Abstract
This study develops a multi-objective computer-aided process engineering (CAPE) framework to evaluate integrated sugarcane-based agro-industrial systems combining a high-yield cultivar, Haru-no-Ougi, and the "Inversion Process, " which reverses the conventional order of sugar crystallization and ethanol fermentation through selective fermentation of reducing sugars. The in-house CAPE tool SugaNol integrates agricultural, industrial, and environmental (life cycle assessment) models to simulate productivity, energy balance, greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, and relative economic performance on a per-hectare basis. Four scenarios were analyzed: NiF8-Conventional, KY01-2044-Conventional, Haru-no-Ougi-Conventional, and Haru-no-Ougi-Inversion Process. Simulation results showed that the combined Haru-no-Ougi and Inversion Process system increased total energy-equivalent productivity by approximately 40-45% compared with the baseline NiF8 system. Life cycle GHG emissions were reduced by 4-11%, while relative economic performance improved by approximately 35-40% due to enhanced ethanol and electricity co-production. These results demonstrate that CAPE-based multi-objective simulation enables holistic assessment and design of agro-industrial systems by explicitly linking crop traits and process design, providing a quantitative basis for sustainable sugar-ethanol-energy system design.