Characterization and mapping of waste from coffee and eucalyptus production in Brazil for thermochemical conversion of energy via gasification Jofran Luiz de Oliveira a , Jadir Nogueira da Silva b , Emanuele Graciosa Pereira b,n , Delly Oliveira Filho b , Daniel Rizzo Carvalho b a Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Campus de Rondonopolis, Rodovia MT-270/KM06, 78735-910, Rondonopolis, MT, Brazil b Universidade Federal de Vic - osa, Department of Agricultural Engineering DEA/UFV, Av. P.H. Rolfs s/n Campus Universita ´rio, 36570-000, Vic - osa, MG, Brazil article info Article history: Received 20 July 2012 Received in revised form 24 August 2012 Accepted 21 December 2012 Available online 22 January 2013 Keywords: Energy Waste Thermochemical conversion abstract The generation of waste is an intrinsic characteristic of forestry and agricultural production and has become a major concern. Brazil is a great agricultural producer, and in recent years both the planted area and crop production have grown significantly, with a corresponding increase in agricultural waste. In the context of climate change, efficiency and energy security, it is fundamental to develop alternative energies that meet the needs of both the energy supply and sustainable development. Wood chips and coffee husks are low cost residues and potentially capable of generating heat, steam and electric power, thus they can serve as an alternative fuel for generating energy. This work aims to relate the agricultural market to the energy market, using waste from coffee and eucalyptus production to generate energy, as well as mapping waste production in Brazil by region. It was observed that Brazil has a great capacity to generate alternative energy, since approximately 11.4  10 6 t of wastes are generated per year from coffee and eucalyptus production alone. These wastes can be used for the thermochemical conversion of energy via gasification, with potential to generate a total of 201.3 PJ. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 53 1.1. Biomass for energy worldwide .................................................................................. 53 1.2. Gasification as energy conversion system.......................................................................... 54 2. Procedure and tools ................................................................................................. 54 2.1. Preliminary analysis ........................................................................................... 54 2.1.1. Moisture content ...................................................................................... 54 2.1.2. Ash content .......................................................................................... 54 2.1.3. Volatile matter ........................................................................................ 54 2.1.4. Fixed carbon .......................................................................................... 54 2.2. Elementary composition and calorific value ........................................................................ 55 2.3. Specific mass of the biomass .................................................................................... 55 2.4. Energetic potential of wastes in Brazil ............................................................................ 55 3. Results and discussion ............................................................................................... 55 3.1. Biomass analysis ............................................................................................. 55 3.2. Energy potential of agricultural waste in Brazil ..................................................................... 56 4. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 57 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... 58 References ............................................................................................................ 58 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1364-0321/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.025 n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ55 31 88533039; fax: þ55 31 38992735. E-mail address: manugraciosa@yahoo.com.br (E. Graciosa Pereira). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 21 (2013) 52–58