O aproveitamento da casca de arroz para produção de energia elétrica no município de Santa Maria

Abstract

Rice husk is the main residue produced during the processing of rice. Its low density and high period of decay tend to aggravate the impacts of inadequate disposal of this biomass. The present work aims to evaluate the utilization of rice husk rice in a Micro Thermal Power Plant (MCT) in the town of Santa Maria, which has fifteen rice mills. The work brought together two fields of knowledge: in the environmental area, Sustainable Development, and in the economy, Environmental Accounting. This utilization considered two hypotheses about the logistics of using rice husk produced locally: utilization in loco or in a centralized unit fueled with waste collected from all mills. The total rice husk available in Santa Maria is 13.5 thousand tons, with the possibility of generating 5.0 MWh of electricity. Due to technical restrictions, the use of rice husk in loco could only occur in a larger mill, leaving 14 units deprived of proper disposal of the referred waste. A centralized unit of 600 kW was then analyzed, resulting in an IRR of 22% and Net Present Value of $ 60,000.00, indicating economic viability for the project.