ASCPC 2016 ABSTRACTS
Technical Session
Dynamics of the Global Sugar Industry: Challenges and Prospects
Arvind Chudasama
International Sugar Journal, London, UK
Abstract:
There is a widespread consensus among traders and analysts that the global sugar market has finally swung to a supply deficit after five years of surpluses. The 2015/16 (October to September) deficit is likely to be in the range 4 million to 5 million tonnes. While this deficit will cut into stores of sugar built up over the past years, it is unlikely to increase prices significantly. Effectively, the sugar market in 2015 ended where it started. While the supply-demand balance has the sway over prices, the contributory factors impacting the balance are many. These include, weather, policy measures (to include national and regional that support trade barriers, quotas, subsidies, soft loans) speculation, currency movement, rising population, urbanization and changing taste. Of these, the emerging issue that is spreading globally, and which may impact demand is the widespread demonization of sugar. This paper examines these dynamics shaping the industry and looks at the emerging biobased products sector which offers companies a significant opportunity to diversify and maintain competitiveness.
Overview of the Louisiana Sugar Industry
Herman Waguespack, Jr.
American Sugar Cane League, Thibodaux, LA, USA
Abstract:
Of the U.S. sugar producing areas, Louisiana is the oldest and most historic. Sugarcane arrived in Louisiana with the Jesuit priests in 1751, who planted it near Baronne Street in New Orleans. Several plantations were planted in what is now the city limits of New Orleans, and in 1795 Etienne deBore first granulated sugar on a commercial scale at Audubon Park. Except for disastrous production years during the Civil War, during a disease epidemic of the 1920's, and from 10 degree freezing temperatures affecting the 1990 crop, the Louisiana sugarcane industry has continued to increase in productivity, mainly due to improved varieties, cultural practices, pest control, and sugar processing techniques. The Louisiana sugarcane industry is currently in its third century of sugar production. Sugarcane is produced on over 500,000 acres in 22 Louisiana Parishes. The yearly Louisiana production of thirteen million tons of sugarcane generates an economic impact of US$2.7 billion to the state. With approximately 451 cane farms and 11 raw sugar factories, Louisiana produces about 20% of the sugar grown in the United States (beets and cane). Approximately 16,400 employees are involved in the production and processing of sugar in Louisiana.
National Sorghum Producers: The Voice of the Sorghum Industry
Brent Crafton
United Sorghum Checkoff Program, Southern Illinois, USA
Abstract:
The National Sorghum Producers (NSP), will provide an overview of the sorghum industry that includes grain sorghum, and biomass sorghum, while highlighting sweet sorghum throughout the United States.NSP is leading legislative and regulatory change through effective policy and relationships for a more profitable, diverse, and competitive sorghum industry. NSP will also define the role of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP), which operates under the authority of the Commodity, Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996.The Sorghum Checkoff Program is working to improve the profitability of the sorghum industry through research, promotion, and information.
Agronomic Characteristics and Advantages of Beets (Beta vulgaris) as a Feedstock
Duane W. Bernhardson1, Jay P. Miller,2 Margaret Rekoske3
1Betseed, Incorporated, Grand Forks, ND, USA
2Betaseed, Incorporated Bloomington, MN, USA
3Betaseed, Incorporated Shakopee, MN, USA
Abstract:
Beets (Beta vulgaris) center of origin is the Mediterranean region. Around 2000 B.C. beets were first cultivated for medicinal use and as an herb. They were later selected for their root shape from wild species and since that time they have continued to be used as a vegetable and feedstock for livestock. In the mid-1700’s beets were identified as a source of sucrose by Andreas Marggraff. During the Napoleonic Wars, and since then, beets have been cultivated for sucrose. Currently they are predominately cultivated for refined sugar production, and additionally as a feedstock for bioenergy production and high energy animal feed. They have several advantages as a feedstock due to their: wide adaptation to most soil types and climates, drought and salt tolerance, breeding advancements for pest, disease, herbicide tolerance, and improved yield and sugar content. Beetsare a non-maturing crop that can be stored in a variety of methods, and have the ability to be grown as a spring and/or winter crop depending on climate. They are capable of producing a crop across virtually all of North America and thus have been able to prove themselves as a viable feedstock for numerous purposes including: refined sugar production, animal feed, bioenergy production and industrial sugars and chemicals due to their agronomic adaptability and characteristics.
