RDE Abstract of Completed Research
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sugar and co-products utilization/bagasse
Feed value of sugarcane by-products Ma. Lourdes I Dormido and Ma. Lourdes T. Escarilla
The Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) values, indicative of the relative energy value of a food to an animal, were evaluated on cane tops of ten popular Philippine sugarcane varieties in the first study; and ten treatment combinations of cane tops, molasses and bagasse with some supplementation in the second study.
The TDN values of the cane tops sampled among the ten varieties had highly significant differences. The highest TDN value of 72.03 and crude fiber content of 39.16% were those of Phil. 7495. TDN values of Phil 7115, Phil 6553, Phil 58260, Phil 7779 and Phil 6607 were statistically comparable to Phil 7495.
The differences among the TDN values of the ten treatment combinations in the second study were highly significant. The treatment combination IX (cane tops-0; molasses-15% bagasse-85%+urea) yielded the highest TDN value (72.12), followed by combination VII (cane tops-42.5%; molasses-15%; Bagasse-42.5%+urea). Both treatments were statistically comparable.
The sugarcane farmers/millers with an integrated cattle production scheme may therefore choose their raw materials for feed from the figures presented, and also make the choices according to the availability of materials.
Sugarcane by-products such as cane tops, molasses and bagasse were ensiled with urea and sodium hydroxide for sixty days and changes in proximate analysis and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN), indicative of the relative energy value of a food to an animal, were evaluated for each treatment.
Differences in crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, per cent ash and TDN were highly significant among the treatments after ensilage. The statistically highest TDN of 75.36 after ensilage was observed on T5 (0 cane tops, 85% bagasse, 15% molasses + urea) and this was statistically comparable to T1 (0 cane tops, 85% bagasse and 15% molasses) and T6 (42.5% cane tops, 42.5% bagasse, 15% molasses + urea) with TDN values of 74.68 and 72.05 respectively.
Urea significantly increased the crude protein after ensilage while sodium hydroxide increased the ash content before and after ensilage.
The TDN values of the different mixtures before and after ensilage showed little differences, which proved that the process of ensilage was able to conserve and stabilize the nutrient values of mixtures of cane tops, molasses and bagasse both in he presence and absence of chemical additives such urea and sodium hydroxide.
Sugarcane farm wastes such as cane tops and trash are know to be good fodder for ruminants, however, they are not used to a great extent. Filter mud, a waste product of the sugar factory, is a plant nutrient source in its decomposed form. However, tons of filter mud are left in sugar mill yards. These waste products are potential sources of animal feed and organic fertilizer.
The effect of chemical and /or microbiological treatment of sugarcane farm wastes bagasse and filter mud has been studied at the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
Trichoderm a harzianum, a strain belonging to the cellulolytic fungus decomposers, was used to inoculate several substrate/treatments of sugarcane waste products. Each substrate consisted of different combinations of farm and factory wastes. The effect of microbial inoculation on the nitrogen content of the substrates was observed at measured time intervals. The microorganism was found to enrich the protein contents of the different substrates by 129% to 461% after the third day to the 34th day.
Six strains of Trichoderma inoculated on bagasse with and without ipil-ipil were evaluated and compared for their nitrogen enriching capacity. One day after inoculation, all six strains of Trichoderma namely: T. harzianum, T. lignorum, T. koningi, T. viride, T. pseudokoningi and T. resie were able to increase the % protein of bagasse with or without ipil0ipil by 163% - 1,143%. Trichoderma pseudokoningi obtained the highest % protein at 2 and 7 days after inoculation. Thirty days after inoculation, three strains namely: T. harzianum, T. viride and T. pseudokoningi were able to enrich the protein content of bagasse with and without ipil-ipil. T. lignorum increased the protein content of bagasse only in the presence of ipil-ipil.
The process of producing handmade paper utilizing waste materials such as bagasse and sugarcane leaves as the main fiber source has been studied. The raw materials were cut, cooked and processed. The individual sheets of paper were molded in a mould and deckle, couched in cloth, pressed by hand and air dried for 2-3 days.
