Spatiotemporal distribution and estimation of emissions from pre-harvest burning of sugar cane in Valle del Cauca

The addition of oxygenated fuels to petrochemical gasoline and diesel reduces the formation of contaminants during combustion, including soot, CO, hydrocarbons, and NOx. The net reduction of these emissions and greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, CH4, and N2O, is a more complex and controversial issue, since it involves the entire production chain, including agricultural emissions, about which he knows very little. Similar volumes of oil palm biodiesel are produced in Colombia (1261 ton / day in 2017) and sugar cane bioethanol (1005 m3 / day in 2017). The geographic valley of the Cauca River (VRC), in which it is possible to grow cane throughout the year, produces almost 80% of Colombia's sugar cane. The pre-harvest burning of sugarcane (QPA) is still a common practice, given its advantages in terms of yield and production, compared with the green harvest, that is, without pre-harvest burning. Despite its importance, very little is yet known about the impact on air pollution of this practice. This research is part of the CACIQUE project and measurement campaign (CAuca river valley sugarCane pre-harvest burning aIr QUality Effects), which seeks to quantify and attribute sources to the air quality measured in the center of the VRC. Based on detailed information for 2018, in this presentation we will present a detailed analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of the QPA in the VRC, and a first estimate of the associated atmospheric emissions. In 2018, 66% of the area was harvested green, 26% by controlled burning, and 8% by fires, or unintentional burning. The analysis also revealed that the majority of the burns take place in the 4-8 pm period, and a considerable reduction in burns and fires in the rainiest months (May and November). Additional details will be presented, including geostatistical analysis results.