Banca de DEFESA: RAFAELA BRENDA DE SOUZA ALVES

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : RAFAELA BRENDA DE SOUZA ALVES
DATE: 14/11/2025
TIME: 08:00
LOCAL: on line
TITLE:

PRODUCTION OF BIOGAS FROM SUGARCANE RESIDUES

KEY WORDS:

anaerobic digestion, sugarcane residues, biogas

PAGES: 82
BIG AREA: Engenharias
AREA: Engenharia Química
SUBÁREA: Processos Industriais de Engenharia Química
SPECIALTY: Processos Bioquímicos
SUMMARY:

The Brazilian sugar-energy industry generates significant volumes of residues, such as vinasse and sugarcane bagasse, whose valorization is strategically relevant in the context of the energy transition and greenhouse gas mitigation. Nevertheless, this valorization poses technical challenges for biochemical conversion routes, particularly anaerobic digestion. Therefore, it is essential to investigate, in an integrated manner, the effect of vinasse co-digestion on the production and quality of biogas, including the influence of a simple pre-treatment step aimed at improving process efficiency. This study aimed to assess the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of vinasse, raw bagasse, hydrothermally pretreated bagasse, and their combinations under mesophilic, laboratory-scale conditions. The cumulative specific methane production, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) formation, kinetic parameters fitted to the modified Gompertz and Cone models, and the overall energy potential of the generated biogas were evaluated. The results demonstrated that vinasse monodigestion exhibited the highest methane yield (293 mL CH₄/g VS), followed by the co-digestion of vinasse with pretreated and raw bagasse (226 and 206 mL CH₄/g VS, respectively), and, finally, by the monodigestion of raw and pretreated bagasse (165 and 151 mL CH₄/g VS, respectively). The hydrothermal pre-treatment applied to bagasse did not enhance methane yield, suggesting the formation of inhibitory compounds and the removal of soluble sugars during the process. Co-digestion reduced the lag phase duration and diluted H₂S generation, whose concentration was higher in vinasse-containing systems. Although the direct combustion of bagasse provides a higher energy output per unit mass, the biochemical conversion route offers environmental benefits and promotes the integrated utilization of agroindustrial residues. Overall, the findings confirm the technical feasibility of anaerobic digestion as a sustainable pathway for the energy recovery of sugarcane by-products and emphasize the need to optimize pre-treatment strategies and expand the national biomethane production capacity.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1308273 - EDUARDO LINS DE BARROS NETO
Externo ao Programa - 1752014 - EDNEY RAFAEL VIANA PINHEIRO GALVAO - UFRNExterna à Instituição - PAULA FABIANE PINHEIRO DO NASCIMENTO - ISI-ER
Externo à Instituição - RICARDO PAULO FONSECA MELO - UFERSA