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The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic required educational institutions to adapt face-to-face to remote teaching. This study reports the experience in the first semester of 2020 for a Chemical Engineering Capstone Design Course at the University of Campinas in Brazil. In this course, senior year students develop a group project, in which they simulate a chemical plant and evaluate its technoeconomic feasibility. In 2020, the groups were proposed to design a process to replace diesel fuel from the bus fleet in Campinas city with renewable fuel DME. Because of the pandemic, several adaptations were needed: the theoretical classes became asynchronous, group meetings were online, a commercial simulator was replaced by an open access one, and the schedule was extended by 2 weeks. Despite that, the students had a great performance, comparable to face-to-face. To assess student satisfaction, a questionnaire was used. The course met the expectations of most of the students who also recommended keeping it in the remote format or merging it with face-to-face teaching. Therefore, these changes made it possible to apply new teaching dynamics and tools that could be used in the future to improve the course quality.

Engineering education is being called upon to move to a student-centered teaching. New challenges demand a curriculum that considers a set of competencies to enable engineers to learn autonomously and to develop solid technical and relevant soft skills. We present a top-down methodology for developing a competency-based curricula, which was employed to conceive a new chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Campinas. Our methodology is based on four main steps: i) definition of the desired profile of students with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and their underlying competencies; ii) delineation of learning-experiences itineraries; iii) a macro conception of the curriculum entailing the logical-temporal arrangement of its learning-experiences itineraries; and the iv) establishment of each curricular component with its learning objectives. This new curriculum is integrated into the external society by experiences that engage students to practice social responsibility and develop technology based on the needs of society. Graduates' profile and competencies were defined based on extensive surveys. We discuss how active learning methodologies can be an intrinsic part of the curriculum development process and how assessment strategies must fit the learning goals established for each curricular component. Finally, we discuss the current challenges of implementing and evaluating a competency-based curriculum. [Display omitted] • We present a top-down methodology for developing a competency-based curricula. • Design of the new chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Campinas. • The graduate's profile and competencies were defined based on extensive surveys. • Discussion of challenges of implementing/ evaluating a competency-based curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Sugarcane would not be enough to meet the ethanol targets set for Brazil Corn ethanol may be an attractive secondary feedstock to help supply the demand In Brazil, sugarcane ethanol has more advantages when compared to corn ethanol Ethanol production in Brazil started in the early 1930s due to laws created by the Brazilian government. However, ethanol production only increased significantly with the National Program of Ethanol implementation in 1975. This program was another action taken by the Brazilian government aiming to provide conditions for the development of the ethanol industry in the country. With the program, it was possible to achieve significant progress; however, it finished in the mid-1980s. Currently, ethanol is produced on a large scale by more than 300 sugarcane mills all over the country. In 2016, the Brazilian government provided another incentive for ethanol production by creating the RenovaBio Program, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides the environmental aspect, Brazil's ethanol industry needs to develop to supply future biofuel demand. According to the forecast provided in this paper, and considering technical, economic, and environmental aspects regarding the Brazilian ethanol industry, the current and only feedstock used is likely to be insufficient. Thus, the ethanol produced from corn would be an attractive secondary feedstock to complement sugarcane ethanol as the primary feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of current sugarcane mills in Brazil are annexed plants, producing both ethanol and sugar; the other plants are dedicated only to ethanol production (autonomous distilleries). This study focuses on the technical, environmental, and economic impacts of these first generation sugarcane processing facilities in Brazil using an innovative framework, the so called Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery. Results showed that optimization technologies presents potential for reducing environmental impacts and improve economic results in comparison to base scenarios for both annexed and autonomous plants. It was also observed that annexed plants that diverted more sugarcane juice for sugar production were more profitable, considering the average prices for the past 10 years in Brazil. In addition, results indicate that scenarios considering more flexibility in annexed plant are more profitable than the conventional annexed one (diverting 50% of the sugarcane juice to sugar and 50% to ethanol production) if increases in prices were to occur. This study shows quantitatively the benefits of optimization techniques and allows understanding the real benefits of the sugarcane plant flexibility in the Brazilian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial production of ethanol by fermentation using renewable feedstock such as sugarcane stalks has been demonstrated as a sustainable fuel chain in Brazil. This work focused on the production of cellulosic ethanol from sugarcane bagasse in a pilot scale unit by applying the current bioprocessing strategies with the aim of recovering and characterizing the end products. The feedstock was pretreated at 190 °C and a residence time of 10 min. