Cereal bioethanol from

Biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel originate from cereal crops such as plant oils, and sugar beets. Today the production cost of bioethanol cereal crops is still too high, which is the major reason why bioethanol has not made its breakthrough as a fuel source yet. When producing bioethanol from maize or sugar cane the raw material constitutes about 40-70% of the production cost. 

Fig. 2.5 Flow chart for the production bioethanol from cereal grain...

Production of Bioethanol from Cereals Other Than Maize... 

Chuck-Hemandez, C., Perez-CarriUo, E., and Sema-Saldivar, S.O. 2009. Production of bioethanol from steam-flaked sorghum and maize. J. Cereal Sci. 50(1) 131-137. 

First generation bioethanol and biodiesel production, which mainly makes use of cereal grains and vegetable oils, represents a growing source of high quantities of protein as a valuable by-product. Sanders et al. (2007) estimated that a 10% substitution of fossil transportation fuels worldwide by first generation biofuels would result in an annual production of 100 million tonnes of protein - about four times the proteins requirement of the world s human population. A direct result of this would be the saturation of traditional protein markets. New opportunities would therefore emerge for chemical production from proteins. 

The perishable nature of potatoes limits the market of this raw material to the region of production what is produced in Europe is predominantly consumed in Europe. On the other side, cereals are commodities traded globally and therefore subject to the dynamics of a global market. A recent demonstration of these global dynamics was the temporary shortage of cereal on the market caused, among others, by an increased demand for food coming from China and India, bad weather conditions and the use of cereals as feedstock for bioethanol production. 

According to Gustavsson et al. food commodities can be grouped into cereals roots and tubers fruits and vegetables meat, fish and seafood milk and egg. Examples for substantial products are products derived from paper, timber, particle boards, biobased plastics, biobased chemicals and for energy carriers steam, biogases, biodiesel, bioethanol. 

Approximately 98% of US bioethanol is based on com (Zea Mays), a raw starchy material produced in high quantities in that country (14,216 MkT in 2014). Total domestic use of corn in US was 11,883 MkT in the same year. From that amount, 5208 MkT of com were used for ethanol production, 5315 MkT for feed and residual use purposes, while the rest was transformed into high-fructose com symp, sugars (glucose and dextrose), starch, alcohol for beverages and manufacturing, seeds, cereals, and other products (Service, 2015). 

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