The product produced from bagasse had thickness range of 0.4 – 0.6 mm, moisture content of 8.28 – 10.52% and tensile strength of 443.97 888.22 m. Papers of the same thickness were obtained from sugarcane leaves but with much higher tensile strength range of 848.81 – 1353.17 m. and moisture content of 8.10 – 10.88%
A process for the production of handmade paper from bagasse and waste paper (old magazine and office wastes) was developed. The bagasse was cut, cooked and processed while the waste papers were cut, soaked in water and pulped. The bagasse pulp was mixed with waste paper pulp in several proportions. The individual sheets of paper were molded, double couched in cloth, pressed by hand and air-dried for 2-3 days. The sheets were analyzed for tensile strength. The number of sheets formed per run was also noted.
The process involves two (2) stages – hydrolysis digestion and bleaching. Three (3) different kinds of dietary fiber products were selected from the various processes employed. Basis for process selection are (1) product yield, (2) amount of chemicals used and (3) production time.
Initial tests on the application of dietary fiber were conducted where it was mixed with flour as ingredients in cookies, cakes and breads. Products were found to be palatable in taste. Additional tests shall be conducted to determine the proper fiber-flour ratio.
The study utilized bagasse to produce fluff pulp intended for the production of disposable diapers, dressing and other sanitary products. Fluff pulp production process was developed wherein optimum operating conditions such as cooking time and varying amounts of softener were established. Eleven (11) test runs were conducted with fluffy and cotton-like product with low water permeability subjected to an absorption capability test. Fluff pulp added with the different amounts of softener yielded a longer absorption time range of 14-20 seconds while fluff pulp which was not added with the softener had an absorption time comparable to that of the commercial napkin considered as the experimental control (4 sec vs. 3 sec).
The project involves the development of horticulture blocks (HB) and Organimat from bagasse. In making the horticulture blocks, whole bagasse was ground mixed with water, molded and air dried for one (10 week. A total of 35 application runs were conducted using vegetable seeds and p0lantlets of ornamental plants for the initial application tests. Regenerated blocks were mixed with BOF to a ratio of 1:2 and 1:5 by weight HB to BOF. Mixtures were distributed into plastic seedling bags. Using oil as the control, results showed that plants grown in the HB-BOF mixtures were healthier and taller than those grown in soil.
Mushrooms are protein sources rich in vitamins and minerals. The sugar industry generate a lot of bagasse and mudpress annually. These materials when properly mixed and enriched are very good substrates for mushroom production.
SRA on its endeavor to convert sugarcane by-products and residues into high value products developed and packaged the mushroom growing technology using the above materials (1:1) and 2:1 ratio) as substrates. Housewives can buy these bags and let them fruit in the kitchen and have fresh mushroom anytime. Mushroom can also be grown in mushroom houses for commercial production. Mushroom cultivation can help dispose organic wastes such as bagasse, mudpress, sawdust, banana leaves, etc. the technology is being continuously promoted as a livelihood microventure for sugar workers and farmers.
Bagasse is the major source of energy in sugar mills that is why today its surplus is very limited. However, its utilization as raw material will minimize further drain on our timber resources and will also indirectly reduce soil erosion which is one of the most serious problems that we are facing.
Production of high quality briquettes from loose bagasse by carbonizing can relieve high cost of fuel energy and environmental pollution. Another great advantage of briquettes is that they will not deteriorate in storage and can thus be kept for fairly long periods (12 to 18 months). They are easy to handle and in view of their fairly high density, can be easily and economically stacked, as compared with loose or baled bagasse.
Bagasse char briquettes were produced in laboratory-scale from air-dried bagasse of 20% moisture content. To obtain high percentage of carbonized char from the bagasse, the carbonization process was conducted by closed method in an improvised carbonizer. Bagasse to char conversion was 35-40%. The char were briquetted in galvanized iron molders. The heat content of the bagasse char briquette was 9,583 BTU/lb., net calorific value, almost three times the net calorific value of raw bagasse. Total sulphur content was only 0.21%, not exceeding limit for 5 content in fuels.
