The Future of Fuel…Cellulosic Ethanol
3
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Loading ...Non Edible Plants and Municipal Solid Waste Can Be Turned Into Fuel
Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel that is made from plants that are non-edible. For example wood chips, corn stover, switchgrass, and municipal solid waste can be used to produce cellulosic ethanol. Basically, its turning waste into ethanol, which is then turned into fuel, or in other words your garbage has the potential to power your car.
Cellulosic ethanol can be produced by using either the Cellulolysis Process, which uses enzymes to break cellulose down into simple sugars so they can be fermented, or by using the Gasification Process which turns raw material into carbon monoxide and hydrogen so they can be fermented. After fermentation takes place the resulting substance is distilled and turned into ethanol.
The process of producing cellulosic ethanol makes it more efficient than producing ethanol from grains and much more energy efficient compared to producing oil. The amount of energy saved on producing cellulosic ethanol could reduce green house gas emissions by 85% when compared to reformulated gasoline.
Over the past decade researchers and scientists have been working to develop the technology that will allow the U.S. to produce cellulosic ethanol at commercial volumes. Towards the end of the 2000′s decade technology had reached the point where construction on cellulosic ethanol plants could begin. As of Spring 2011 there are over 38 cellulosic ethanol plants now constructed or under construction in the United States and Canada. The bare minimum quantity of ethanol produced at each of these plants 250,000 gallons a year. Large scale commercial volumes are expected to start being met at the end of this decade.
Raw material to produce cellulosic ethanol is also abundant and local. In the United States there is over 1 billion tons of biomass available which could be used to produce between 80-100 billion gallons of ethanol. In addition to that the United States throws away 323 million tons of material that contains cellulose, all of this material has the potential to be converted into ethanol.
Studies on converting Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into cellulosic ethanol are underway. Demonstration plants have been constructed, but the potential to convert MSW into fuel is great. In California 51.3% of its MSW contains cellulosic biomass which means over 50% of the waste in California has the potential to make ethanol. This large amount of cellulosic biomass in California’s MSW makes it the single largest source of biomass for the entire state.
Cellulosic ethanol has been called the great green hope to replace petroleum and at its current pace it is looking to do just that.
For more information on cellulosic ethanol and how the technology was developed to produce it watch the video below.
Sources:
http://www.ucei.berkeley.edu/PDF/EDT_015.pdf
Celluloses can be hydrolysed to simple sugars and then fermented. Amrit International Limited, India has done just that and validated an yield of 300 litres of anhydrous fuel grade ethanol from an input of 1 metric tonne rice / wheat straws as feedstock in a pilot plant. As a first step towards commercialization scale up, a demonstration plant for a continuous process plant of capacity 15,000 litres of fuel grade anhydrous ethanol per day capacity is being set up. More details can be discussed only with potential equity investors after NDA on technology secrecy.Equity investment sought: Around 15 million US Dollars. The process does not use enzymes for cellulose hydrolysis, will also recycle and use all process wastes. Biomass cogenration will produce heat for all process needs besides 3 MW electricity of which 2 MW surplus can be sold to the grid. Process chemicals recovered leading to zero discharge; Process is clean and efficient, leading to lower operational cost. Investment in capital equipments and process needs are less than estimates for other technologies (US DOE). Carries two patents.Financial partner will share future earnings from licensing of the technology in India and globally.
Hi,
I Read through your blog post on Cellulosic ethanol and found it interesting. I think it is definately a technology which will form part of many countries renewable energy mix in the future, although the exact process by which the bio-ethanol i feel will differ from country to country based on the type of feedstock/s as well as a number of other factors.
One thing to consider when processing a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol is its composition which will determine whether a pretreatment step combined with enzymatic hydrolysis, a two stage dilute acid hydrolysis or a single concentrated acid hydrolysis is needed to liberate sugars bound up in the raw material for fermentation
Definitely a new promising investment project nationwide that will not only give us entry to improving the way we recycle but also open opportunities in our production industry as far as petroleum.