Ethanol Mills Research Articles

The effect of surfactant admixture during milling on pressing, sintering, and magnetic properties of FeCrCoMoW alloy

The effect of surfactant admixture (stearic and oleic acids) with a variety of milling (dry milling, milling in water and ethanol) on pressing and sintering and magnetic properties of the Fe-30Cr-20Co-2Mo-2W (wt %) hard magnetic powder alloy was studied. The addition of stearic and oleic acids in the amount of up to 2 wt % during dry or wet milling increases the density of pressed samples. The use of surfactants during milling in water and ethanol increases the density of sintered samples. X-ray diffraction shows that only accumulation of defects takes place in the crystal structure of the particles, and no additional phases form during dry or wet milling of powder mixtures containing a surfactant. The best magnetic hysteresis properties were obtained with samples milled in ethanol with 1% stearic acid.

World's largest biofuel and pellet plants – geographic distribution, capacity share, and feedstock supply

AbstractBiomass can be used for energy purposes by either combustion to heat and power or refining into solid and liquid biofuels. The majority of biomass is used for residential purposes in developing countries. Modern biomass use in industrialized countries is increasing, and more and more biomass is also traded to be used for energy purposes. The purpose of this paper is to locate the 15 largest ethanol, biodiesel, and wood pellet plants. Facilities generating heat, steam and electricity were left out. Secondly it is not generally known what share of biomass users are large plants. Also an effort is made to find out how much these large‐scale biomass refining plants use imported feedstock. For the most part, very large industrial processing facilities are found in a small number of countries. The largest ethanol mills are found almost exclusively in the United States, with one very large plant in the Netherlands. The distribution of biodiesel and wood pellet plants is more dispersed. The countries with the most large biodiesel plants include the USA, Brazil, Spain, and the Netherlands. The countries with the most very large wood pellet plants include the USA, Canada, Russia, and Germany. Torrefaction and pyrolysis technologies are still rarely used on industrial scale. Ethanol and wood pellet plants tend to be sourced from local feedstocks, while biodiesel plants are much more likely to use imported feedstocks or a mix of imports and local biomass. All of these fuels are increasingly traded through the international market. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

A Fuzzy Goal Programming model for solving aggregate production-planning problems under uncertainty: A case study in a Brazilian sugar mill

This paper proposes a Fuzzy Goal Programming model (FGP) for a real aggregate production-planning problem. To do so, an application was made in a Brazilian Sugar and Ethanol Milling Company. The FGP Model depicts the comprehensive production process of sugar, ethanol, molasses and derivatives, and considers the uncertainties involved in ethanol and sugar production. Decision-makings, related to the agricultural and logistics phases, were considered on a weekly-basis planning horizon to include the whole harvesting season and the periods between harvests. The research has provided interesting results about decisions in the agricultural stages of cutting, loading and transportation to sugarcane suppliers and, especially, in milling decisions, whose choice of production process includes storage and logistics distribution.

A pluralidade nas transações de cana-de-açúcar no Oeste Paulista

A pluralidade nas transações é estudada em várias atividades econômicas, em especial as franquias. Há estudos desenvolvidos sobre a análise da transação, porém esses estudos não alcançam o conjunto das transações que as empresas adotam para um mesmo resultado. No abastecimento de cana-de-açúcar para as usinas, a organização das transações em mais de uma estrutura de coordenação foi observada na região oeste do Estado de São Paulo. Este artigo tem como objetivo principal analisar quais as razões para a adoção de formas singulares ou plurais de coordenação dos negócios de fornecimento de cana nas usinas da referida região. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo com aplicação de entrevistas com os responsáveis pelas decisões de abastecimento de cana nas usinas de açúcar e/ou álcool. Os resultados indicam que há elementos da abordagem de economia dos custos de transação que explicam a adoção de formas plurais de coordenação dos negócios e que contribuem para o entendimento do processo de adaptação das empresas nos mercados, principalmente quando se compreende que a empresa é um nexo de negociações e não apenas uma função da produção. Assim, as ações que explicam a estratégia empresarial ganham maior complexidade e trazem a novidade de outros ganhos com a adoção da pluralidade de gestão na negociação pela firma.

