Sugarcane Wax - A Par Excellent by-Product of Sugar Industry - A Review

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the major cash crops, used for the production of sugar and ethanol. Sugarcane processing, results in many by by-products like bagasse, molasses and press mud which have economic value. Also, the by-products serve to generate many value added products. Sugarcane wax is a value added product obtained by the processing of press mud. It has pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. n-Triacontanol, Policosanol, D-003 acids and waxes are some of the products derived from the sugarcane wax. This article attempt discusses the various methods of extraction of sugarcane wax, its constituents and its characteristics and applications of the products derived from the sugarcane wax.

Obtaining a Fraction of Sugarcane Wax Rich in Policosanol by Using Ethanol as Solvent: Results Interpretation through Hansen’s Solubility Theory

“…Solute−solvent miscibles are those that are close in a tridimensional space of HSPs. The distance between the solvent (a) and solute (b) in the solubility space is usually defined as R a (1).…”

“…Some technologies that use ethanol as solvent for sugarcane wax extraction, such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), have been put into operation. 1 …”

“…Its use as raw material for the development of a sustainable chemical industry has been intensely debated and explored since the middle of the last century, although the fundamentals that facilitate its use as solvent in the extraction of natural products with high added value are still being studied. Some technologies that use ethanol as solvent for sugarcane wax extraction, such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), have been put into operation …”

“…It is evident that the literature usually reports studies for the extraction of wax from sugarcane and other agricultural waste, but there are practically no works directed to wax fractionation; only Holser et al , focus on lipid extraction. The vast majority of methods evaluated are based on solvent extraction, such as supercritical CO2 extraction, , microwave-assisted solvent extraction, or accelerated extraction, where the pressure is increased to reach a temperature above the boiling point of the solvent selected. The comparison between the extraction methods used to obtain policosanol is beyond the purpose of this work; our goal is to improve the existing one.…”

“…Some technologies that use ethanol as solvent for sugarcane wax extraction, such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), have been put into operation. 1 Research on sugarcane wax dates back to the XIX century, when Avequin 2 extracted a powdery product that he called "Cerosin". However, the first industrial plant to obtain sugarcane wax was installed and put in operation in Durban, South Africa, in 1916.…”