Biomass to ethanol

Kemppainen, A.J. Shonnard, D.R. (2005) Comparative Life-Cycle Assessments for Biomass-to-Ethanol Production from Different Regional Feedstocks. Biotechnology Progress, 21(4), 1075-1084. 

Also, a Spanish company (Abengoa Bioenergy) has developed a process for the conversion of ligno-cellulosic biomass to ethanol based on SSF. A demonstration plant on the basis of wheat and barley straw has been operating in Salamanca since 2006, with an annual production capacity of five million litres of ethanol (Abengoa, 2006). 

NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol process design and economics utilizing co-current dilute add prehydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis for com stover. Golden, CO US (2002). Report available on web http //www.mel.gov/ docs/ fy02osti/32438.pdf... 

The enzyme is also being studied for use in converting of biomass to ethanol for fuel usage. Prospects for the conversion of cellulolytic biomass to ethanol for fuel or as a fuel additive have improved within the last decade because of the development of methods for the fermentation of xylose, which can comprise as much as 50% of the fermentable sugars in these feedstocks. One of these methods uses xylose isomerase to convert xylose, which is difficult to ferment by ethanol-tolerant yeasts, to the fermentable sugar xylulose (12,13). 

California Energy Commission. (2001), Costs and Benefits of a Biomass-to-Ethanol Production Industry in California, Sacramento, CA. 

Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current... 

Cellulase is a collection of enzymes that together can hydrolyze cellulose to glucose, a key step in the low-cost conversion of biomass to ethanol. Such a process would be useful for three reasons. First, in large scale it could contribute to the substitution of the renewable fuel ethanol for petroleum-based gasoline. Second, it is known that the addition of 5% ethanol to... 

Although ASPEN-Plus is widely used to simulate petrochemical processes, its uses for modeling biomass processes are limited owing to the limited availability of physical properties that best describe biomass components such as cellulose, xylan, and lignin. For example, Lynd et al. (1) used conventional methods to calculate the economic viability of a biom-ass-to-ethanol process. However, with the development by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of an ASPEN-Plus physical property database for biofuels components, modified versions of ASPEN-Plus software can now be used to model biomass processes (2). Wooley et al. (3) used ASPEN-Plus simulation software to calculate equipment and energy costs for an entire biomass-to-ethanol process that made use of dilute-H2S04 acid pretreatment. 

Ethanol Feedstock Costs (Canadian I), for Upper and Lower Values of Jerusalem Artichoke Tuber and Tops Yield Ranges, for Different Land Prices in Western Canada and Quebec, Given a Conversion Factor of Biomass to Ethanol of 100 I t-1... 

Fig. 33.4. General schematic of a biological process for converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol.

Aden, A., Ruth, M., Ibsen, K., Jechura, J., Neeves, K., et al., Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Corn Stover NREL Report No. TP-510-32438 available online at URL http //www.nrel.gov/publications/ National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden, CO, June, 2002, 2002 p. 154. 

TABLE 14.14 Net Energy Analysis of the Thermochemical Conversion of Natural Gas and Biomass to Ethanol in an Integrated Feedstock Production-Conversion System"... 

One of the primary reasons for the slow acceptance of biomass to ethanol conversion is the lack of a reliable and sustainable lignocellulosic supply infrastructure to maintain a commercial conversion facility. There are many issues that must be resolved in providing a consistent supply of high-quality, low-cost biomass. ... 

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