Estimativa do potencial brasileiro de produção de biogás através da biodigestão da vinhaça e seus aspectos práticos e econômicos dentro do contexto da renovabio na visão do setor sucroalcooleiro

Abstract

In the current scenario of the sugar and alcohol sector, in the 2018/19 harvest the sector will generate the equivalent of approximately 361.4 million m3 of vinasse as waste from its industrial process and destined almost entirely for fertigation. Vinasse, besides serving as fertilizer, rich in micronutrients, can also serve as a substrate for the production of biogas using anaerobic biodigesters. However, we observe that despite the long production history of this sector, there are no cases of commercial success in the production of biogas from the vinasse. RenovaBio, a decree of the Federal Government that establishes the new National Biofuels Policy, perhaps presents an opportunity to encourage the production of biomethane. This research investigated the reasons why the sugar and alcohol industry did not invest in large scale vinasse biogas production projects and to decipher the barriers, challenges, uncertainties and risks that emerged during the feasibility study and also in the operation of pilot plants. The research sought to understand whether RenovaBio, in the view of the sugar and alcohol production sector, is an opportunity to invest in the production of biogas and consequently invest in its purification to produce biomethane in accordance with the RenovaBio guidelines and regulations. To identify, according to the view of the Sugar and Alcohol Sector, the technological, economic and financial feasibility, considering that there are no large-scale biogas production projects in Brazil that can be considered consolidated models and that can be benchmarked and replicated by other companies of the Sugar and Alcohol Sector.