Supply Chain Optimization for Energy Cogeneration Using Sugarcane Crop Residues (SCR)

Access to clean and non-polluting energy has been defined as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). In this context, countries such as Colombia have promoted policies and incentives for the implementation of energy projects with non-conventional sources of energy. One of the main energy alternatives available is related to the use of residual biomass left by agribusiness supply chains, such as sugarcane. In Colombia, sugar cane is grown and harvested all year round, due to the local tropical climate. The model we propose addresses the question of the selection of the plots whose crop residue will be transported for energy production on a given day. We built a Mixed-Integer Programming model to decide which plots to harvest on a given day. Although no additional energy is generated in the model, the results show that it is feasible to replace all coal used in the boilers with sugarcane crop residues (SCRs) for power cogeneration.