Strategies for augmenting sugarcane biomass availability for power production in Mauritius

Field biomass productivity has a direct bearing on the electricity production potential of sugarcane bio-energy systems. Inclusion of cane tops and leaves (CT and L) and trash in the fuel chain can potentially boost the field biomass productivity. The results of field assessments carried out in Mauritius indicate that fresh CT and L occur at the rate of 31.3% of that of fresh cane with a moisture content of 69%. Cane trash, with a moisture content of 19.3%, represents 10.2% of fresh cane weight. On a bagasse equivalent basis, the inclusion of CT and L in the fuel chain has the potential to increase bagasse production by a factor of 1.62. The inclusion of trash in the fuel chain can potentially boost bagasse production by a factor of 3.25.