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed with commercial cellulolytic enzymes. Fermentation's substrates were formulated with hydrolysate and supplemented with 8%wt sugarcane molasses. The fermentations were set up to mimic the conventional industrial fermentation in Brazil's ethanol distilleries at high cell density with cell recycling. The fermentation resulted in a reproducible performance by the yield of 0.49 g/g, productivity of 6.96 g/(L∙h), and cell viability of 95.3%. Ethanol was recovered in a lab-scale distillation batch system. Distilled fractions showed higher content of higher alcohols and sulfur content than the standard specification of ANP (National Agency of Petroleum - Brazilian Agency) for ethanol fuel. The distillation bottom product (vinasse) presented most characteristics suitable for fertilizer or biogas applications, except for sodium and sulfate content. Therefore, for a successful technology, transference processing adjustments should be made to make the product commercially suitable and the side stream compatible for disposal as fertilizer or digestion for biogas production. • Experimental evaluation of production of ethanol from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate. • Production of hydrolysate in a pilot scale reactor and saccharification with commercial hydrolytic enzymes. • Hydrolysate conditioned by clarification process and nutrients supplementation with 8% wt of sugarcane molasses. • Fermentation with an industrial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae at high cell density and recycling in a fed-batch mode. • Characterization of the recovered ethanol showed a noticeable amount of higher alcohols (propanol and 2-Methyl-1-propanol). • The bottom distillation product presented higher salts content and organic matter than the current ethanol process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass gasification is the thermochemical conversion of biomass mainly into syngas, and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is its main feedstock in Brazil. However, the seasonal production of SCB influences biomass supply. This paper analyzed, via multivariate analysis, gasification datasets of 12 Brazilian feedstocks obtained from simulation to determine possible substitutes for SCB, optimal gasification conditions for all biomasses aiming at FT synthesis downstream, and key parameters for several syngas applications. A validated simulation in Aspen Plus™ of a fluidized bed gasifier generated one dataset with fixed gasification conditions used in hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), and another with varying temperatures and S/B to obtain regression models via partial least squares (PLS) for optimization and Monte Carlo simulations. HCA and optimization using PLS models showed that sugarcane straw, energy cane, energy cane bagasse, and corn straw have similar gasification performances as SCB, being possible substitutes. Independent thermochemical plants based on eucalyptus, or corn and soybean straws are also suggested. Lignin is mostly useful for heat and power applications. PCA and HCA highlighted important correlations between inputs and outputs. Monte Carlo simulations suggested biomasses of lower C and higher O contents to obtain syngas suitable for FT synthesis and the opposite for applications of higher syngas heating values. [Display omitted] • Multivariate analysis of datasets from simulation of 12 feedstocks in a CFB gasifier. • Biomass C correlated to CO and CH 4 vol%, syngas HHV, gasifier heat duty, and CGE. • Low C and high O contents in feedstock produce high H 2 vol% and H 2 /CO in syngas. • Sugarcane bagasse, straw, and energy cane have similar performance in BtL plants. • 2G lignin is a promising feedstock in gasification for heat and power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of biofuels via biomass pyrolysis has received a strong emphasis since it may produce a wide variety of renewable fuels in liquid (bio-oil), solid (biochar), and gas (syngas) forms. Sugarcane bagasse, waste from the sugar-alcohol industry, is largely produced in Brazil, India, and Thailand and appears as a great biomass option for pyrolysis due to its properties, abundance, and current underutilization. However, sugarcane bagasse properties and pyrolysis operating conditions may directly affect the product properties, distribution, and further application as fuels and chemicals. Thus, it is necessary a thorough study of these subjects. This review brings an overview of biomass and pyrolysis concepts, as well as a collection of improvements in the production of products (bio-oil, biochar, and gas) via sugarcane bagasse pyrolysis. In addition, this review discusses the interaction between process operating conditions and this biomass type to address how the products' properties and yields are affected. • Fast Pyrolysis: an efficient thermochemical process for bio-oil, biochar, and gas production. • Fast Pyrolysis concepts, operational conditions, and reactor configurations were reviewed. • Bio-oil, biochar, and gas production as an alternative for renewable energy world matrix. • Focus on sugarcane bagasse as a raw material for bio-oil, biochar, and gas production. • Upgrading methods for bio-oil, challenges, and future works in the pyrolysis field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and nowadays there are many alternatives to reduce emissions from light-duty vehicles. Currently, plug-in electric vehicles are the main alternative to reduce emissions from cars; however, this technology has some disadvantages, such as the demand for infrastructure. Another car propulsion technology to reduce emissions is the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. This technology offers interesting advantages especially for countries that produce bioethanol, for example, the possibility to use the current fuel infrastructure. Therefore, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell is a promising technology to reduce carbon emissions in Brazil. This study compared ethanol and gasoline to identify what fuel is more interesting to be used in FCEVs in Brazil. The results indicated that ethanol has more economic, environmental, and social advantages than gasoline. [Display omitted] • Solid Oxide Fuel Cell cars are a better alternative than plug-in electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions in Brazil. • Ethanol has greater