| Popis: |
The wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum) is an herbaceous species not native to the Panamanian flora, it grows in very extreme soil conditions and spreads rapidly, therefore, it does not allow the development of other plants; coupled with this, in the dry season, is the main object of spontaneous or intentional plant mass fires, which affects the environment and human beings. This study focuses on evaluating the use of the species as a biomass material to produce energy. A thermophysical and energetic characterization of the species was carried out, from which properties concerning the handling and processing of the material as a potential solid biofuel are obtained. Samples were obtained from large areas of land plagued by S. spontaneum, within the Panama Canal Hydrographic Basin (CHCP), where there are approximately 6,931.9 ha covered by this species. The study shows an energy potential of 671.6 GWh, in other words, enough to run a 15 MW power generation plant continuously for one year. Wild sugarcane is considered to have favorable characteristics as a potential biofuel compared to similar species traditionally used as biomass resources, therefore, it represents an interesting and valuable energy resource in Panama, by searching for alternative energy sources and environmentally sustainable. Even so, this requires a greater effort in the study of this species as a potential biomass resource, as well as in the development of technologies for the use of this type of energy. |
