1. Bagasse Storage Donal Day and Benito Stradi Audubon Sugar Institute Audubon Sugar Institute Factory Operations Seminar 2007

2. The Problem  Decreases in fiber levels experienced at factories can lead to shortages in bagasse and a decreased capacity for mills, shortages that can no longer economically be made up with alternative fuels.  Further pressure can be expected on bagasse supplies in the future with the development of new uses for this energy source, ranging from electricity generation to alcohol production.

3. The Goal  Determine the rate of deterioration of bagasse between operating seasons  Determine whether there is any loss of fuel value on storage

4. Methodology  Quantify the changes in composition of biomass (i. e. carbon content) of fiber in bagasse over a season of storage.  The specific approach will be to investigate storage under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

5. Methods  Monitor the temperature and humidity evolution inside a bagasse pile over time  Determine changes in bagasse composition with time  Construction of a “split” pile that contains aerobic and anaerobic segments

7. Setting up the Bagasse Pile

8. Bagasse storage set-up

9. Temperature and Humidity Relative Humidity (%) Time (hr) 27 days –no essential difference between piles

10. Initial findings…  After 27 days both piles reached the same humidity levels  Both piles had 100 % saturation as result of the rain. The aerated pile was wet but the non-aerated pile was really wet.  The temperature in the non- aerated pile is lower but with the high humidity feels hotter

11. Composition Changes

12. Initial findings  The non aerated bagasse seemed to retain water longer  Monitoring of variation in composition will be continued and evaluation of heating values will conducted for more complete analysis  There does not seem to be any rapid changes in composition on storage

13. In Progress  Sampling and monitoring composition of the bagasse will continue until next season  Calorific value of bagasse stored at different conditions will be determined

14. Acknowledgements  Dr. G. DeQueiroz  Eng. Victor Bazan  Joy Yoshina  ASI analytical facility and mechanical staff without whose efforts the work would not be possible  The research was supported by a grant from the American Sugar Cane League