University of Saint La Salle

College of Engineering and Technology

ChE16

Roxol Bioenergy Corporation (Ethanol Distillery) energy-related problems and

proposed solutions

Presented by:

Panillo, Charnine Claire

Piagola, Love Joy
Polanco, Aimee
Rivera, Aldren
Robles, Rainier King

Submitted to:

Engr. Marie Therese Bernadette Sales, PhD

ChE16 Professor, ChE Department Chairperson

October 3, 2014

I. INTRODUCTION

A bio-sugar and bio-energy company, Roxas Holdings, Inc. is the largest

integrated sugar business in the Philippines, with close to a century of experience. This
industry produces millions of tons of sugar every year. A by-product of this processing is
bagasse, the material (largely cellulose) that remains after sugar cane has been milled
and the sugar removed. Large quantities of bagasse are produced over the period
during which the sugar is being extracted from the sugar cane, stored on site for an
extended period and eventually used as fuel for the sugar mills, often in the next milling
season.
This paper focuses on the problems regarding the storage and handling of
bagasse when storage is prolonged for off-season power generation and environmental
impacts of bagasse when it has undergone combustion for fueling the operations in the
industry.

II. COMPANY PROFILE

Overview
Roxas Holdings, Inc. (RHI) is a bio-sugar and bio-energy company. It operates
the largest milling operations in the Philippines as well as the second largest sugar
refner, and one of the pioneering bioethanol plants in the country.
Roxol Bioenergy Corporation based in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, is the
bioethanol unit of RHI. It operates as a stand-alone ethanol production facility. It
produces 100,000 liters of fuel ethanol or potable and industrial alcohol per day.
During the year 1998, RHI acquired majority ownership of central Azucarera de la
Carlota, Inc. Moreover, in the year 2011, Roxol Bioenergy Corporation ran fully on a
commercial basis.
Company Name: ROXOL Bioenergy Corporation
Affiliation: Roxas Holdings, Inc., the second
largest
producer of refined sugar as well as the first fully integrated sugar mill and bio-ethanol
distillery complex in the country. It produces sugar at its Central Azucarera de la Carlota
Inc. in La Carlota and the Central Azucarera Don Pedro Inc. mills in Batangas.
(http://www.rhi-cadp.com.ph/, August 14, 2014)
Plant Site: The plant is built next to Central Azucarera de La Carlota, Inc. (CACI) in La
Carlota City, a sugar mill owned by Roxas Holdings Inc.
First Commercial Operation: June 2010

Power Source: Bagasse-Fired Boiler which can produce 4MW worth of power but only
uses 2MW for the plants energy consumption
Feedstock: Molasses, a byproduct of sugar production for the production of Bioethanol.
Bagasse, a byproduct of sugar production as fuel for boiler operations.

Feedstocks are from their 3 sugar mills: Central Azucarera de La Carlota Inc.,
Central Azucarera Don Pedro, Inc. in Batangas and an affiliate company, HawaiianPhilippine
Company
in
Negros
Occidental.
(http://www.alternat1ve.com/biofuel/2008/06/30/roxol-bioenergy-corp-to-build-ethanoldistillery-in-negros-occidental/, August 14, 2014)
Operating Cycle Basis: 10 Months
Chief Operating Officer and Roxol President: Luis O. Villa-Abrille
Capacity: The plant produced 15.07 million Liters of Bioethanol from October 2013 to
March 2014 but Roxol has the capacity to produce 30 million liters of ethanol a year or
around
100,000
liters
a
day.
(http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2011/10/15/roxol-awaits-referencepricing-local-ethanol-185193, August 14, 2014)
Facilities and Equipment:
1. Fermentation and Distillation in ethanol production
2. Wastewater Treatment Facilities
3. Slops Concentration
4. Product Storage
5. Steam Boiler and
6. Turbo-Generator Components
Plant Cost: The setting up of a turnkey bioethanol plant amounted to about PhP1
billion. The turnkey and the boiler problems amounted total to PhP1.6-billion
(http://business.inquirer.net/21863/negros-bioethanol-plant-now-fully-operational,
August 14, 2014)
Plant Contractor: KBK Chemical Engineering Pvt Ltd., a subsidiary of Indias Shree
Renuka Sugars Limited