Reduction of water consumption in an integrated first- and second-generation ethanol plant

The aim of this study was to estimate the increase in industrial water consumption and withdrawal in a conventional sugarcane ethanol mill due to the introduction of second-generation ethanol production by a bagasse hydrolysis process, and to identify opportunities of water reuse, in order to minimize water withdrawal. Simulations in ASPEN PLUS® software were performed for mass and energy balances. Three cases were evaluated: a conventional ethanol production plant (Case I), and two second-generation plants incorporating bagasse hydrolysis differing only in their glucose concentration processes, namely by evaporation (Case II), and by membrane separation (Case III).Results show that external withdrawals of 738L/t of cane for Case I, 955L/t of cane for Case II and 853L/t of cane for Case III are required to cover the water deficit of the plant. These values are lower than the mandated limit of 1000L/t of cane for the sugar cane industry in the State of São Paulo. Moreover, for Cases II and III, which need large additional amounts of water for the hydrolysis stage, water usages of 10.77 and 9.38L of water per litre of ethanol produced were achieved, approaching the figure of 9.34L water per litre of ethanol produced by the conventional plants (Case I). This highlights the high potential for reduction practices based on the concept of energy and water integration.

Aplicação de programação por metas binária: mista em uma empresa do setor sucroenergético

A Programação por Metas, ou Goal Programming (GP), é uma importante abordagem analítica que tem sido aplicada com sucesso na solução de importantes problemas de decisão. Propõe-se um modelo de Programação por Metas Binária-Mista, ou Mixed-Binary Goal Programming (MBGP), para otimizar o planejamento agregado da produção e da distribuição de uma empresa do setor sucroenergético, que incorpora a cogeração de energia. Deste modo, o modelo aborda os processos de produção de açúcar, de álcool, de melaço e derivados e da cogeração de energia. Contempla, também, as etapas agrícolas, industriais e de distribuição, possibilitando que as decisões sejam tomadas em um horizonte de planejamento semanal, incluindo a safra e entressafra. A aplicação deste modelo em uma usina de açúcar e álcool brasileira auxiliou na determinação de políticas ótimas de produção e distribuição, gerando resultados financeiros e operacionais interessantes para a empresa, além de gerar relatórios de exportação de energia aderentes à realidade da usina estudada.

Mechanochemical activation of aluminum powder and synthesis of alumina based ceramic composites

The microstructure and chemical reactivity of aluminum powder ball milled in ethanol medium have been investigated in this study. It has been shown that the milling environment plays an important role on the chemical behavior of the milled aluminum powder. Aluminum particles ball milled in ethanol could physically bond a significant amount of hydroxyl (OH) and alkyl (CH) functional groups, the presence of which drastically changes the oxidation behavior of the milled powder. Such mechanochemically activated (MA) aluminum powder obtained by ball milling in ethanol was found to oxidize at temperatures less than half of that for oxidation of original powder. This is thought to be because of refinement and modification of particle surface of MA aluminum powder. Moreover, even at the reduced temperature of oxidation, the MA aluminum powder oxidizes mainly in the form of high temperature phases such as γ-Al 2 O 3 and α-Al 2 O 3 (corundum). Utilizing the specific chemical behavior of MA aluminum powder, we demonstrated that it is possible to prepare alumina–SiC ceramic composites directly from the mixture of MA aluminum and SiC compounds at significantly lower temperature. Some important parameters of the synthesized ceramics have been investigated.

Multi-choice mixed integer goal programming optimization for real problems in a sugar and ethanol milling company

Goal Programming (GP) is an important analytical approach devised to solve many realworld problems. The first GP model is known as Weighted Goal Programming (WGP). However, Multi-Choice Aspirations Level (MCAL) problems cannot be solved by current GP techniques. In this paper, we propose a Multi-Choice Mixed Integer Goal Programming model (MCMI-GP) for the aggregate production planning of a Brazilian sugar and ethanol milling company. The MC-MIGP model was based on traditional selection and process methods for the design of lots, representing the production system of sugar, alcohol, molasses and derivatives. The research covers decisions on the agricultural and cutting stages, sugarcane loading and transportation by suppliers and, especially, energy cogeneration decisions; that is, the choice of production process, including storage stages and distribution. The MCMIGP allows decision-makers to set multiple aspiration levels for their problems in which “the more/higher, the better” and “the less/lower, the better” in the aspiration levels are addressed. An application of the proposed model for real problems in a Brazilian sugar and ethanol mill was conducted; producing interesting results that are herein reported and commented upon. Also, it was made a comparison between MCMI GP and WGP models using these real cases.