potential than gasoline to help Brazil reduce greenhouse gas emissions. • Ethanol is a better alternative than gasoline to be used in Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, considering the Brazilian scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Different configurations for sustainable aviation fuel production were evaluated. • Increasing carbon prices up to 140 US$/tonne enables the standalone GFT route. • Integration can reduce production costs by 36% and avoid 160% more emissions. • Decentralization with pyrolysis is viable only for distances above 1000 km. The present study evaluated the influence of three strategies to improve the economic feasibility of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production through gasification and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (GFT) of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks in Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL) plants. Apart from the integration with sugarcane ethanol production and the use of economic incentives by the carbon credits market, we evaluated the decentralization of the production chain with fast pyrolysis (FP) units to densify the biomass into bio-oil, aiming to reduce feedstock transportation costs for biofuel production. These analysis made use of process simulation coupled with techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Carbon credits commercialization alone is not enough to enable the standalone GFT scenario with current prices (up to 30 US$/tonne CO 2 eq avoided). However, integration into a 1G mill can decrease SAF production costs to as low as 0.4–0.7 US$/L and achieve over 70 g of CO 2 eq avoided/MJ of SAF. The addition of the FP process for decentralization is a better option than a centralized production only for distances above 1,000 km. This is due to expenses with feedstock bio-oil being from 2 to 5 times higher than with the direct use of solid biomass. In conclusion, the path to make SAF production feasible lies in the integration with more mature routes and by relying on incentives from environmental policies, while the decentralization could help markets with highly disperse biomass availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the feasibility of gas stripping technique was studied for Brazilian sugarcane industry conditions: Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and sugarcane molasses as raw material. The experimental trials were carried out in batch into two levels of gas flow rate (4 and 6 L/min) and sugar concentration (170 and 250 g/L). Results showed that the gas stripping technique was effective since ethanol concentration was maintained below threshold of toxicity (no more than 60 g/L in all cases), as well as sugar containing was consumed almost completely. Furthermore, a mixed mathematical model combining a complex term for the ethanol entrainment from gas stripping fermentation was proposed based in robust models for sugarcane molasses previously presented in literature. Parameters Y p x , μ max , P max , Y x , X max were estimated and presented itself within previous ranges validated for sugarcane molasses. The methodology of parameters estimation using genetic algorithms showed to have good performance, and the model was able to predict the data set of glucose, biomass and ethanol concentrations in low and high levels of sugarcane molasses in the broth, with only one set of parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are serious concerns regards the increase of the Earth's temperature. In addition, studies about global warming have identified many different sources that contribute to the emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Previous studies indicate that the transport sector is among the main drivers of global warming. Moreover, the solutions provided so far focus only on the environmental factor in order to reduce emissions. However, this study has the objective to provide a thorough analysis that considers economic, environmental, social, and infrastructure factors. Furthermore, the analysis is focused on the Brazilian scenario, therefore, the factors comprise the unique characteristics of the country. The comparison made includes three engine technologies: electric, flex-fuel, and hybrid. The results show that the flex-fuel engine is the best alternative for a light alternative for light commercial vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the results indicate that flex-fuel engines have the best economic and environmental performance. Therefore, the government should provide incentives for this engine technology. On the other hand, the results show that electric vehicles are not a suitable solution given the specificities of the country. [Display omitted] • Flex-fuel engines are the best alternative to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in Brazil. • Electric vehicles are less environmentally friendly than flex-fuel cars considering a broader analysis. • Flex-fuel vehicles should receive incentives to boost the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials is often conceived considering independent, stand-alone production plants; in the Brazilian scenario, where part of the potential feedstock (sugarcane bagasse) for second generation ethanol production is already available at conventional first generation production plants, an integrated first and second generation production process seems to be the most obvious option. In this study stand-alone second generation ethanol production from surplus sugarcane bagasse and trash is compared with conventional first generation ethanol production from sugarcane and with integrated first and second generation; simulations were developed to represent the different technological scenarios, which provided data for economic and environmental analysis. Results show that the integrated first and second generation ethanol production process from sugarcane leads to better economic results when compared with the stand-alone plant, especially when advanced hydrolysis technologies and pentoses fermentation are included. