Planning the transition of Brazilian sugarcane mills to advanced biorefineries using a methodological proposal based on the industrial symbiosis approach

Abstract

The consolidation of the bioeconomy through the materialization of biorefinery concepts reinforces the prospect of a future of biomass-based processes. However, despite technical and economic progress, there is still much to be explored as well. socio-environmental dimension, especially in the planning of the local of biorefineries. And that is the purpose of this thesis. Industrial Symbiosis (IS) is a practice that combines the environmental dimension with socioeconomic level by recommending the exchange of waste between sectors that would be conventionally unrelated. In this sense, one of the pillars of IS is the innovation. This thesis examines how the implantation of a biorefinery would take place using the IS approach and starting from a sugarcane mill in Brazil. Building upon empirical experiences, this thesis proposes: (1) a theoretical framework for the transformation of a conventional sugarcane mill into biorefinery through Industrial Symbiosis taking local aspects into account; and (2) a methodology for planning the transition of a sugarcane plant in Brazil, further applied to a plant in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro state (Norte Fluminense) for the production of succinic acid from bagasse. In the short term, 28 new jobs would be generated and 26,939 tonnes of CO2 per year would be avoided. In the mid term, 4 existing industries in the region would industrial symbiosis network and, in the long term, 4 new industries would be part of the network contributing to reduce the impact of 54,668 tonnes of CO2 and 283,957 tonnes of solid waste per year.