Use of imperialist competitive algorithm for optimization of energy productivity and damage assessment in sugar industry: A case study

Abstract

A study was conducted to optimize energy consumption and evaluate the life cycle of the sugar industry in Plant (PS) and Ratoon (RS) sugarcane farms, which were evaluated using the imperialistic competition algorithm (ICA). The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with farmers and specialized questionnaires. The energy equivalent of each input or output was obtained, with diesel fuel inputs and chemical fertilizers being the most non-optimal energy consumers. The energy indices showed better results when comparing yields at different levels. Additionally, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed using the IMPACT2002+ model, which revealed that the production of sugarcane generates fewer environmental burdens in almost all fields of production in RS than in PS. However, aquatic ecotoxicity and aquatic eutrophication were identified as the most significant environmental loads due to the excessive and unconventional use of chemical fertilizers. Based on the results obtained from the optimization of energy consumption and environmental emissions using the ICA, it was found that PS farms were more efficient than RS farms, despite consuming more energy. To reduce environmental greenhouse gas emissions in the sugar industry, focusing on reducing aquatic ecotoxicity and aquatic eutrophication would be the most effective strategy.

Keywords

• Energy productivity
• Life cycle assessment
• Imperialist competitive algorithm
• Optimization