Company History (Milestones)

1927 - Established as a sugar milling company in Nasugbu, Batangas, and was then
known as Central Azucarera Don Pedro.
1994 - The Group embarked on an expansion and modernization program which
enabled RHI to become an integrated sugar manufacturing company with a refinery.
1998 - It acquired majority ownership of Central Azucarera de la Carlota, Inc. (CACI).
2002 - The company commenced a corporate reorganization program to transform itself
into a holding and investment corporation, resulting in the integration of its sugar
businesses under a single subsidiary known as CADP Group Corporation (CADPGC).
2008 - The Roxas Group underwent a corporate reorganization that separated its sugar
and real estate businesses into two firms listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange
(PSE).
2011 - Roxol Bioenergy Corporation, the bioethanol unit of RHI, ran fully on a
commercial basis.

III. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

A. Storage problems for bagasse as it spontaneously combusts (1) and Low
Calorific value of bagasse due to high moisture content (2)

The storage of bagasse, which is principally cellulose, presents many problems

for the sugar industry, one of which is bagasse loss due to spontaneous combustion.
This is an expensive problem for the industry as bagasse can be used as a fuel, and for
cogeneration of electricity. Self-heating occurs in the pile through an oxidation
mechanism as well as a moisture dependent reaction. Bagasse typically contains 4555% by weight of water when milling is completed and the question of how to reduce
the moisture content is important for two reasons. Firstly, wet bagasse does not burn
nearly as efficiently as dry bagasse, and secondly, self-heating is greatly enhanced in
the presence of water, for temperatures less than 60-70C. (Why?)
Dry bagasse, which burns at a higher temperature, is a superior fuel to wet
bagasse. However, because near-boiling water is used to remove the last of the sugar
from the cane, when bagasse leaves the sugar mill it has a water content of up to 55%
by weight and a temperature around 50C. Consequently, as wet bagasse does not

burn nearly as effectively or efficiently as dry bagasse, burning as it does at a lower

temperature, have economic and environmental costs. Stockpiling wet bagasse risks
spontaneous ignition of the pile or the leaching of noxious acids into the surrounding
earth. Clearly then, understanding the way in which bagasse heaps dry out is an
extremely important issue for the sugar industry. Furthermore, it is desirable to use the
self-heating of the bagasse pile to enhance the reduction of moisture content during
storage, while at the same time ensuring that spontaneous combustion cannot occur.
Wet cellulose, which is the principal component of bagasse, ignites more easily
than dry cellulose. Recent experimental works demonstrate that cellulose undergoes an
exothermic reaction with water at moderate temperatures. This reaction is thought to be
possibly of a hydrolytic nature, though it is not well understood at present.
Typically the mill wet bagasse contains around 48% to 52% moisture with a gross
calorific value (GCV) of around 2270 Kcal/kg (~9500 kj/kg). Normally the bagasse is
directly fed to the boiler to generate steam and surplus bagasse is stored in the
bagasse yard. The boiler installed in the plant are designed to burn bagasse with this
moisture. It is a known fact that GCV of bagasse is largely dependent upon its moisture
content. Higher moisture content in bagasse reduce its GCV and also results in higher
energy loss because the fuel moisture carries that latent heat of vaporization up the
stack.The GCV of bagasse can be determined can be determine by the following
equation
GCV[1]= 196.05 x (100-Ww % - WA %) 31.14 x WRDS . KJ/kg
Where,
Ww - is the moisture content
WA - is the ash content
WRDS - is the Brix
As can be seen from the above equation, the GCV of bagasse shows a decrease
of 196KJ/kg (47Kcal/kg) for every 1% increase in moisture.

