 3). Less bagasse for sugar manufacture = 140 kg. Bagasse available for exportable electricity production = 565 kg *SSC: specific steam consumption is the weight of steam required per unit weight of cane processed. ‘re: steam to bagasse ratio is the weight of steam produced per unit weight of bagasse 49 Bagasse proper + bagasse from cane tops and leaves 160 + 180) = 565 = 60% 308. Fibrous biomass utlisatio Using SSC = 0.35* and ra Electricity production 125 kW hit cane (Gee Fig. 4) * millable cane ~ 160 kg bagasse = 0.781 kW hjkg bagasse 0.781 KW bike bagasse x 340 ke bagasse equivalent = 265.6kWh. = 0.002 kW h/keg bagasse x 180 kg bagasse = 3.6kWh 0KWh Total electricity output Less electricity for processing cane tops and leaves into bagasse Less electricity for Tactory operation ‘Total exportable electricity = 242 kWh, production (see Fig. 5) REFERENCES, 1. Government of Mauritius, High Powered Committee, Mauritius Bagasse Energy Decelopment Programme. Port Louis, Mauritius, 1991 2. Mauritius Sugar Producers’ Association, Annual Report 1994. Port Louis, Mauritius, 1994 3, Beeharry, R-P., Ramgulam, R. and Baguant,J.. Energy Data Book—Energr Supply and Consumption 1970 1993. University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius, 1994, 4. Alexander, A. G., The Energy Cane Alternative, Sugat Series 6, Elsevier, New York, 1985, pp. 45-46 5. Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute, Annual Report 1994. Reduit, Mauritius, [995 6. Noel, R. E. L., Personal Communication, Societe Riche en Eau, Labama House, Port Louis, Mauritius, 1996, 7. Thenet, JR. A.. The efficient use of process steam. In Cogeneration in the Cane Sugar Industry. ed. J. W. Payne. Sugar Series 12, pp. 159-190. 8. Harel, J. R.P., A strategy to optimize the contribution of indigenous energy resources in Mauritius. Ph.D. thesis, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius 989, 9, Paturau, J. M.. By-products of the Cane Sugar Industry ‘An Introduction to their Industrial Utilization, 2nd edn, Elsevier, New York. 1981 10. Williams, R. H. and Larson, ED. Advanced usiication based biomass power generation, In Renewable Energy: Sources for Fuels and Electricity ed, T. B. Johansson, H. Kelly, A. K. N. Reddy and R. H. Williams. Island Press, Washington DC. 1993, pp. T9785,