Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319213
Title: Sustainability issues and opportunities in the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries

Author
item Eggleston, Gillian
item Lima, Isabel

Submitted to: Sustainability
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/25/2015
Publication Date: 9/3/2015
Citation: Eggleston, G., Lima, I. 2015. Sustainability issues and opportunities in the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries. Sustainability. 7:12209-12235.

Interpretive Summary: Like many other industries, the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries are facing important sustainability issues for numerous reasons. This paper reviews how sugar crops, including sugar and energy cane, sugar and energy beets, and sweet sorghum, are excellent renewable biomass feedstocks because of their availability and high crop and sugar yields. Attention is now focused on developing sustainable, reliable and inexpensive supply chains of sugar feedstocks for the new, flexible biorefineries. All biomass from sugar crops are potential feedstocks. In several countries and regions, green sustainability criteria are now in place and have to be met to count against national biofuel targets. Processes to convert high-fiber sugar crop biomass into biofuel have been developed but there has only been limited commercialization at the large-scale.

Technical Abstract: Like many other industries, the sugar and sugar-bioproduct industries are facing important sustainability issues. The relatively low and fluctuating profit for sugar, surpluses of sugar, world-wide trend to produce alternative, renewable bio-based fuels and chemicals to those derived from petroleum and reduce green-house gases, water- and energy-intensive factories and refineries, and increased consumer demands for sustainably manufactured products are putting pressure on the industries to diversify for sustainability. Sugar crops, including sugar and energy cane (Saccharum officinarum), sugar and energy beets (Beta vulgaris), and sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), are excellent renewable biomass feedstocks because of their availability, their being amongst the plants that give the highest yields of carbohydrates per hectare, and high sugar contents. While much research has been focused on conversion technologies for advanced biofuels and bioproducts, attention is now focused on developing sustainable supply chains of sugar feedstocks for the new, flexible biorefineries, with customers wanting maximum feedstock reliability and quality, while minimizing cost. All biomass from sugar crops are potential feedstocks. The cogeneration of bioelectricity from bagasse and leaf residues is being increasingly manufactured in more countries and, due to their high carbon content, can also be converted into value-added products such as biochar. Sugar crops are superior feedstocks for the production of platform chemicals for the manufacture of a range of end-products, e.g., bioplastics, chemicals, and biomaterials. In several countries and regions, green sustainability criteria are now in place and have to be met to count against national biofuel targets. Processes to convert high-fiber sugar crop biomass into biofuel have been developed but there has only been limited commercialization at the large-scale.