Cellulose biodiesel

BP has investments in an ethanol plant with DuPont and Associated British Foods. It is also investing in cellulosic ethanol research and developing jatropha as a biodiesel feedstock. BP and DuPont are planning a biobutanol demonstration plant and BP would like to eventually convert their ethanol plant to biobutanol production. BP has a 400 million investment with Associated British Foods and DuPont to build a bioethanol plant in the U.K. that may be converted to biobutanol. It has spent 500 million over 10 years at the Energy Biosciences Institute in California to research future biofuels and 9.4 million over 10 years to fund the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India to study the production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas. It also has a 160 million joint venture with D1 Oils to develop the planting of Jatropha curcas. 

In conclusion, the economically competitive, non-subsidized production of liquid biofuels requires (a) the use cheaper and more reliable sources of renewable raw material (b) efficient conversion, with minimum waste, of cellulosic, fiber or wood-based, waste biomass into fermentable sugars (c) significantly improved efficiency of the production processes and (d) use by-products (e.g., glycerol in biodiesel production). Several of these aspects are discussed in details in various chapters. 

The most promising second-generation biofuel technology - ligno-cellulosic processing - is already well advanced. In Europe, for example, three pilot plants have been established, in Sweden, Spain and Denmark. Other technologies to convert biomass into liquid biofuels (BtL) include Fischer-Tropsch biodiesel and bio-DME (dimethyl ether). Demonstration plants are in operation in Germany and Sweden. 

Bio-fuels should be not in competition vith food. Therefore, new technologies need to be developed to efficiently convert cellulosic, fiber or wood-based, waste biomass into fermentable sugars. Similarly, to make biodiesel competitive as a transport fuel, efforts should be directed to diversify the use of raw materials and to improve the processes while making them more economic by developing added-value uses for by-products such as glycerol. Catalysis plays a critical role in achieving these objectives [9]. 

Different other wastes can also be considered [27], such as carbohydrates molasses, starch and whey [69], cellulose hydrolysates [e.g., paper industry waste) alcohols wastes from biodiesel production, methanol plus glycerol, methanol fats and oils lipids from plant and animal wastes organic acids lactic acid from the dairy industry. 

The increasing energy demands have directed the attention to renewable resources for the fabrication of biofuels. The exploitation of feedstocks containing polysaccharides other than cellulose is of interest for biofuel production. The aspects of the production of biofuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol, methane, and hydrogen are subject of a detailed monograph (1)... 

Materials destined for cellulosic ethanol production have been evaluated, and they were found to contain low relative concentrations of fatty acids. Relative to the amount of ethanol produced, the amount of fatty acid byproduct is actually quite significant. Assuming a t q)ical yield of 20% ethanol and 2% fatty acid means that a minimum of 10% of an ethanol producer s high value products could be in the form of fatty acids (59). It has been claimed that microalgal biodiesel is a better alternative than bioethanol from sugarcane (13). 

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