Day 9

 Is it actually day 9 already? Bittersweet to say the least. By the end of this post we will be in our final destination of the trip believe it or not. First, however, we must discuss last night. Following our lovely visit to UFPR we made it to our hotel and the fun began. Upon arrival we were excited to learn that most of us had single rooms, but that may have been the final positive aspect. I can’t say cumulatively how much sleep the group, but if you guessed far less than average for the trip you are exactly right. I shouldn’t tear it apart too much, but we did a lot of tip-toeing around the rooms and sitting on the edge of the beds in an effort to touch as little as possible.

Anyways, onto the next one. The next one being RENUKA Vale do Ivai. What’s that you ask? Well it’s a really cool plant that makes sugars, ethanol, and of course power. It looks like this: (Insert picture here). I have to apologize guys. Yet another day where I managed to forget all about picture taking. We’ll say it’s because I was so focused on the intricacies of sugar cane. Luckily you can count on my classmates to pick up the slack and give you all a visual, so be sure to check out day 9 of their blogs. I promise I’ll add a map instead though.

RENUKA has mills in Brazil and India and at just the plant here at Ivai produces 750,000 liters of ethanol daily. Majority is hydrous, but roughly 300,000 liters are anhydrous. What is wonderful is the waste products are used to power the plant, which consumed roughly 7MW. A fact I loved from the presentation is that from the sugar cane crop, the percentage of raw materials being dedicated to sugar production and to ethanol production fluctuates regularly depending on market prices.

Because the plant is so dependent on their sugar cane crop, it should not be surprising that they go through seasons. At least 25% of the year is dedicated strictly to maintenance while the plant is shut down for planting and harvesting season. Unlike many plants then, this one is stripped down piece by piece every year to maintain safety standards and efficiency.

Along our tour we are able to see the trucks initially bring the sugar cane, the grinding and cutting, the extraction of sugars and liquids, the mixing, the boiling, and finally the testing of the finished product. It is a fascinating operation at RENUKA and a great model for sustainable manufacturing.

Following the visit we get the chance to eat lunch with our hosts before heading out to the long drive West. Stay Tuned