Lignocellulosic Waste Materials as Source of Sugar Derivatives and Products
Jesús E.Larrahondo,1; Sonia P. Ordoñez,2Crispin Humberto Garcia-Cruz,2 Mauricio Boscolo,2and Elkin Mauricio Rodríguez1
1USC, Cali, Columbia
2IBILCE, UNESP, Brazil
Abstract:
New products derived from biomass represent, for producers of sugarcane and alcohol, great economic potential. This has led in the food and/or drugs industries to study ligno-cellulosic materials, such as bagasse from sugarcane, as raw material. This requires technical and economic analysis within the integrated production of sugar, bioethanol, and paper. In this work the main compounds present in acid hydrolysates of bagasse, obtained at the laboratory scale, were characterized by GC-MS. Similarly, exploratory evaluation of the potential use of activated carbon as a detoxifying agent or remover of inhibitors of the alcoholic fermentation and potential production of cellulose microcrystalline from sugarcane bagasse was also observed. In this study compounds with added value, such as vanillin and acetovanillone, were characterized from fractions of lignin (black liquor) obtained from bagasse. In addition, activated carbon removed furfural and phenols from bagasse hydrolysates, which are potential inhibitors of enzymes and yeasts used in bioethanol production.
The New Large-scale Sweet Sorghum Industry in the USA
Matt Heckemeyer
Heckemeyer Mill, Sikeston, MO
Abstract:
Sweet sorghum has been widely recognized as a promising sugar feedstock crop for the manufacture of bioproducts. Heckemeyer Mill has built and equipped the largest, commercial-scale sweet sorghum processing plant in the USA, which is located in Sikeston, Missouri. The plant is currently capable of crushing up to 90 tons/h (equivalent to ~120 acres/day) and producing 24,000 gal of juice per day. Business aims include the production of food-grade syrup and potable alcohol, as well as syrup for the manufacture of non-food grade biofuels and biochemicals. All non-processed fiber is dedicated for large-scale cattle feed at the Heckemeyer farm, with the possibility of incorporating it into particle board. Processing by-products also include seed-heads, juice sediment, and clarification mud. Such by-products are rich in starch, and it is a goal of the Heckemyer Mill to recycle them into fermentation tanks to improve fermentation yields once technology has been optimized. A full processing scheme for the plant will be described.
Convert Simple Sugars to Profits
David Blume
Blume Distillation, LLC, Freedom, CA, USA
Abstract:
Simple sugars are a readily abundant resource, although they are often discounted as a building block of economic enterprise. Fermentable C5 and C6 sugars can be the cornerstone of a thriving renewables business that is profitable and sustainable.Using raw sugar as a feedstock, one ton would yield ~135.4 gallons of alcohol fuel, while refined sugar would yield ~ 141.0 gallons. In today’s market, appropriate scale alcohol fuel is an inexpensive to produce low-return commodity. The keys to creating truly profitable returns with simple sugars, in a well run appropriate-scale alcohol operation. Success depends on getting good margins, and producing high-value, high-demand end and co-products, including food, industrial, and pharmaceutical grades of alcohol, and CO2 which has market value in industrial applications and beverage markets. All currently have an exponentially better return than fuel. These co-products are actually worth much more than the fuel itself and provide income stability when alcohol or feedstock prices are volatile. This paper provides detailed and unique insight into the design and development of lucrative new products related to fuel production, as well as myriad non-exportable jobs related to development and distribution for small-scale biofuel businesses and presents proven methods for market development and communications.
