Sugarcane is one of India's most important agricultural industries, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for more than 70% of production. While most people don't instantly think of sugar cane as a suitable crop to raise because of its bad reputation as a bad food, this isn't always the case. Sugarcane has been utilised as a fuel alternative in other nations, and its therapeutic virtues are well-known all over the world; nevertheless, it can also be employed for industrial and commercial purposes. Sugarcane, on the other hand, is a versatile plant that grows quickly, takes little upkeep, and thrives even in bad soil.
Processing and Byproducts of Sugarcane:
Depending on its intended use, sugarcane is processed in a variety of ways. It can be made into raw or white sugar crystals for sweetening food and beverages, or it can be made into several forms of molasses for usage in other products like as rum, beer, and animal feed. Sugarcane is also dried and used as animal fodder in addition to these possibilities. Both processing processes include multiple steps, as one could anticipate with a product with so many applications. Sugarcane is a tropical grass native to India and Asia that flourishes in warm, humid environments. Sugarcane is a high-producing crop, yielding an average of 165 pounds of refined sugar per acre.
In tropical nations, most commercial cane is used to make ethanol fuel or burned as a fuel source. Some farmers have started cultivating cane varieties that yield bagasse, which is the fibrous material left over after extracting juice from cane stalks and can be used as fuel or cattle fodder. According to a Coca-Cola research, 90 percent of sugarcane is processed into sucrose, which is subsequently used in a variety of products ranging from plastics and car tyres to soft drinks and pharmaceuticals. Sweeteners are made from only approximately 6% of processed cane jams, jellies, dairy goods, soft drinks, and pickets. Around 70% of that is refined beet or cane sugar, with the remaining 30% becoming fructose-rich HFCS.
Bagasse, the remaining 25%, is a fibrous residue that is burned for energy at many refineries before being treated in a refinery to produce refined sugar. Animal feed can be made from the desugarized molasses.
Applications:
Sugarcane products are used in a variety of industries, including the food, chemical, and thermal power generation industries. Sugarcane Molasses, for example, has a wide range of uses in human health and animal feed ingredients. Distilleries, pharmaceuticals, and fertilisers are the main end-users. There are almost 400 sugar factories in India, with a total capacity of around 12 million tonnes per year. The increase in consumption is attributed to growing demand for molasses in the animal feed business, as well as the high molasses content of cane juice, which is utilised as a raw material by distilleries. Sugar cane is a vital component of the economy.
Sugarcane Juice:
Sugarcane juice is extracted by squeezing sugarcane stalks with a juice extractor machine. Fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals abound in sugarcane juice. It also has a low glycemic index, making it appropriate for diabetics. Because of its strong antioxidant content, it's gaining popular as a detox drink.
Sugarcane juice has a long list of health advantages. Sugarcane juice contains 180 calories, 30 grammes of sugar, and a significant amount of nutritional fibre in a 240 mL serving. Because it is diuretic, it treats kidney stones and infections of the urinary tract. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, and different amino acids are all abundant in it. Furthermore, sugarcane juice's high fibre content supports weight loss while also improving digestion and alleviating constipation. People all around the world are becoming more aware of the health benefits of sugarcane juice.
Certain permits, authorizations, and registrations are required for a sugarcane juice business.
Registration of a Business: You must first register your firm in India before you can manage a sugarcane juice business.
GST registration is simple. Every form of business in India need a GST number.
A business licence entails: According to state legislation, you must also obtain a trade licence from the municipal authorities.
A pollution certificate from the local authority stating that the sugarcane juice business creates only sugarcane garbage is also required.
Registration as an MSME/SSI: This registration is required by the Indian government in order to acquire a loan.
Trademark: You must first register your business trade in order to register your business trademark.
Because it is related to the food sector, registration with the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) is essential.