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Much of the controversy surrounding second generation ethanol production arises from the assumed competition with first generation ethanol production; however, in Brazil, where bioethanol is produced from sugarcane, sugarcane bagasse and trash will be used as feedstock for second generation ethanol production. Thus, second generation ethanol production may be primarily in competition with electricity production from the lignocellulosic fraction of sugarcane. A preliminary technical and economic analysis of the integrated production of first and second generation ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil is presented and different technological scenarios are evaluated. The analysis showed the importance of the integrated use of sugarcane including the biomass represented by surplus bagasse and trash that can be taken from the field. Second generation ethanol may favorably compete with bioelectricity production when sugarcane trash is used and when low cost enzyme and improved technologies become commercially available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work a correlation to predict the molecular weights of Brazilian heavy petroleum residues and cuts is developed. The residues were obtained from conventional distillation processes and . The correlation was developed by adjusting experimental parameters of the API correlation (defined for light cuts). For the adjustment, molecular weight data of atmospheric residues (673.15K+) of 14 heavy crude oils (API≤25.5) obtained from a steady state refining process simulator (PETROX) were used. The adjusted correlation was validated with data from the molecular weights of atmospheric residues derived from 7 other heavy Brazilian crude oils and very good results were obtained, with an average absolute deviation of 2.20%. Furthermore, the predicted molecular weights and actual measured ones using Vapor Pressure Osmometry (VPO) of the 10 distillate cuts and 10 residues obtained by molecular distillation of atmospheric residues were compared. In general, improved results are provided by the developed correlation in relation to the conventional method, with a good correspondence between the predicted and experimental values for the cuts and residues studied here. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Existing sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil are the main advantage to implement BtL route; • High costs of equipment and technologies are the main challenges to economic viability; • Bioethanol commercialization helps to make the integrated BtL plant feasible; • Base case presents IRR close to the minimum rate accepted by the sector (10–12%); • Lower equipment costs and higher ethanol prices combined to improve the process viability. Brazil is one of the major players in the biofuels market worldwide, and its existing biorefining infrastructure can be used as the basis to support the implementation of new advanced biofuel production routes at a large scale. This paper demonstrates the benefits of the integration of both biochemical and thermochemical processes and how this configuration has the potential to overcome the main barriers that the Biomass-to-Liquids (BtL) route currently faces. Important bottlenecks such as the high equipment costs, low industrial process efficiency, and high feedstock prices were studied in detail by assessing a series of production scenarios that take into account the Brazilian context for building new biorefinery plants. By carrying out a techno-economic analysis aided by a simulation framework (the Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery), we evaluated the potential technological synergies of a BtL plant processing sugarcane bagasse and straw integrated into a first-generation sugarcane ethanol distillery. Results in this paper indicate that it is possible to achieve economic feasibility with the implementation of the BtL route in the country. Under a base scenario, a greenfield plant would be very close to the range of economic viability (IRR from 10 to 12% per year), whereas more optimistic economic conditions (e.g., lower CAPEX and higher fuel prices) would induce even better results (IRR greater than 16% per year). Doubling the milling capacity also favors the BtL process, with IRR reaching 20% per year if the best economic conditions are achieved in the Brazilian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newest endeavor by the Brazilian State for fostering bioenergy - the National Biofuel Policy, or simply RenovaBio - aims at establishing a mechanism for the commercialization of decarbonization credits linked to the carbon intensity of several biofuels. Under this horizon, this study evaluates the prospects for large-scale, integrated sugarcane-microalgae biorefineries in terms of their techno-economic and environmental feasibility, as well as the possible benefits brought by the RenovaBio program. Process integration was based on different energy and material vectors obtained from the sugarcane mill, especially the use of fermentation-derived CO 2 , CO 2 in biogas, and vinasse as carbon sources for microalgae growth. Results show that the co-location of microalgae production with sugarcane mills leads to verticalized biorefineries currently behind in economic performance in comparison to conventional sugarcane mills due to an increase in both fixed and operational expenses. Anhydrous ethanol production costs remain in the range of US$ 0.36–0.42/L, below the market price of US$ 0.51/L. Integrating a microalgae facility with a sugarcane mill also helps to further improve the sustainability of anhydrous ethanol production: cradle-to-grave emissions of greenhouse gases fluctuate around 18 g CO 2 eq/MJ, a reduction of 15% in comparison to conventional sugarcane-based ethanol. Depending on the scenario, a reasonably-sized integrated biorefinery would be able to mitigate around 500 thousand t CO 2 eq/year when displacing gasoline with anhydrous ethanol. The analysis finally points out to integrated sugarcane-microalgae biorefineries becoming economically feasible at carbon prices as low as US$ 10/t CO 2 eq under the RenovaBio scheme. Image 1 • RenovaBio Program is a promising policy for biofuels adoption in Brazil. • Economic and environmental assessment of co-located sugarcane-microalgae plants. • Microalgae biodiesel replaces fossil diesel in verticalized production of sugarcane. • Low carbon intensity of ethanol from integrated biorefineries: around 18 g CO 2 eq/MJ. • Integrated biorefineries reach economic viability at CO 2 prices of US$ 10/t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]