Co-products from Sugarcane - Workshop Conducted
Pedro Avram, Commissioner and Chair of Co-Products Section of the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, making a presentation on ‘Co-products from Sugarcane’ in Coimbatore. Sugar industry is the second largest agro-based industry in India, according to R. Chandramouli, president of Ponni Sugars (Erode) Limited. Speaking at a workshop organised here on Monday by the International Society of Sugarcane Technologies on “co-products,” he said that it contributed over Rs. 2,000 crore annually to central exchequer.
The main by-products of the sugar industry in India were bagasse and molasses. Excess bagasse was now used as raw material in the paper industry. Besides, co-generation of power using bagasse as fuel was feasible. Pedro Avram-Waganoff, Commissioner and Chair Co-Products Section of the society said biofuels helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The two most significant and economical co-products from sugar cane were bagasse and molasses.
Some of the bio ethanol producing countries were Brazil, the U.S., European Union, China and India. The world bio diesel production was also growing. Brian Lavarack of Mackay Sugar Co-operative Association said the Australian Government had set up a department of climate change. The developed countries were committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission. Bio fuels and biomass had several opportunities to develop in this scenario. Technologies that were economic and could improve the handling and storage characteristics of bagasse and its energy intensiry would be highly sought after in the next few years, he said.
