Ergofito for Vinasse
The Problem
Very simply, effluent from ethanol production is environmentally damaging when disposed untreated, and the cost of full industrial treatments are so high that they can render plants economically unviable. Some have already been forced to close in Europe.
Environmentally acceptable solutions at large scale have involved a wide range of technologies, none of which seem to be completely successful. The exploitation of the constituents of vinasse as fertiliser has worked (usually at a smaller scale) where farmers collect free vinasse and spray it on their fields.
Excessive use can lead to mineralisation of soils and unbalanced populations of bacteria and fungi, with a resulting negative impact on soil and plant health as well as on groundwater.
The Solution
Vinasse, for its chemical and organoleptic characteristics, becomes an excellent agricultural fertiliser when biologically treated.
The fusion of Vinasse with Ergofito Micro Concentrate provokes bacterial, enzyme and fungi activity which are integral to Ergofito Micro Concentrate, thus transforming organic substances into humic substances. Increasing mineral and nutrition assimilation, regenerating soil and avoiding soil fatigue.
With this approach we avoid plant nutritional stresses as the organic substance plus the micro-organisms activity,make the mineral nutrients available to the plant at its request. Furthermore those micro-organisms fix 100 kg of Nitrogen per hectare, extracting the same from the atmosphere which leads to a financial and logistical saving.
Conclusion
Ethanol production is rising worldwide, Vinasse is considered by some a fertilizer and by some an effluent waste. Around the world, Vinasse disposal by means of dehydration, gasification, fertilization and many other methods have only been marginally successful.
In essence, biological conversion solves both the ecological and the fertilization problems. If the mill supplies the ready Vinasse to its suppliers, even logistical problems are abated.
It would be possible to consider that, when the trucks delivering sugarcane to the mill, could have a 20 ton inflatable bowser that can be filled after delivering the sugarcane, thus avoiding logistical costs.