초록
<P>Ethanol is generally considered to be a renewable energy source and is in principle a greener alternative to conventional fossil fuels. During the last few decades production of ethanol on a large scale has achieved remarkable escalation mainly due to its flexible application and high demand. Nevertheless robust technologies are yet to be established focusing on the exploitation of lignocellulosic material and waste. Sugar cane processes for ethanol or sugar production provideas waste bagasseapproximately 250–280 kg of bagasse per ton of sugar cane. This solid residue of the cane milling process has, in most cases, been misused so far. If it is not disposed to land, it is either sold as animal feed or used in a rather inefficient way to cover the domestic energy needs of the local residents. Thus, the proper exploitation of bagasse will enhance the sustainability of existing biorefineries and give an important economic boost to local communities.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B><BR><IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/iecred/2016/iecred.2016.55.issue-18/acs.iecr.5b04500/production/images/medium/ie-2015-04500q_0006.gif'></P>