Sugarcane alcohol distillation process from a circular economy perspective

Abstract

Talking about the circular economy means decoupling economic growth from the consumption of finite resources, protecting the environment by reducing waste generation, pollution, and CO2 emissions, which in turn generates opportunities for economic growth and promotes employment. The circular economy encourages innovation, the optimization of natural resources, efficiency within organizations, and the creation of new business models, which translates into economic and social benefits for all economic agents: society, businesses, and consumers.

This research focuses on the characterization of the systems and/or variables associated with the process of preheating boiler feed water in a sugarcane alcohol distillery from a circular economy perspective and the use of solar collectors to make resource use more efficient. It also identifies specific niches of opportunity within the process related to heat and water consumption. To reduce these indicators, it proposes a strategy for implementing a solar collector system to heat the boiler feed water to 70°C, as well as the recovery, storage, and recirculation of condensate water that is currently discharged into the drain and discarded. The use of steam condensate follows a circular approach and results in more efficient management of natural resources, greater system efficiency, less fuel needed to heat water, and less use of water from the public supply network, leading to cost reductions, coupled with the optimization of renewable resources to improve industrial processes.