Bioethanol heat value

Similarly to biobutanol, biopropanol is another bioalcohol with high heating value. Isopropanol can be dehydrated to produce propylene, a product that can be used to esterify fats and oils for the production of biodiesel. Isopropanol can be produced by Clostridium or genetically modihed E. coli. Commercial isopropanol production from biomass-derived glucose is highly desired (Ismaiel et ah, 1993). However, the highest concentration of biopropanol observed from fermentation experiments was 4.9 g/L (Atsumi and Liao, 2008), which is still much lower than the titer of the bioethanol production process. More research would be expected to increase the efficiency and yield of the process before sizable application. 

For example, in a (thermochemical) biorefinery, biomass is converted into energy carriers such as transportation fuels (e.g., ethanol), heat, and power and/or chemicals. In terms of energy content, the amount of biomass for (transportation) fuels and CHP (e.g., by combustion) is much higher than the amount used for the production of chemicals. However, in terms of added value, chemicals can provide a significant contribution to the overall cost effeaiveness of the refinery. When the main product of a biorefinery is (hemi) cellulose bioethanol, the lignin ends up in a residue that mostly is used as a fuel to generate heat. The economics of the biorefinery will benefit much from the valorization of this lignin-rich residue to value-added aromatic chemicals. 

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