Proposed Solutions:
(1) Storage problems for bagasse as it spontaneously combusts:
a. Design stockpiles to reduce exposure to prevailing winds, and to minimize
rainwater ingress.
b. Install and monitor electronic systems/ spark arrestors to provide early
detection of changes in stockpile temperatures.
(2) Low Calorific value of bagasse due to high moisture content:
Design of a bagasse dryer with the following considered parameters:
a. Heat transfer rate should be high
b. Retention time should be short because bagasse is susceptible to fire.
c. Drying should be uniform
d. The dryer should not require special maintenance and can be put in and
out of operation without disturbing the boiler, and does not require any extra
manpower for operation.
B. Bagasse combustion imposes environmental restrictions
Bagasse is a waste product of the sugar cane extraction process and represents
about 30% of the weight of the raw sugar cane. In order for the sugar cane mill to avoid
a large solid waste disposal problem and to minimize the cost of power requirements,
the bagasse is used as the primary fuel for on-site steam production. Biomass is a
readily available renewable resource that has been used throughout the past as a
source of heat energy by means of combustion and Roxol Bioenergy Corporation has
been using bagasse to fuel their boilers. However, it is a well-established fact that
combustion of solid fuel for power generation is a significant contributor to global
warming. Hence, the group proposed a process of reducing the risk factors in the
environment and makes possible the use of higher efficiency combined cycle systems
for power generation.

Proposed Solution:
Bagasse will be subjected to a thermal recovery process. Bagasse is first
shredded and blended. As a matter of fact, Roxol Bioenergy Corp. can make use of
other solid waste materials that are mostly found in landfills as feed to this process.
Hence, if there will be shortage of bagasse stocks, other wastes can be an alternative. It

is then fed through an airlock system to ensure an oxygen deficient environment in a

retort chamber. This process is known as pyrolysis. The waste materials will be exposed
to temperatures of up to 1010C. The bio-mass remains in the retort chamber until all
volatile material is processed. It is then directed through the transition zone where gas
conditions are monitored to ensure optimal performance. From here the gases are
pulled into the thermal oxidizer where they are mixed with oxygen and combusted. Toxic
and noxious wastes are eliminated at this point and the high temperatures of the
thermal oxidizer result in harmless emissions, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide and
water vapor. Energy produced from thermal oxidizer is directed to the boiler. Then it
produces steam to fuel their operations. The excess vapors produced can be
condensed to form fuel oil which will be stored for future use. This process also
produces remaining solids called char and is discharged through the discharge airlock.
These solids can be used as soil conditioner for agriculture as it improves the soil
function, assists with the retention of moisture and reduces soil acidity. These are useful
fertilizers for their sugarcane crop production. In conclusion, the over-all process is
giving them two-way benefits.

IV. DOCUMENTATION

V. CONCLUSION
Bagasse, under certain circumstances demands negative impacts in terms of
plant operations and safety and environmental aspect, as well. Because of this, it needs
to be given due notice and sustainable planned actions.

VI. REFERENCES
1. Bernhardt DR (1968). Bulk storage of bagasse. Proc Am Soc Sug Cane
Technol 15: 24-29.
2. Hugo, T.J. (2010).
Stellenbosch. 47-60.

Pyrolysis

of

Sugarcane

Bagasse.

University of

3. http://www.ecoreps.com.au/thermalrecoveryprocess.html
4. (http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/licences-permits/business-industry/pdf/guidebagasse-storage-em722.pdf)
5. (http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FANZ
%2FANZ43_01%2FS1446181100011408a.pdf&code=8a3adfca1b8309c150a
adfcbedad50cd)
6. http://www.ijsr.net/archive/v2i8/MDIwMTMyMDc=.pdf

7. http://www.avantgarde-india.com/techpapers/Bagasse%20Drying
%20Methods.pdf
8. http://www.ijettjournal.org/volume-4/issue-5/IJETT-V4I5P3.pdf
9. http://www.scribd.com/doc/7027056/Bagasse-as-Alternate-Fuel