sugarcane is an example of a plant that can be used to produce gasoline.
sugarcane is an example of a plant that can be used to produce gasoline.
sugarcane is an example of a plant that can be used to produce which kind of fuel?
gasoline
energy-use associated with the production of sugarcane ethanol derives from three primary sources: the agricultural sector, the industrial sector, and the distribution sector. in the agricultural sector, 35.98 gj of energy are used to plant, maintain, and harvest one hectare (10,000 m2) of sugarcane for usable biofuel. this includes energy from numerous inputs, including nitrogen, phosphate, potassium oxide, lime, seed, herbicides, insecticides, labor and diesel fuel. the industrial sector, which includes the milling and refining sugarcane and the production of ethanol fuel, uses 3.63 gj of energy and generates 155.57 gj of energy per hectare of sugarcane plantation. scientists estimate that the potential power generated from the cogeneration of bagasse could range from 1,000 to 9,000 mw, depending on harvest and technology factors. in brazil, this is about 3% of the total energy needed. the burning of bagasse can generate 18 kilowatt-hours, or 64.7 mj per mg of sugarcane. distillery facilities require about 45 mj to operate, leaving a surplus energy supply of 19.3 mj, or 5.4 kwh. in terms of distribution, researchers calculates sugarcane ethanol's transport energy requirement to be .44 gj per cubic-meter, thus one hectare of land would require 2.82 gj of energy for successful transport and distribution. after taking all three sectors into account, the eroei (energy return over energy invested) for sugarcane ethanol is about 8.
ethanol fuel in brazil
the export boom of the late 18th and early 19th century cause a ramp up in the production of sugar and other sugarcane products as well as other resources. the sugar portion of the export boom increased supply until slavery was made illegal in the world. however, the slave trade continued into the latter part of the 19th century. haiti's slave revolt allowed brazil among other colonies to become the top producers of the world's sugar. in 1792, haiti was producing 50% of the sugar on the world market, but after the rebellion they went to producing none the next year. they main location site the sugarcane work took place were large plantations called an engenho. an engenho is an agricultural establishment as necessary machines and resources for refining sugar from sugarcane. the facilities typically have a mill for milling cane, some cauldrons and distilleries. they acquired the name because of all their components used to produce and develop the sugarcane into potential exports. engenhos could be considered revolutionary at the time because of its industrial advancement, the work combined manufacturing, chemistry, and agriculture to mass produce sugar. this new industrialized plantation required many working parts to keep it running. an engenho needed a field, workshop, refinery, and office just to produce the sugar. the list did not take account for the needs to power the building or slave requirements and needs. to run the engenho specialized slaves and servants were necessary. the overseer had to be a free white, while the slaves purchased needed to be strong field hands and some already familiar with the sugar production process. they were sometimes imported from sao tome in africa because of the country's history as major world sugar producers which allowed for the workers from there to already have the artisan skills needed for the sugarcane production. these large sugar plantations required a new division of labor among the overseers and slaves. the overseers had power on the plantation but were not all powerful, the planter was. for example, the overseer could not just punish slaves however he wanted to, he had limitations. his main job was to make sure all the supplies needed where there and to keep a list of what the planter had to get. the overseer was to keep the slaves working and cared for, and also see that the steps in the sugar production were being done correctly. the process needed slaves for cutting, carrying, evaporation, and crystallization all in a compressed time frame due to the nature of the crop. to keep it running and all the parts working in the sugar producing business machine, a dramatic increase of laborers were needed. to make sugar, it was imperative that the sequence was nonstop from the cutting in the field to final export. an error in any stage could bring about drastic effects and ruin a batch of the harvested crop. the sugarcane would become rotten after twenty four hours from being cut, so time was of the essence and the workers could not afford to make mistakes. production and slave labor could no longer be looked at as separate, they were dependent of one another when it came to the sugarcane cultivation and production. the making and exporting of this commodity was now dependent on the atlantic slave trade. an aspect that made the engenho a different type of operation was its need of all the people involved from field slave all the way to chief overseer. each division of labor had to perform and contribute to make the plantation a success. also, the planter could not buy just any slave to get the job done, they needed to be skilled and knowledgeable about their specific roll in the sugarcane process. to achieve the necessary level of knowledge was no easy task. training cost money, time, and resources. it would take up to a year or more for the sugar production to be learned due to the lengthy amount of time it takes sugarcane to grow and become ripe enough.
engenho