Ethanol Production by Fermentation With and Without Yeast Recycle
Henrique Vianna de Amorim
Fermentec Ltda, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
Abstract:
There are two main fermentation processes in the world for ethanol production: with no yeast recycle and with yeast recycle. Both could be either batch or continuous. Most of the ethanol produced in the world comes from distilleries without yeast recycle due to the impossibility to recycle the yeast because of the high insoluble solids in the fermented mash, or due to the lack of knowledge of the recycle process. The conditions necessary to choose one or the other process, and the advantages and disadvantages of the two processes, including the batch and continuous variations, will be presented. In conclusion, if you have the right set of conditions, the batch process, with yeast recycle is better due to the greater possibility of yeast selection, if you have the right tools. Also, fermentation is faster and less prone to bacterial contamination and, of course, results in higher yields.
Incremental Industrial Uses of Sweet Sorghum
Aaron Pepper
SouthEast Renewables, LLC., Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Abstract:
Southeast Renewables LLC, based in Florida, USA is planning a very large-scale sweet sorghum plant. The aim of this plant is to grow sweet sorghum and extract juice using diffusion technology. The juice will be uitilized for the manufacture of the following products and by-products: (1) ethanol, (2) butanol, (3) astaxanthin, (4) vinasse fertilizer, and (5) fiber. Other possible industrial products that can be manufactured from sweet sorghum will be discussed and include renewable electricity, synthetic diesel fuel, bio-isoprene, bioplastics, synthetic diesel fuel, and fuel pellets. The paper will discuss the markets for these products and well as their industrial production.
De-trashing Sugarcane and Utilizing Trash and Bagasse for the Production of Bio-carbon, Equals Higher Sugar Yields, Zero Agricultural Waste, a Clean Environment and Increased Profits for the Sugar Industry
Erwin Bogner and Rick Buhr
American Biocarbon LLC, White Castle, LA, USA
Abstract:
Current harvest practices for sugarcane in Louisiana create multiple waste streams, such as field trash, bagasse, filtered field dirt, and boiler ash. The disposals of these waste streams pollute the environment and are very costly to the sugar industry. American Biocarbon LLC has developed a sugarcane de-trashing and bio-carbon manufacturing process, utilizing these multiple sugarcane harvest waste streams.This newly developed sugarcane-harvesting practice utilizes all sugarcane harvest waste streams and converts these waste materials into environmentally friendly bio-carbon for fuel, as well as bio-carbon for high quality soil amendment. Reduction or elimination of these sugarcane waste streams, will eventually eliminate the burning in the fields, improve the sugar milling process, so more sugar is produced per harvested acre, and clean up the environment. Adopting this newly developed harvesting practice is a win/win/win situation for the Louisiana sugarcane industry, American Biocarbon LLC, and the environment.
Sugarcane Residue and Bagasse as Biochar Precursors for Soil Amendment Applications
Isabel Lima and Renee Bigner
USDA-ARS-SRRC, New Orleans, LA, USA
Abstract:
There are two potential untapped resources associated with the harvesting and processing of sugarcane, the trash (leaves and tops) left in the field or possibly blown off at the factory, and the sugarcane bagasse as surplus from the mills. Burning of sugarcane trash in the field has been under scrutiny in recent years due to urban encroachment and air-quality concerns and excess trash left in the field can also reduce ratoon crop yields due to lower soil temperatures and higher soil moisture. Sugarcane mills produce excess bagasse during the processing season which is left unused for the remainder of the year. These two organic feedstocks can be thermo-chemically converted into biochars (BC) that can be brought back to the field to be used as a soil amendment to enhance soil health, water holding capacity and improve sugarcane yields. Biochars from sugarcane leaf residue (variety HoCP 96-540) and sugarcane bagasse were applied at three application rates, 0, 4, and 8%, with and without commercial fertilizer. Biochars and feedstocks were chemically characterized for their nutrient content, several physico-chemical and adsorptive properties.Sugarcane biomass and theoretical recoverable sucrose (TRS) content were measured and compared across the different treatments. Possible benefits of biochar include an increase in soil carbon content, improvement of soil drainage and aeration, and addition of nutrients to the growing sugarcane crop. Benefits are expected to both sugarcane growers and processors through the production of valued by-products from pyrolysis of sugarcane trash and bagasse as well as enhancing the sugarcane industry’s role in renewable energy markets.
