Análise de viabilidade econômica do emprego do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar como combustível na fabricação de suco de laranja

Abstract

Brazil is the greatest orange juice producer in the world and while it has countless juice brands, it also is the greatest exporter of the product. Among the main orange juice processes the Not From Concentrate (NFC) and Frozen Concentrate Orange Juice (FCOJ) processes stand out. The NFC juice are made with less processing degree than the average, having less shelf life. In the recent years they have gained prominence due to the search of healthy habits. The FCOJ on the other hand have a greater shelf life and, due to concentration, are easily transported. The Estate of São Paulo is responsible for almost 70% of national harvest of the orange fruit, besides the great number of sugarcane power plants influences the boiler’s fuel choice. Nowadays, there is a preference for less pollutant fuels that are economically viable and considering this tendency this paper looks forward to evaluate the substitution of two fuels, natural gas and wood chips, used and both indicated processes, for sugarcane bagasse, a largely available input in the region. This work is based in literature data and boiler and generator process simulations. From the results it was possible to conclude that replacing natural gas with sugarcane bagasse not only is economically viable, having a difference of 0,346 R$/kwh in cost, with total cost reduction of 84,43%, as it is ambiently recommendable. Little can be concluded in wood chips and bagasse comparison.