Influence of mixed sugarcane bagasse samples evaluated by elemental and physical–chemical composition

• Biomass characterization is an important step to obtain process characteristics.
• Composition of the main components did not differ significantly between samples.
• Average of 7:1 C/H, almost 1:1 C/O, 166:1 C/N and 8:1 O/H ratios.
• Cellulose/hemicelluloses 1.5:1, cellulose/lignin 1.9:1, hemicelluloses/lignin 1.3:1 ratios.
• Xylose/arabinose 12:1 and xylose/acetyl groups ratio of approximately 8.8:1.

Brazil, with 185 million tons of solid residues generation per harvest, is the largest producer of sugarcane in the world. The utilization of this biomass ranges from the extraction of sugarcane juice for application in the ethanol and sugar industry to energy generation and bio-based products synthesis.Sugarcane residues are basically composed of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin – chemical structures that are tightly linked to each other and are responsible for the integrity of the vegetal biomass. The aim of the present work is to show the different relations of the biomass contents from different varieties, cultivated places, soils, harvest season, and climate. For the chemical and elemental determination, 60 bagasse samples were characterized. The different bagasse samples did not show significant variability in their lignocellulosic contents. The results showed that the biomass characterization is an important step to obtain process characteristics.