Fechamento de circuito de água na ETA de uma usina sucroenergética no município de Dourados, MS

Abstract

Brazil is the main producer and exporter of sugar in the world and is also the second main producer of ethanol worldwide. Thus, the sugarcane industry has high influence on the economic and environmental aspects in Brazil. The main raw material of the Brazilian sugarcane industry is sugar cane and produces the following products: sugar, anhydrous ethanol, hydrous ethanol and bioelectricity. With the establishment and development of this sector, some aspects should be considered to minimize these negative interactions with the environment, especially the high water consumption and waste water generation. Thus, the main objective of this study was to investigate the opportunities for reducing consumption of raw water in a sugarcane mill in Dourados - MS, through closing circuit of industrial waters. The method used was research bibliographic of consumer of water in sugarcane industry, survey data in locus, with interviews and discussions with staff of the mill under study, survey of Brazilian environmental legislation on water and the adoption of a method, found in the literature on conservation of water within the plant. As results were proposed two actions for improving water treatment plant. The first proposal objective to reduce the volume of wastewater generated and second proposal for a proposed closure of the water circuit. The two proposals are technically viable and meet the current demands of the mill under study. Although the mill under study presents a raw water consumption relatively low and close to the values recommended by regulators in the sector, it aims to achieve a level even lower than those obtained currently. Thus, if these two proposals are implemented simultaneously, they allow for the reduction of approximately 43m3/h of raw water. Whereas the plant currently captures 900 m3/h of raw water, the reduction equivalent to 5% of the currently captured.