reuse of water Archives - Sugarcane Industry

23 March, 202326 April, 2023

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry takes part in the UN 2023 Water conference.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry, represented by the Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association, took part in the United Nations 2023 Water Conference at the side event: Water and Energy for Sustainable Development: Integrated solutions supporting regional cooperation, climate resilience and biodiversity.

The objective of the event was to provide an opportunity for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experiences on integrated water and energy solutions in different regions of the world, for which representatives from public and private organizations from Spain, Finland, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Mexico, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Paraguay, shared their experiences.

The activity was led by Mr. Minoru Takada, Team Leader of Sustainable Energy in the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the UN in New York.

The event supports the objectives of the Global Network on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions, which Asazgua is part of, and brought together multi-stakeholders to discuss and showcase existing initiatives on effective solutions addressing the water-energy nexus. Luis Miguel Paiz, CEO, and Andrea Bolaños, Sustainability Manager, and director of Fundazucar participated on behalf of Asazgua.

During her presentation, Andrea Bolaños explained how sugar production in Guatemala is committed to meeting the objectives and goals, as well as other global objectives, such as Climate Change, Biodiversity and Human Rights. Bolaños pointed out: “We are more than sugar; we are energy for sustainable development”. Asazgua shared her experience regarding sustainable water management and renewable energy generation.

Andrea Bolaños, Sustainability Manager, and director of Fundazucar

“Since the year 2000 we have developed 7 policies that provide the sugar industry with business and human rights frameworks,” added Bolaños. Asazgua recently presented the contributions of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to the SDGs promoted by the UN.

Bolaños added that the Sugar Industry produces renewable electricity for the operation of sugar mills and covers at least 30% of the electricity demanded by the country (Guatemala), all this using 100% of the residual biomass that allows the production of green energy.

The Sustainability Manager of Asazgua shared the main practices that the Sugar Industry in Guatemala has implemented to make sustainable use of water in production processes, ranging from reuse to the development and implementation of technology to optimize and reduce water use. Likewise, she shared the actions that are carried out to promote access to water and sanitation in the communities of the south of the country.

The event was held within the framework of the United Nations Water Conference 2023 that takes place in New York and that brings together representatives of different sectors in the world with the purpose of establishing a common agenda of immediate actions to accelerate the implementation and impact of solutions to address global water challenges.

24 February, 202331 January, 2023

Sustainable use of water in Guatemalan sugarcane cultivation and sugar production

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry has implemented new technologies and processes, both in sugarcane cultivation and in industrial activities, to reduce its water consumption.

Since 1992, with the creation of The Guatemalan Sugarcane Research and Training Center -Cengicaña-, research has been committed to the development of sustainable cultivation and production practices. For this reason, the Sugar Industry has implemented more efficient irrigation systems that use less water and apply only the amount that the plant needs.

Likewise, the sugar mills have invested in systems for the reuse of water in sugar factories. The water used in the manufacturing process is taken to a cooling system, since it comes out at a high temperature, where, after being cooled, it returns to the factory, through a recirculation system, to be used again.

Reutilización de agua - Azúcar de Guatemala

Water footprint of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry

According to the study carried out by the Private Institute for Climate Change -ICC- each ton of sugarcane produced in Guatemala uses 45% less water than the rest of the sugarcane-producing countries.

During the 2020-2021 harvest, 76% of the water used to produce sugarcane in Guatemala was provided by rainwater. These data were presented by the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- in the report Water Footprint in Sugar Production in Guatemala.

During this period, the availability of rainwater for sugarcane cultivation increased by 3% compared to the previous harvest. That is, the weather conditions allowed more rainwater to be available for cultivation.

During the 2020-2021 harvest, irrigation water used for sugarcane production represented only 19% of the water footprint. This is 2% less compared to the previous harvest.

4 December, 2021

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry adopts actions to optimize water

In the production of sugar, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry has implemented new technologies and processes, both in the cultivation of sugar cane and in industrial activities, to reduce its consumption of water.

Guatemala is a country with high vulnerability to the effects of Climate Change and agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by climatic variations. That is why the Sugar Industry has implemented more efficient irrigation systems, which use less water and apply only the amount of the vital liquid that the plant needs.

Likewise, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry has invested in systems for the reuse of water in the sugar mills. The water used in the manufacturing process is taken to a cooling system; since it comes out at high temperature, where after being cooled it returns to the factory, through a recirculation system, to be used again.

The Water Footprint of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry

According to a study carried out by the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC- the water footprint of the Guatemalan sugar cane crop for the 2019-2020 zafra was estimated at 110.35 m3 of water per ton of sugar cane, where the Irrigation water represented 21% of the total water footprint. Rainwater represented 73% of the total water footprint.

Each ton of sugar cane produced in Guatemala uses 47% less water than the cane produced worldwide, whose results may be related especially to the high sugar cane yields per hectare that the Guatemalan Sugar Industry has achieved.

Of the crops that are most produced worldwide, sugar cane is the one with the smallest water footprint. In addition, the experts of the Guatemalan Sugarcane Research and Training Center -Cengicaña- have developed a mobile application to optimize the use of irrigation water in sugarcane called Cengiriegos, which allows only the water it needs to be applied to the plant.

6 September, 202117 September, 2021

The sugarcane crops in Guatemala use 47% less water compared with the rest of the world

As part of the commitment to the rational use of water, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry has adopted several measures that allow them to be more efficient and sustainable with the environment, as a result, each ton of sugarcane produced in Guatemala uses 47% less water than the cane produced at world level.

The water footprint of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry is 47% lower than the global average, according to a study prepared by the Private Institute for Climate Change Research -ICC-.

According to this study, the country’s meteorological conditions have made it possible for rain to contribute 73% of the water footprint of the crop during the 2019-2020 harvest, and the irrigation water used represented only 21% of the water footprint.

In addition, Cengicaña experts have developed a mobile application to optimize the use of irrigation water in sugarcane called Cengiriegos, which allows only the water it needs to be applied to the plant.

Likewise, in the industrial process, the Sugar Industry has also invested to optimize the use of the vital liquid, an example of this is that the water used in the sugar manufacturing process is reused repeatedly and for this there are specialized towers that receive the water used to make sugar, cool it and then return it to the factory, in a recirculation process.