Co-products Papers
Reduction in carbon emissions through the use of bioethanol in turbodiesel engines
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025Since 2016, the Colombian Sugarcane Research Center (Cenicaña) has collaborated with six sugar mills to measure the carbon footprint for fuel ethanol production, following ISO 14064-1 standards. In 2022, the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of Colombian bioethanol averaged 469 kgCO₂eq/m
Renewable energy from sugarcane
Last Updated: julio 6, 2025Sugarcane has historically been grown to provide sugar and co-products, including renewable energy products from juice, molasses, mill mud, bagasse and vinasse. The renewable energy products include cogeneration, biogas, bagasse briquets and pellets, first- and second-generation bioethanol and other liquid fuels.
Roadmap for the production and implementation of green hydrogen in the Colombian sugar industry
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025This study develops a comprehensive roadmap to implement a green hydrogen production system in the sugar industry, taking advantage of its abundant biomass and co-products through advanced technologies such as electrolysis and gasification.
Scaling-up the conversion of sugarcane bagasse to 5-chloromethylfurfural as a platform chemical
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025Advances in the conversion of sugarcane bagasse into 5-chloromethylfurfural (CMF) as a platform chemical for biofuels and bioplastics are presented. Two-stage sequential processing strategies were examined to determine the impact on yields of CMF and furfural and ease to facilitate downstream conversion to more valuable chemical applications.
Spearheading sustainability in sugarcane processing through byproduct conversion into biochar for increased cane yields
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025Surplus bagasse from sugarcane factories and leaf residue left in the field remain untapped resources associated with the harvesting and processing of sugarcane. By reutilizing and converting these by-products into profitable materials, the industry can move further towards sustainability
Sugarcane and ethanol co-products for lactic acid production using a native bacterium from a Colombian biorefinery
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025This study assessed the vaporization of co-products from the industrial transformation of sugarcane and ethanol as part of the culture medium evaluated to produce lactic acid using the native LAB Lactobacillus plantarum, isolated from a Colombian biorefinery.
Technical and environmental impact of combustion of sugarcane harvest residues at an industrial scale
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025The Colombian sugarcane agro-industry produces approximately 5.3 Mt of sugarcane harvest residues (SCHR) annually, which could replace between 0.41 and0.54 t of coal per tonne of SCHR used, achieving a 96% reduction in GHG emissions. However, SCHR presents technical challenges due to its high potassium, chlorine, and sulphur content, which promotes fouling and corrosion on heat exchange surfaces.
Transforming waste into resources: the potential of sugarcane bagasse ash as a sustainable additive in manufacturing ceramic bricks
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025Sugarcane bagasse fly ash (SBFA) generated at Ingenio Pichichí was characterized to determine its potential as an additive in ceramic brick manufacturing and to promote the valorization of this waste. Ashes were characterized through physical, chemical, and mineralogical analysis using XRF and XRD to determine their composition and particle size.
Unveiling microbial diversity with metabarcoding: key to optimizing ethanol production
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025The presence of contaminating microorganisms in ethanol production processes generates negative impacts on efficiency, making it essential to identify the microbial species present, their relevance, and their locations to establish optimal control strategies.
Upscaling the production of potassium sulphate from stillage
Last Updated: junio 19, 2025Stillage contains considerable amounts of potassium, which has attracted its use for fertigation. The infrastructure that is needed for fertigation requires huge capital investment, so that only fields close to the ethanol plant benefit, albeit salinising the soil, and acidifying and destroying the conveyance infrastructure.