Sugarcane Byproducts and their Applications:
Food (sucrose, jaggery, and syrups), fibre (cellulose), fodder (green top, bagasse, and molasses), fuel, and chemicals are all abundant in sugarcane (bagasse molasses and alcohol). Bagasse, molasses, and pressmud are the principal by-products of sugar manufacturing in the cane sugar business. Green leaves, green tips, rubbish, boiler ash, and effluents created by the sugar industry and distillery are other low-value co-products and by-products. Instead of solely relying on sugar production, there are numerous additional sectors that are built on sugarcane through diversification and usage of co-products and by-products of the sugar industry.
To get the most out of the sugarcane harvest, efforts should be made to integrate the use of sugarcane, its co-products, and by-products to make a variety of value-added products. Sugarcane is currently grown for food (sugar), fibre (cellulose), fuel (bagasse), and fodder (green tops, garbage, molasses, and other byproducts). The following is a summary of the economic relevance and consumption of various sugarcane by-products in India:
Bagasse:
Bagasse is a cellulosic waste product that is an important component of agriculture and industry. Bagasse can be used as a raw material for making paper, cardboard, and other products. It contains approximately 60% combustible material (cellulose) that can be used in power generating, fertiliser manufacturing, and even at home to make biogas. Bagasse can also be used as a biofertilizer and a biopesticide. It is particularly powerful against illnesses and pests that are spread through the soil. The nicest thing about bagasse is that, unlike artificial fertilisers, it has no negative impact on soil. Bagasse, in reality, promotes soil fertility by boosting the soil's water retention capacity, thanks to its high nutritional content. As a result, it aids in increasing crop productivity and quality while posing no risk to the environment or human health.
Bagasse tableware is also fashionable and well-liked as an ecological alternative to plastic tableware. Bagasse tableware, also known as sugarcane fibre dinnerware, is manufactured from sugarcane leftover and is an environmentally beneficial alternative to polystyrene and Styrofoam tableware.
Uses of Sugarcane Bagasse and its Based Products:
After sugarcane stalks are crushed to produce juice, bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains. Bagasse production per 100 tonnes of crushed cane varies from 25 to 32 tonnes, with the average being about 27-28 percent.
Fresh mill bagasse is 48-50 percent water, 2.5-3.5 percent dissolved solids (Brix), and 46-48 percent fibre. Sugarcane fibre is made up of insoluble cellulosic materials. The following are some of the uses for bagasse:
Fuel: Sugar mills frequently employ bagasse as a primary fuel source. It produces enough thermal energy to meet all of the needs of a normal sugar mill when burned in large quantities.
Bio-electricity from bagasse cogeneration: Bagasse can be used to create energy through the use of high-pressure boilers and a unique type of steam turbine. One metric tonne of bagasse may create around 450 kWh of electricity.
There are currently 147 sugar mills in India with co-generation installations generating 3,067 MW of total power. They are delivering as much as 1,900 MW of surplus electric power to the National Grid after fulfilling their captive power requirements in these mills.
Sugar mills in India are anticipated to have the capacity to generate up to 7,000 MW of electric power and to contribute roughly 3,000 MW of surplus electric power to the National Grid in the coming years.
Paper from Bagasse: Bagasse is commonly used as a substitute for wood in the production of pulp, paper, and board in many tropical and subtropical nations, including India, China, Colombia, Iran, Thailand, and Argentina. Many bagasse-based facilities currently exist to create kraft paper, white writing and printing materials, newsprint, and other types of paper.
Bagasse pulp is used in the production of bags, corrugated wrapping and writing paper, as well as toilet paper. Tamil Nadu Newsprints Limited (TNPL) produces high-quality newsprint from bagasse in India.
One hectare of sugarcane may generate roughly five tonnes of pulp and paper fibre per year, which is twice as much as one hectare of wood under the same conditions. Sugarcane has a fifteen-fold shorter rejuvenation period.
Paper manufactured from sugarcane bagasse offers several advantages over traditional papers made from tree pulp, the most important of which is that we don't have to cut down trees. It is both less expensive and renewable. Sugar waste paper is favoured for napkins, tissue paper, disposable food containers, plates, bowls, trays, and other paper products.
Boards or Agglomerated Products: Forest woods are commonly used in the board production industry. Because tree cutting reduces forest cover, resulting in climate change difficulties, board manufacturing businesses require an alternative to forest wood. Bagasse is the most ideal raw material in this regard, and it can be used extensively.
