Optimal reconfiguration of a sugar cane industry to yield an integrated biorefinery

The sugar cane production is one of the main economic activities of the agriculture sector in several places around the world. Nowadays, the sugarcane production zones face different technologic, economic, and social problems that impact negatively their profitability. The low price of sugar in the market demands the search of alternatives; being the bioethanol production from resides of the sugar cane industry an attractive option. This way, this paper presents a new approach for using the residues from the sugar cane industry to yield a sustainable biorefinery. In this approach, process integration techniques have been implemented to optimize the overall process. A case study from the State of Michoacán in Mexico is presented, where the proposed approach shows significant economic, environmental, and social benefits.

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