Open AccessIncrease in the irrigated area of sugarcane and its potential in the bioenergetic generation of Brazil
Author(s) -
Job Teixeira de Oliveira,
Rubens Alves de Oliveira,
Oswaldo Arce Brito,
Fernando França da Cunha,
Ricardo Gava
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
colloquium agrariae
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1809-8215
DOI - 10.5747/ca.2021.v17.n3.a437
Subject(s) - bagasse , biomass (ecology) , renewable energy , cogeneration , irrigation , environmental science , bioenergy , cane , biofuel , agronomy , electricity generation , agroforestry , sugar , agricultural engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , engineering , ecology , power (physics) , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Sugarcane has alarge capacity for producing electricity using completely clean technology from a renewable source, contributing to environmental preservation. This study aimed to evaluate the increase in biomass resulting from the implementation of irrigation in Brazilian sugarcane plantations, estimate the potential for cogeneration, and calculate how much it will be possible to increase the Brazilian energy cogenerated with sugarcane bagasse and the impact on the Brazilian energy matrix. The increase in irrigation in the rainfed areas of Brazilian sugarcane plantations has substantial potential in increasing biomass for energy cogeneration. Considering an increase of 15% in the sugarcane plantation yields in rainfed areas achieved by the increase in irrigation, it leadsto a potential increase of 96.39 million tons of sugarcane and 26.80 million tons biomass produced. In the energy matrix, the potential impact is 1.42 GWh of cogenerated energy, which corresponds to a 12.47% increase in cogeneration in the sugar-energy sector and a 0.85% increase in Brazil's energy matrix. The expansion of the sugarcane irrigated area contributes to the increase in the production of bagasse and bioenergetic generation in Brazil.