Bagasse-based composites have the potential to replace high-density and expensive wood fiberboard as the core material for laminated floors. In India, significant progress has been made in the utilisation of bagasse for the creation of agglomerated products in recent years, as seen below:
• Panel or Insulating Board: Bagasse is treated with hot water or steam under pressure in a rotary digester to create a panel or insulating board. After that, the pulp is rinsed and fed into board machines, where it becomes a continuous wet mat. It is then rolled to eliminate as much water as possible before being cut into sheets and dried. The final product is not wrappable and does not accept paint well. It is an effective heat insulator and can be impregnated with chemicals to make it bug and fire resistant. It is utilised as a ceiling and wall partitioning material.
• Particle Board: Made in a dry process by binding bagasse fibre with a resin, it is much denser and harder than insulating board. It may be made water resistant and used to make a variety of furniture, including cabinets, cupboards, racks, almirahs, partition boards, and table tops. There are 12 particle board plants in India that utilise the excess bagasse from adjoining sugar mills as a fibrous raw material.
• Bagasse-Cement Board: Due to its superior physical features, such as resistance to fire, fungi, insects, and weather extremes, these types of boards are increasingly widely used as construction materials. Ligno-cellulosic fibres are combined with Portland cement, calcinated magnesite, or gypsum to make these sorts of boards.
Biogas Production from Bagasse: Bagasse can be fermented to produce sludge or biogas (a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane) by inoculation or the addition of agricultural manure. 6065 percent methane, 3035 percent carbon dioxide, and minor amounts of hydrogen make up the gas produced (calorific value 5,500 kcal/m3). Bagasse can also be utilised as a source of energy in gas-producing plants. The calorific value of the bagasse producing gas is 1,200 kcal/kg, and it comprises 60% nitrogen, 17% carbon mono-oxide, and 6% hydrogen.
Production of Furfural: Furfural is a colourless or yellow oily liquid with the odour of almonds in its pure condition, but when exposed to air, it soon becomes yellow, then brown, and eventually black, giving it the name furfuraldehyde. It is a significant organic compound derived from agroindustrial wastes and residues containing pentosans, a type of carbohydrate.
Due to the lack of commercial synthetic pathways, all furfural production is reliant on pentosan-containing residues collected from the processing of various agricultural (from bagasse) and forest products. It has a small market in highly industrialised countries, primarily for nylon and butadiene manufacturing. Furfuryl alcohol is the most important commercial intermediate generated from furfural. In Cuba, certain new medications derived from cane lignin have been created, and India has the potential to investigate this industry.
Use as Animal Feed: However, raw bagasse's low digestibility, high lignin (20%), and very low nitrogen content limit its use as animal feed. However, it is possible to improve its palatability and digestibility, as well as supplement it to increase energy, protein, and mineral value, making it a more affordable alternative feed for small farmers and landless labourers.
By fermenting bagasse with molasses and enzymes (such as bromelain), it is transformed into calf feed. Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, the Middle East, and Australia are among the countries that sell it.
Ethanol production: The sugarcane crop's cellulosic byproduct, bagasse, could be used for ethanol production via a simultaneous saccharification-cum-fermentation (SSF) process employing enzymatic or acid hydrolysis technology. A microbial consortia is being developed to economise the process, which might yield around 200 l of ethanol each tonne of bagasse processed.
Sugarcane Molasses:
Molasses is a viscous syrup that is used to sweeten things. It derives from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets and is a byproduct of the sugar-making process. There is only a small amount of study on the health consequences of molasses. Molasses is one of those uncommon products that you could overlook—after all, isn't it just brown syrup? Molasses, on the other hand, has a wide range of uses and applications. Molasses is manufactured in two phases from sugar cane: Sugar is derived from sugar cane juice after it has been boiled down. Evaporation continues, resulting in thick, black molasses. There are various other components that are used for different purposes in addition to molasses, which is a byproduct of the sugar cane production.