Preparation and Characterization of Modified Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Ceramics

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramic is commonly used in the biomedical applications particularly as a bone substitute due to its biocompatibility and directly bond to bones. However, the mechanical strength is quite poor. Therefore, well known biocompatible and strong ceramics such as SiO2, ZrO2 and TiO2 were added to improve the strength of BCP. BCP powder with HA/TCP ratios of 70/30 (HAP7030) was obtained by controlling the calcining temperature of the mixture between a pure HA and TCP. SiO2, ZrO2 and TiO2 powder with 2, 5 and 10 %wt were mixed with the HAP7030 powder by ball milling in ethanol. The mixtures were dried, pressed and sintered at 1100°C for 2 hrs. XRD and SEM were used to determine crystal structures and morphology of the sintered samples, respectively. Physical properties and flexural strength of samples were measured. Results showed that the bending strength of HAP7030 sample was rather improved by adding TiO2 than the addition of SiO2 or ZrO2. With increasing TiO2, HAP7030 strength was superior and HAP7030 with 10 %wt of TiO2 obtained the optimum bending strength around 61 MPa. However, the addition of TiO2 induced the thermal stability of HA/TCP, in which HA completely decomposed to β-TCP in this study.

Polymeric stabilization of fused corundum during nanogrinding in stirred media mills

This paper deals with the steric stabilization of fused corundum during milling in ethanol and water. Different molecular weights of DAPRAL, a block copolymer with lyophilic and lyophobic side chains, were used to stabilize the feed material particles during wet grinding. Preliminary studies of the adsorbed amounts of the polymer in different solvents were determined by TGA and by rheology measurements in order to select sufficient amount of polymer to stabilize the suspension. The median particle size of sterically stabilized milled alumina particles was obtained via Dynamic Light Scattering, Ultrasonic Extinction, BET and SEM. In this investigation primary median particle sizes of 60nm were obtained in ethanol by applying the steric stabilization mechanism. The mechanochemical characterization was carried out on the milled alumina particles and a phase transformation from alumina to aluminum hydroxide in water was observed, irrespective of stabilization mechanisms. However, no phase transformation was observed in ethanol.

Desafios da agroindústria canavieira no Brasil pós-desregulamentação: uma análise das capacidades tecnológicas

Este trabalho objetivou verificar quais são as capacidades tecnológicas (conceito de LALL, 1992) da agroindústria canavieira brasileira para uma amostra de três estados de expressão deste setor, São Paulo, Paraná e Minas Gerais. Para contemplar este escopo, foram coletados dados primários junto a usinas/ destilarias, mediante aplicação de questionários (responderam 39%, 40% e 35%, respectivamente, das unidades paulistas, mineiras e paranaenses, o que significa aproximadamente 32% das produções nacionais de cana, açúcar e álcool). Como corolário, a agroindústria canavieira, tecnicamente qualificada e com baixos custos, apresenta um expressivo domínio das capacidades tecnológicas básica (simple routine) e intermediária (adaptive duplicative). Contudo, em termos da capacidade tecnológica avançada (innovative risky), que é a tecnologia de ponta de um setor, ainda há espaço para avançar, mormente na inovação de processo e em P&D.

A questão da sustentabilidade voltada ao desempenho organizacional: uma análise exploratória em empresas do setor sucroalcooleiro no estado de São Paulo

Resumo: A adequação das empresas do setor sucroalcooleiro visando atender grupos de investimentos e mercado consumidor cada vez mais exigentes, destaca o comprometimento crescente com a cultura organizacional voltada a modelos de gestão que atendam interesses mútuos voltados à sustentabilidade, qualidade, responsabilidade sócio ambiental e mercado consumidor. De maneira geral, as empresas do setor sucroalcooleiro tem concentrado seus esforços para atingir estes objetivos, procurando transparencia em seus procedimentos e processos o que pode ser constatado em divulgações públicas nos sitios das usinas de açúcar e álcool do Estado de São Paulo. Este artigo retrata uma análise exploratória conduzida em empresas do setor sucroalcooleiro do Estado de São Paulo, visando verificar a aplicação de práticas que favoreçam um gestão sustentavel nestas organizações.