Bagasse char briquettes showed comparable effect with the standard wood charcoal in boiling and cooking test.
- Lignin extracted from cane leaves and bagasse is converted to higher value-added products than their current use as a low-grade fuel. Fuel oils are commonly produced from cracking and hydrogenation of crude petroleum such as distillate or diesel fuel oils.
Bagasse and cane leaves contain fuel oil due to the conversion of light energy from the sun through photosynthesis into chemical energy stored in plants. These fuel oils are similar to fossil fuels formed millions of years ago as a result of incomplete decomposition of organic matter under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. Burning fuel oils changes the chemical energy stored in plants into thermal and light energy.
Lignin extracted from grass, bagasse and cane leaves which are co-products in the sugarcane industry represents a potentially enormous but underutilized, renewable source of aliphatic and aromatic compounds and solid, liquid and gaseous fuels obtained by thermo-chemical and biochemical conversions. Hydrogenation of lignin at elevated temperatures (above 250oC) and in the presence of catalyst effects depolymerization of lignin to yield heavy and light oils, gases and phenolic compounds.
Products obtained from different samples have strong grease-like odor. Treated and untreated cane leaves gave oily, sticky solids which are very stable at room temperature. Silage, treated and untreated bagasse gave oily liquids which became petrolatum-like solids upon standing for a day. All extracted products gave very smoky flame which denote the presence of aromatic compounds. In the presence of distillates and solvents, these products easily sparked or exploded.
Study on the manufacture of activated carbon from bagasseDorothy B. Rodrigo, Nelsie Grace Gela and Ma. Lourdes T. Escarrilla
Activated carbon was produced from bagasse fiber and pith by saturation process with phosphoric acid and carbonization of the bagasse. The carbonized product was leached with water and ground to pass 28 mesh screen.
The carbonized product was evaluated employing Norrite Method of evaluation for powdered carbon. The parameters of evaluation were moisture, pH, total ash, water solubles, filtering speed test, effective contact time and effective dosage. The product met the evaluation standards.
Darco G-60, a commercial standard decolorizing carbon, was used for comparison with the activated carbon product. Parallel runs using both Darco G-60 and the laboratory-produced activated carbon were conducted using some standard laboratory methods which employ a decolorization step in the analysis. The laboratory-processed activated carbon was observed to possess more decolorizing capacity than the commercial Darco G-60.
More than 3000 grams of activated carbon were produced from fiber, pith and combination of pith and fiber.
Mushroom production utilizing sugarcane by-products as substratesMa. Florencia T. Logrono and Ma. Lourdes T. Escarrilla
A study on mushroom production utilizing sugarcane by-products and its combinations was conducted. The oyster mushroom, Pleurotus sajor caju, was grown on nine treatments consisting of sugarcane by-products such as bagasse, mudpress, sugarcane leaves, cane tops and their combinations, and sawdust with rice bran as control. The experiment was laid out n randomized complete block design with three replications.
The Pleurotus sajor caju grown on sugarcane leaves had the shortest incubation period of 3.5 weeks. The same strain grown on sugarcane leaves/bagasse (1:1) and pure bagasse alone and 4 weeks incubation period.
There were highly significant differences in yield of mushroom fruiting bodies obtained from the nine treatments. The highest yield was obtained from sugarcane leaves/mudpress combination (1:1)
Moldable bagasse fiber productDida V. Gatanela and Ma. Lourdes T. Escarrilla
The production of moldable bagasse fiber product from bagasse was developed. Both wet and dry processes of preparation were employed under relatively mild conditions. Caustic soda solution was used in the digestion of depithed bagasse to soften the fibers and increase binding capacity. Starch and styrene butadiene rubber were used as binders at 30% (w) and 15% (w), respectively. The product developed through the wet process was superior in quality than the product through dry process.
Properties of the moldable bagasse fiber product as moisture, density, water absorption rate, amount water absorbed, the thickness swelling were determined.
The bagasse fiber product can be formed in molds and be used as decorative indoor and outdoor items.
