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Fuel ethanol made of foodstuff crops such as grain and cane sugar refers to 1st generation bio ethanol, while fuel ethanol made of agricultural waste, such as stalks of rice and corn, residue of cane sugar or abundant ligno cellulosic materials in nature, refers to 2nd generation bio ethanol, i.e. cellulosic ethanol. It has become the major R&D direction worldwide for its efficient utilization of the agricultural waste and non-foodstuff energy crops. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 as signed by President Bush of the United States on December 18, demands to increase the production of bio energy, i.e. cellulosic ethanol. The Bureau of Energy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs also plans to make the provision of E3 gasoline (3% bio ethanol mixed in gasoline) available in 2011. The consumption is predicted at 100 million liters per year.
The Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) of the Nuclear Safety Commission employs the well-established chemical engineering technology and the system integrating capability, and collaborates with domestic biochemical related research institutes, engaging in 2005 in the development of the cellulosic ethanol production technology. In 2007, a 10-kg-per-batch cellulose bioconversion test system was constructed to serve as the first process development system for cellulose bioconversion. The system has begun operation and testing as the platform for national cellulose bioconversion.
In the initial stage, INER adopted domestic agricultural waste such as rice stalks as the main feedstock. The ligno-cellulosic biomass materials such as rice stalks are comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose contains hexose ingredients like glucose and hemicellulose contains xylose, both of which can be fermented and converted to ethanol. The fermentable sugar occupies 60-70% of the dry weight of the ligno-cellulosic biomass. The production of bio ethanol requires the retrieval of cellulose and hemicellulose from biomass fibers for conversion to the fermentable sugar and for fermenting sugar to ethanol. Fuel ethanol is obtained thereafter via purification and dehydration. Compared to the ethanol production with sugar and starch, cellulosic ethanol demands higher threshold technology and therefore commercial production is not available in the international market for the time being.
The cellulose bioconversion test system contains sub-systems like pretreatment, hydrolysis, distillation, ethanol dehydration, etc. Current results indicate that the hydrolysis of pentose in pretreatment attains rate at 70-80%, the hydrolysis of hexose converting to glucose attains a rate at 70%, the production rate of ethanol fermented from pentose attains 77%, and the production rate of ethanol fermented from hexose attains 95%. The produced ethanol achieves purety over 99.5%, matching the regulations of the national standard CNS15109 "denatured fuel ethanol (including bio ethanol) for blending with gasolines for use as automotive spark-ignition engine fuel". For every incoming 10-kg rice-stalk materials, 2 liters of bio ethanol can be produced.
INER plans to employ the operational experience and process parameters of the 10-kg class cellulose bioconversion system as fundamental to further develop the domestic cellulosic ethanol production technology. The construction of a test production system capable of handling feedstock at 1-ton per day has been planned to be completed in 2010 as a demonstration of cellulosic ethanol production technology. In the future, the design and planning of commercial systems can be built on the experience attained from the plant construction and operation of this test production system. INER will transfer the production technology of cellulosic ethanol to the domestic industry in order to establish a viable national cellulosic ethanol industry, lower the emission of pollution substances and greenhouse gas and increase related job opportunities.
Second Generation Bio Energy: Cellulosic Ethanol -- (20080218)
Last Update: May 14, 2020
Fuel ethanol made of foodstuff crops such as grain and cane sugar refers to 1st generation bio ethanol, while fuel ethanol made of agricultural waste, such as stalks of rice and corn, residue of cane sugar or abundant ligno cellulosic materials in nature, refers to 2nd generation bio ethanol, i.e. cellulosic ethanol. It has become the major R&D direction worldwide for its efficient utilization of the agricultural waste and non-foodstuff energy crops. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 as signed by President Bush of the United States on December 18, demands to increase the production of bio energy, i.e. cellulosic ethanol. The Bureau of Energy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs also plans to make the provision of E3 gasoline (3% bio ethanol mixed in gasoline) available in 2011. The consumption is predicted at 100 million liters per year.
The Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) of the Nuclear Safety Commission employs the well-established chemical engineering technology and the system integrating capability, and collaborates with domestic biochemical related research institutes, engaging in 2005 in the development of the cellulosic ethanol production technology. In 2007, a 10-kg-per-batch cellulose bioconversion test system was constructed to serve as the first process development system for cellulose bioconversion. The system has begun operation and testing as the platform for national cellulose bioconversion.
In the initial stage, INER adopted domestic agricultural waste such as rice stalks as the main feedstock. The ligno-cellulosic biomass materials such as rice stalks are comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose contains hexose ingredients like glucose and hemicellulose contains xylose, both of which can be fermented and converted to ethanol. The fermentable sugar occupies 60-70% of the dry weight of the ligno-cellulosic biomass. The production of bio ethanol requires the retrieval of cellulose and hemicellulose from biomass fibers for conversion to the fermentable sugar and for fermenting sugar to ethanol. Fuel ethanol is obtained thereafter via purification and dehydration. Compared to the ethanol production with sugar and starch, cellulosic ethanol demands higher threshold technology and therefore commercial production is not available in the international market for the time being.
The cellulose bioconversion test system contains sub-systems like pretreatment, hydrolysis, distillation, ethanol dehydration, etc. Current results indicate that the hydrolysis of pentose in pretreatment attains rate at 70-80%, the hydrolysis of hexose converting to glucose attains a rate at 70%, the production rate of ethanol fermented from pentose attains 77%, and the production rate of ethanol fermented from hexose attains 95%. The produced ethanol achieves purety over 99.5%, matching the regulations of the national standard CNS15109 "denatured fuel ethanol (including bio ethanol) for blending with gasolines for use as automotive spark-ignition engine fuel". For every incoming 10-kg rice-stalk materials, 2 liters of bio ethanol can be produced.
INER plans to employ the operational experience and process parameters of the 10-kg class cellulose bioconversion system as fundamental to further develop the domestic cellulosic ethanol production technology. The construction of a test production system capable of handling feedstock at 1-ton per day has been planned to be completed in 2010 as a demonstration of cellulosic ethanol production technology. In the future, the design and planning of commercial systems can be built on the experience attained from the plant construction and operation of this test production system. INER will transfer the production technology of cellulosic ethanol to the domestic industry in order to establish a viable national cellulosic ethanol industry, lower the emission of pollution substances and greenhouse gas and increase related job opportunities.
