Researchers from the Agro-Energy Group at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) have used geographic information systems to assess the potential use of the residual biomass of bananas produced in the province of El Oro (Ecuador) for bioenergy applications. Results show that the use of this waste could satisfy the 55 percent of the electrical demand of the region and the 10 percent of bioethanol demand nationwide.
Bananas are one of the most important fruit crops in the world. A total of 106 million tons of bananas were produced in 2013 mainly in Asia (57 percent) and America (26 percent), although this fruit is known and consumed worldwide because of its availability throughout the year. Banana production is a tropical, herbaceous and perennial crop and belongs to the Musaceae family, which produces one huge flower cluster and then dies. The plant is cut to bring the crop down, thus the stem and leaves turn into lignocellulosic biomass. Once a bunch arrives at the packaging plant, the bunch rachis becomes residual biomass too.
The ratio of banana waste and product is 2:1. The lignocellulosic biomass is either left on the ground or taken to open dumps. In the first case, the process leads to maintain the soil moisture and provide organic matter, but it is a potential risk of transmission of disease and, in both cases, the lignocellulosic biomass produce greenhouse gases as they decompose.
In addition to lignocellulosic biomass there is another residue, which is the rejected fruit that has failed to meet the quality standards for its commercialization. The rejection rate may vary between 8 and 20 percent. This residue is used for animal feed, but the majority of the producers prefer to leave these residues to decompose outdoors for economic reasons.
Considering all this data, UPM researchers, led by Professor María Dolores Curt, assessed the case study of Ecuador, which is the largest exporter of bananas in the world, covering the 29 percent of exports worldwide. Researchers used geographic information systems to carry out the study. This methodology is widely used to estimate the crop production.
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