The dry stalk residue, known as bagasse, is utilised as fuel in the plant after the juice is extracted from the cane stalks. In the preparation of pet foods, beet pulp is employed. Cosmetics, polish, and paper coatings are all made with cane wax, which is extracted from the dry residue.
Sugarcane Molasses and Its Products Have a Wide Range of Applications
Molasses is a viscous final effluent produced by the repeated crystallisation of sugar. It's the leftover syrup from which no simple crystaline sucrose can be extracted.
Molasses as a Fertilizer: Molasses is mostly utilised as an organic fertiliser because it is frequently a waste product. However, there appears to be widespread agreement on the benefits of molasses as a soil fertiliser. However, it is claimed that the land receives the following fertiliser for every 48 metric tonne of molasses spread in the field. 51.3 kg K2, 5.2 kg N, 2.5 kg P2O5.
Molasses as Animal Feed: Since the invention of sugar, the significance of molasses as a livestock feed has been recognised. The most essential feature of cane molasses as a feed is its high carbohydrate content, primarily in the form of sugar molasses, which also contains minor amounts of protein and very low calcium and phosphorus proportions, but a very high potassium proportion.
It also contains traces of B-complex vitamins and minerals such as cobalt, boron, iodine, copper, manganese, and zinc. Molasses can also be used as a pig and poultry feed. The National Sugar Institute in Kanpur, India, produced the first molasses-based animal feed (UP).
Bagomolasses was the product's name. Pohatas industries, Dalmia Nagar, Bihar, and Ugar sugar works limited, Ugarkhurd, Belgaum District, Karnataka, have since built better factories. Many sugar factories in Karnataka and Maharashtra followed suit.
Molasses as a Distilling Raw Material: Molasses is the primary raw material used in the distilling industry. In the distillation industry, there are primarily two processes involved. Fermentation is the first step. Distillation is the second step.
Fermentation: Fermentation is a chemical reaction that occurs in an organic substrate (substance) due to the activity of biochemical catalysts. It is the result of a metabolic process. Microorganisms such as yeasts, moulds, and bacteria are biochemical catalysts/ enzymes. Traditionally, fermentation was thought to be the process of converting sugar to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Molasses can be utilised in a variety of fermentation processes. Molasses produces vinegar and acetic acid, two key components.
Vinegar is a condiment made from sugar or starchy materials fermented with alcohol and acetic acid. Acetic acid is the major component in vinegar. Other acetic acid derivatives include cellulose acetate, which is used in clothing and home furnishings, anhydride vinyl acetate, acetamide, and others.
Another major fermentation product is butanol acetone. Molasses is a good source of this. It's utilised in explosives manufacturing. Acetone is a very flammable substance. The fermentation of cane molasses can be used to make it.
Acetone is utilised in the electronics sector as a plastisizer, dyeing agent, detergent, and cleaning agent. Lactic acid is a colourless, odourless, syrupy liquid that can be mixed with water, alcohol, or ether. Lactic acid is employed in a variety of industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, and plastics.
Another major molasses fermentation result is citric acid. It is utilised in the food and beverage industry (60%) as well as pharmaceutical (16%), chemical (15%), cosmetics and toiletries (3%) and other industries (6 percent).
Distillation Industries: Distillation is a method of separating liquids into fractions based on their boiling points or boiling ranges by evaporation and re-condensation. Distillation procedures produce one or more types of alcohol as their main result.
A. Rum: Rum is an alcoholic distillate made from the fermentation of sugarcane juice or sugarcane molasses, with an alcohol content of 43.15 to 52.50 percent by volume.
Yeast is introduced to fresh molasses for the mashing process, which involves diluting the molasses and adding ammonium sulphate, sulphuric acid, and, in rare cases, phosphorous. Finally, the mash substance goes through a basic distillation and condensation process. Rum is typically aged to increase its flavour, colour, and aroma, and it is cured by adding herbs, sugar, and oils.
B. Ethyl Alcohol: Ethyl alcohol is made in the same way that rum is. Molasses is first diluted with water, ammonium sulphate, phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, and sodium chloride, with a sugar concentration of 14 to 18 percent. The mash is seeded with yeast culture at a rate of 5 to 8% by volume, and fermentation takes 30 to 72 hours, depending on other conditions.