NIR – New Technology to Improve Cane Quality
Anna L. Hale,1 Ryan P. Viator,2 Gillian Eggleston,3 and Alexa Triplett3
1USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit, Houma, LA, USA
2Calvin Viator Ph.D. and Associates, LLC, Houma, LA, USA
3USDA-ARS-SRRC, New Orleans, LA, USA
Abstract:
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRs) is gaining popularity among scientistsstudying sugarcane crop quality, and the technology has potential to benefit Louisiana’s sugar industry. Once calibrated correctly, the instrument can be used to estimate the different chemical compositions in sugarcane biomass. A similar version of this system is used for cane payments in South Africa and Australia. The instrument is calibrated using a very high number of spectra produced from ground, fresh sugarcane stalks and referenced against a separate laboratory analysis for sucrose, brix, fiber, and moisture obtained with separate methodologies. The system is self-contained and includes a cane shredder in tandem with a conveyer which passes the shredded cane in front of an NIR detector. The system is simple to use, with few software controls, and a minimal learning curve. Up to 500 samples per day can be run through the machine with two to three operators and no laboratory consumables. This type of equipment has the potential to minimize laboratory errors and discrepancies, increase the number of samples the laboratory can handle, and reduce labor requirements.
Green Harvesting Residues: Advances on its Effects and Strategies to Reduce its Impact in the Factory
Nicolás Gil, Stephania Imbachi, Tatiana Daza, JuliánLucuara, and TatianaSanchez
Centro de Investigación de la Caña de Azúcar, Cenicaña, Cali, Columbia
Abstract:
The harvesting system in Colombia has changed in the last 8 years from 20% cane harvested mechanically to 50% on average harvested mechanically and green, with some of the mills achieving 70%. These changes in cane quality occurred simultaneously with changes in the variety of cane; both of them affecting the recovery of sucrose and sugar quality. This paper presents the assessment of the impact of processing green harvesting residues (GHR) on the stability and efficiency of the sucro-energy processes and quality of the intermediate materials. In preparation and crushing, it was found that changes in ± 1% of industrial fiber decreased the extraction efficiency to 0.5%. In the boilers, the amount of bagasse can be increased to 23% due the decrease in the calorific value of the bagasse associated with higher content of ashes of the GHR compared with clean stalk. On the other hand, the mixed juice color increased from 8900 IU in cane with 2% of GHR residues to 27,000 IU in cane with 7-8 % GHR. The soluble starch also increased in syrup from 900 mg/kg DS to 1600 mg/kg DS. This paper also summarizes some of the strategies implemented by the Colombian sugar industry to mitigate the effects described. These include the use of a heavy-duty shredder in combination with mills with an electrically driven motor, and the adoption of technology development by Cenicaña such as mill settings evaluation, torque control, and imbibition online control. In addition, the implementation of the methodologies to quantify the natural sugarcane color compounds and the color compounds formed in the factory to have a better idea of the action of the different decolorants. The use of amylase to hydrolyze starch, as well as the characterization of microorganisms and their metabolites (organic acids and dextrans), also have contributed to mitigating the impact of processing GHR. In the near future, Cenicaña will pursue the acquisition of a pilot plant to facilitate the research in this topic.
High Performance Adsorbants (HPA) Eco-friendly Technology for Color Removal in Sugar
Emmanuel M. Sarir and Benhur R. Pabon
Carbo Solutions International, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Abstract:
Concerns have been raised in recent decades regarding the sustainability of the sugar industry. Pressure for responsible production has come largely from the importers of sugar and ethanol from developed countries and even in local markets. HPA technology is developed from new engineered powder adsorbants with exceptional high color removal capacity and filterability that allow its use even in high scale sugar refining facilities incorporating both carbonatation and phosphatation processes. The use of HPA technology provides significant advantages in achieving more effective color removal, lower operational cost, and ecofriendly operation in sugar refineries.This paper discusses several important trends in sugar industry sustainability, features of HPA, and its comparison with traditional color removal technologies with a focus on carbon footprint and environmental impact. Data presented includes comparisons between HPA and traditional powder activated carbons, theoretical mass and energy balance for most common color removal technologies.