In order to be used as raw materials for bioethanol production, lignocellulosic materials, such as sugarcane bagasse, must undergo a pretreatment process, through which the hemicellulose is removed and cellulose is made more accessible to enzymatic attack during hydrolysis. Since sugarcane bagasse is used as a fuel in conventional bioethanol production, providing steam and electricity for the plant, the amount of surplus bagasse used as raw material for 2nd generation bioethanol production is directly related to energy consumption of bioethanol production process. Pentose and lignin, byproducts of the 2nd generation bioethanol production, may be used as fuels and increase the amount of surplus bagasse. In this work, simulations of the integrated bioethanol production process from sugarcane and sugarcane bagasse were carried out. Selected pre-treatment methods (steam explosion, dilute acid, hydrogen peroxide) followed or not by a delignification step (Organosolv or alkaline) were evaluated. The amount of lignocellulosic materials available for hydrolysis on each configuration was calculated considering that a fraction (50%) of sugarcane trash is recovered from the field. Yields, process and conversion parameters were obtained in the literature and from the industry (for the 1st generation), and anhydrous bioethanol production was evaluated for each process configuration.
This work provides a basis for the economic evaluations that must take place when determining the feasibility of the 2nd generation bioethanol production.