Abstract
Characterization and quantification of the products and byproducts of the sugar and ethanol industries is an aspect of a sustainable natural resources management. The current study applied primary and secondary data collection as well as review of scenarios to quantify and characterize the products and byproducts of these industries. It also revealed the gaps in research and the relevant policies in discussing the alternative solutions available locally and globally. Currently, Ethiopia produces close to 1.8 million tons of cane sugar with over 300,000 tons of molasses as a byproduct. Using cane molasses as a raw material and with the release of 431,000 m3 of stillage into the environment, the potable ethanol industry in the country produces over 33,000 m3 of ethanol annually. Despite the expansion of sugar and ethanol industries both by the public and private owners, the environmental performance of the sector is apparently poor. These industries discharge the energy-rich “wastes streams” without proper treatment directly into the environment. Except for a few instances of the production of fuel ethanol from stillage and electricity from bagasse, the status of energy and valuables recovery from biomass in those sectors is quite lagging, which puts their sustainability at risk.
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