Vinasse

Vinasse is a byproduct of sugar and ethanol production, the material left over once sugarcane or sugar beets have been processed to extract crystalline sugar, pulp and molasses and the remainder has been fermented and distilled. It comes in two commercial forms, cane vinasse, also called dunder, and beet vinasse, and once partly dehydrated it has a viscosity similar to molasses. Rather than being treated as waste, vinasse is used as a fertilizer because of its nutrient content, is fed into thermophilic digesters, particularly in Brazil, to produce biogas for heat and electricity, and serves as a base for hydroponics solutions, plant tissue culture media and algae cultivation; the distillation process also leaves it with high concentrations of fulvic acid.