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Embrapa and InterCement develop project to use forage plants for energy generation
Oct. 21, 2016
BrazilAligning with the growing global demand for energy, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), in partnership with InterCement, is developing a project to evaluate the use of biomass from forage plants for energy generation in the cement production process.
InterCement has 40 cement and grinding plants and its installed capacity is over 47 million tons/year. InterCement is among the 10 largest international cement companies in the world and is a leader in the markets of Portugal, Argentina, Mozambique and Cape Verde. It is also a deputy leader in Brazil and Paraguay and holds a prominent position in South Africa and Egypt. It has about 9,000 employees and sold 27 million tons of cement in 2015.
In 2009, InterCement adopted a climate agenda, which recently evolved into a sustainability agenda. One of their focus is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. They seek to replace traditional fossil fuels and increase the use of a co-processing and a firing system of industrial and municipal waste and the use of renewable energy sources.
The increased consumption of thermal energy in cement production causes direct emissions of carbon dioxide (CO²). As a result, InterCement and Embrapa, through various studies, seek to assess the capacity of the biomass of three species of tropical forage grasses to become alternatives in the power generation process.
According to the studies, among the benefits of tropical grasses are the large amount of biomass produced by some species, low demand for inputs and easy adaptation to different types of soil and climate.
The cooperation project aims to increase energy production, job creation and incomes, thus increasing the supply of technologies, products and services related to the business of biofuels with the reduction of environmental impact.
The project has been developed on a pilot scale in the experimental area of Embrapa Cerrados in Planaltina, Federal District, and in InterCement's plant in Cezarina, Goiás.
In 2016, about 105 tons of biomass were collected. After analysis, they will be used as an alternative source of energy in the cement manufacturing process.
Source: AgroNews
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