Integrating bioenergy and food production—A case study of combined ethanol and dairy production in Pontal, Brazil

Increased Brazilian sugarcane ethanol production is expected in response to increasing domestic and international ethanol demand. The Pontal do Paranapanema region, located in the western parts of the São Paulo state, is one of the regions where sugarcane is expected to expand on a large scale. This expansion will most likely affect small-scale dairy farmers in the region and may lead to displaced milk production. Interviews have been made with small-scale dairy farmers in areas where sugarcane has already been established. These interviews show that many farmers who substitute milk production for sugarcane production experience economic stagnation after the change. However, both systems can coexist, using sugarcane residues as high-quality cattle feed. This feed can easily be made at the ethanol mills using sugarcane residues and some additional protein and mineral supplements. Analyses indicate that the dairy farmers can increase their income ten-fold by adopting this integrated system. The increased total output and higher land-use efficiency in dairy production may counteract possible indirect land-use change. Greenhouse gas emissions per unit of milk produced as well as liter ethanol produced depend on several factors, including effects of diverting bagasse from other uses to feed production.

The Brazilian sugarcane innovation system

Ethanol has recently been of great interest worldwide because it is a viable economic alternative to petroleum products and it is a renewable source of energy that mitigates the emission of greenhouse gases. Brazilian bioethanol from sugarcane is the most successful case at the world level because of its low cost and low level of greenhouse gas emissions. Brazil’s success with sugarcane cannot be understood as based solely on a natural comparative advantage, but as a result of efforts that culminated in a positive trajectory of technological learning, relying mostly on incremental innovations. The purpose of this article is to analyze the key aspects of the innovation system built around the Brazilian sugarcane industry. It is based on the national innovation systems approach according to which innovation results from the interaction of different institutional actors. Institutional arrangements are analyzed as the basis for the innovative process, in particular R&D and the innovation policies and strategies of the main players in the sugarcane sector, including sugar and ethanol mills, industrial goods suppliers, public and private research institutions, and governmental agencies.

Amorphous phase formation in intermetallic Mg 2Ni alloy synthesized by ethanol wet milling

The hydriding/dehydriding properties of an intermetallic Mg 2Ni alloy synthesized by wet ball milling in ethanol have been investigated. The appearance of the particle surface after different milling methods is one obvious difference. The alloyed powders prepared by either dry milling or wet milling under ethanol were characterized for phase content by X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results show that two broad diffuse peaks, which are an ionic-organic-Mg amorphous material, appear in addition to the nickel element peaks. This unexpected amorphous phase has the special hydrogen absorbing/desorbing features.

An optimization model for the aggregate production planning of a Brazilian sugar and ethanol milling company

This work presents an optimization model to support decisions in the aggregate production planning of sugar and ethanol milling companies. The mixed integer programming formulation proposed is based on industrial process selection and production lot-sizing models. The aim is to help the decision makers in selecting the industrial processes used to produce sugar, ethanol and molasses, as well as in determining the quantities of sugarcane crushed, the selection of sugarcane suppliers and sugarcane transport suppliers, and the final product inventory strategy. The planning horizon is the whole sugarcane harvesting season and decisions are taken on a discrete fraction of time. A case study was developed in a Brazilian mill and the results highlight the applicability of the proposed approach.

Influence of Wet Mechanical Mixing on Microstructure and Vickers Hardness of Nanocrystalline Ceramic–Metal Composites

Nanocrystalline (nc) ceramic–metal composite bulk samples have been fabricated by consolidation of mixture of attrition‐milled (AM) amorphous base ceramic ((ZrO2–3 mol% Y2O3)–20 mol% Al2O3) and AM amorphous base metallic (Ti–48 mol% Al) powders using a pulse‐current pressure sintering system. Microstructural observations revealed that the ceramic and metallic colonies appear blocky in morphology in the composite bulk samples, and both the ceramic and the metallic colonies consist of a large number of equiaxed fine grains with the sizes of 78–82 and 81–86 nm, respectively. Mechanical mixing treatments by wet ball milling in ethanol before consolidation process are effective for refinement of the ceramic and metallic colonies. In all the obtained composite bulk samples, the ceramic colonies consist of the dominant phase of tetragonal (t) ZrO2 solid solution (ss) together with the minor phases of monoclinic (m) ZrO2ss and α‐Al2O3. On the other hand, the dominant phase in the metallic colonies changes from Ti3Al (α2) to Tiss (α) with an increase in the t‐ZrO2ss volume fraction by abrasion of 3 mol% yttria‐stabilized tetragonal polycrystalline zirconia balls during wet mechanical mixing treatments. Such a phase transformation from α2 to α is considered to be due to the decrease in the aluminum content in the metallic colonies by combination of aluminum with oxygen (i.e., the formation of α‐Al2O3), which is probably taken from ethanol (C2H5OH) into the powders during wet mechanical mixing treatments. The obtained nc composite bulk samples show good Vickers hardness values, which are considerably higher than those estimated from the rule of mixture.