Beer or wine is a fermented alcoholic beverage that contains 6 to 9 percent alcohol. The distilled fermented mash or beer, as well as the resulting alcohol, are refined further in a rectifying column. It's called rectified spirit.
Industrial alcohol is primarily utilised as a fuel, as an antiseptic and cleaning agent, as a dye, medicine, and soap solvent, and in a variety of other chemical processes. Absolute alcohol can be used as a fuel for internal combustion engines if it is denatured and mixed with 70 to 80 percent petrol.
Ordinary Denatured Spirit (ODS) is primarily utilised in hospitals, at home, and in the polishing process. Sugarcane produces 72-75 litres of ethanol per tonne. Similarly, a tonne of molasses yields around 220-250 litres of ethanol. Alcohol has its own derivatives and by-products. The following are the most common by-products.
1. Carbon dioxide: This gas can be utilised to make carbonated beverages, extinguish fires, and preserve food. When 1000 kilogramme of molasses is fermented, 160 kg of CO2 is produced.
2. Fuel oil: This is a mixture of higher alcohols created at high temperatures, primarily Ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, Amyl alcohol, and isoamyl alcohol. It is mostly utilised as a liquor solvent.
3. Glycerol: This substance is utilised in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, food and drinks, and other industries.
Molasses By-Products:
1. Dextran is a molasses by-product that is utilised as a stabiliser in ice cream, sugar syrup, and other confectionery products. It can be used to drill oil wells.
2. Aconitic acid is a molasses by-product that is mostly employed as a plastisizer, wetting agent, and flavouring ingredient in the chemical industry.
3. Itaconic acid: This is a type of molasses fermentation that is used to make thermoplastics and transparent materials.
4. Monosodium Glutamate: This is another molasses by-product that is employed as a flavour enhancer.
5. Carbon Dioxide: When molasses is fermented by Saccharomyces cereviseae, carbon dioxide and alcohol are formed. CO2 is produced at a rate of 16 percent by weight of molasses, with 70 to 75 percent of it recoverable. The created carbon dioxide is utilised as a cooling agent and in the production of carbonated beverages.
Bioethanol Production from Sugarcane Molasses:
The sugar cane processing business produces sugar cane molasses as a byproduct. One option to limit the amount of molasses waste is to use it as biomass for bioethanol production. Because of its high sugar content, molasses can be utilised to manufacture bioethanol, which has a high economic value. Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) is a molasses-based bioethanol production technique that uses 10% (100 gr/L molasses) and 20% (200 gr/L molasses) substrates. Commercial instant dry yeast was chosen for this fermentation because it can be used directly as a starter, simplifying the process and eliminating the possibility of bacterial contamination. The sugar business in West Java is one of the molasses-producing sugarcane processing industries in Indonesia. After that, the molasses was turned to bioethanol.
Pressmud or Filter Mud: Uses and Products
Sugarcane juice undergoes a purification procedure known as clarification during the manufacturing of sugar. Carbonation or sulphitation procedures are employed for this. A bulky precipitate is generated as a result of this action.
The juice is filtered using vaccum filters or the filling process, and the waste material left over is called pressmud. There is some sugar in it. On a weight basis, around 7 to 8% of the cane is crushed.
Fertilizers Include: Calcium sulphite and calcium phosphate are abundant in Pressmud. Small amounts of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium are also present. On a dry basis, it comprises 20 to 25 percent organic matter and around 45 percent lime. It's an excellent fertiliser for acidic soils.
As animal feed: Dried cakes can be used as animal feed when combined with cane molasses and topping.
Other applications: It can be used to make construction lime, however this poses a waste disposal issue. Metal polishing powder, board chalk, and tooth powder can all be made with it.
Sugarcane tops, leaves, and garbage are removed during the harvesting of the sugarcane crop, and the stems are cleansed of their leaves (trash). Cane tops and garbage account for 25 to 35 percent of the cane weight on the field on average. Cattle value cane tops as a source of feed.