A study on the reuse of ash from sugarcane bagasse

The generation of large amounts of ash from sugarcane bagasse by itsproducing countries is becoming a worldwide-problem. Its irregularapplication, such as in fertilizers, contaminates soil and water, causing agreat environmental problem. Studies show it is possible to apply ash insome specific areas, such as replacement of portland cement, replacementof clay, as an adsorbent, in the treatment and stabilization of soils, in thepavement of road asphalt, among others. The objective of the present articleis to evaluate which are the most promising areas for the use of sugarcanebagasse ash. The work was developed with a bibliographic search, usingthe bibliometrics technique. The results obtained show that it is possible touse ash in several different areas. However, having a detailed study of thecharacteristics of the ash obtained is important, because they are directlyrelated to the regions and climates where sugarcane is cultivated, besidesits granulometry, collection time the ashes in the boilers, pHs, curing time,etc. In conclusion, results can be very different for the same application area,depending on the properties of the ash obtained.