Fabrication and basic characterization of silicon nitride ceramics as an inert matrix

Silicon nitride ceramics containing cerium as a simulating element of americium were fabricated to clarify proper sintering conditions. Basic properties of sintered specimens were evaluated for utilization to an inert matrix. Commercial powders of silicon nitride and cerium dioxide (16 or 24.6 wt%), and a powder of aluminum oxide or zirconium oxide as a sintering additive (5 wt%) for some specimens were mixed by ball milling in ethanol. Small amounts of stearic acid as a lubricant were also added. The mixed powder was uniaxially pressed into cylindrical pellets. Then, the pellets were embedded in a packing powder composed of 50 wt%-Si 3N 4 and 50 wt%-BN, and sintered at 2023 or 2073 K for 2 h in a 0.1 MPa N 2 atmosphere. Most of the sintered specimens had high densities (>95% TD). Sintered bodies consisted of columnar silicon nitride grains and grain-boundary phase. XRD analysis clarified that the grain-boundary phase contained crystalline compounds of cerium. The thermal conductivities of sintered specimens except for specimens containing aluminum oxide were about 40 W/m K at room temperature.

The Pressure-Assisted Master Sintering Surface of Silicon Nitride

For the pressure-assisted master sintering surface (PMSS), the sintered density during hot pressing is a unique function of the integral of a temperature function over time at a fixed pressure, irrespective of the heating path. The present research was undertaken to develop the pressure-assisted master sintering surface for silicon nitride known as potential material for high-temperature structural applications due to its excellent mechanical and thermal properties. High-purity α-Si3N4 powder (E-10 grade, Ube Industries) were mixed with 6.25% Y2O3 by alumina ball milling in ethanol for 3 hours. From the weight loss of ball mill after mixing, 1% Al2O3 was added. Consequently, SiN, 6.25% Y2O3 and 1% Al2O3 of powder mixture were prepared. After drying the resultant slurry at 100°C, the mixed powder were cold pressed at 300Mpa and made as disk of 25.4mm diameter and 2mm thickness. Then, densifications of silicon nitride were continuously recorded during heating at two different ramping rates of 5°C/min and 10°C/min up to 1800°C at fixed pressures from 7 to 34 MPa. The pressure-assisted master sintering surface of silicon nitride was successfully constructed. Using this surface, the final density can be predicted to about 1% accuracy for a fixed pressure and an arbitrary temperature-time path.

Formation of TiB 2 by volume combustion and mechanochemical process

Titanium diboride was produced both by volume combustion synthesis (VCS) and by mechanochemical synthesis (MCP) through the reaction of TiO 2, B 2O 3 and Mg. VCS products, expected to be composed of TiB 2 and MgO, were found to contain also side products such as Mg 2TiO 4, Mg 3B 2O 6, MgB 2 and TiN. HCl leaching was applied to the reaction products with the objective of removing MgO and the side products. Formation of TiN could be prevented by conducting the VCS under an argon atmosphere. Mg 2TiO 4 did not form when 40% excess Mg was used. Wet ball milling of the products before leaching was found to be effective in removal of Mg 3B 2O 6 during leaching in 1 M HCl. When stoichiometric starting mixtures were used, all of the side products could be removed after wet ball milling in ethanol and leaching in 5 M HCl when pure TiB 2 was obtained with a molar yield of 30%. Pure TiB 2 could also be obtained at a molar yield of 45.6% by hot leaching of VCS products at 75 °C in 5 M HCl, omitting the wet ball milling step. By MCP, products containing only TiB 2 and MgO were obtained after 15 h of ball milling. Leaching in 0.5 M HCl for 3 min was found to be sufficient for elimination of MgO. Molar yield of TiB 2 was 89.6%, much higher than that of VCS. According to scanning electron microscope analyses, the TiB 2 produced had average grain size of 0.27 ± 0.08 μm.