Diagnosis of the solid biofuel process from agave bagasse through Arena simulation

In Mexico, the mezcal industry consumes significant volumes of biomass as thermal energy and generates large amounts of organic waste. In each artisanal production batch, up to 246 m³ of firewood is burned, resulting in considerable CO₂ emissions and deforestation pressure. Simultaneously, approximately 2.4 tons of lignocellulosic bagasse are produced per 6 tons of fermented agave. This byproduct offers a calorific value (≈16.4 MJ/kg), making it a viable alternative as a solid biofuel. This study presents a discrete-event simulation model in Arena™, applied to an artisanal mezcal distillery in Tecamachalco, Mexico, to evaluate the technical feasibility of replacing part of the firewood with processed agave bagasse. The modeled process includes bagasse conditioning, indirect solar drying, grinding, briquetting, final drying, and combustion during distillation. The model incorporates cycle times, machine capacities, human resource availability, and process variability. Key performance indicators such as briquette yield, resource utilization and bottlenecks were analyzed. Sensitivity analysis under varying drying capacities, labor shifts, and demand scenarios identified solar drying as the critical constraint. Improvement strategies such as expanding dryer capacity and adopting hybrid systems were proposed to enhance throughput and energy substitution. The simulation demonstrates the potential to reduce firewood use by up to 30%, lowering environmental impact while valorizing agro-industrial residues. This approach contributes to more sustainable mezcal production, aligned with the principles of circular bioeconomy and rural energy transition.