Biomass isapotentialsustainablesourceofenergy.Approximatelyone-thirdoftheenergyavailablefrom
sugarcane iscontainedinthetopsandleaves(trash),whicharegenerallyeitherburntpriortoharvesting
or arenotrecoveredfromthe field. Basedonresultsreportedintheliteratureandassuminga50%trash
recoveryefficiency,itisestimatedthat1.353milliontonsoftrashisavailableannuallyforcogenerationin
South Africa,whichcouldpotentiallyproduce180.1MWovera200daymillingseason.StudiesinBrazil
and Australiahaveshownthatthemostefficient wayofrecoveringthetopsandleavesforcogeneration
of poweratsugarmillsistouseachopperharvesterwiththeseparationofcanestalksandtrashonthe
harvestereitherfullyorpartiallyturnedoff.InSouthAfricamorethan90%ofthesugarcanecropisburnt
and manuallyharvestedandhencenewsystemsareproposedtorecoverthetrashandtotransportthe
material tothemill.