scholarly journals What is still Limiting the Deployment of Cellulosic Ethanol? Analysis of the Current Status of the Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 4523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Padella ◽  
Adrian O’Connell ◽  
Matteo Prussi
Keyword(s):  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Cellulosic Ethanol ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Commercial Scale

Ethanol production from cellulosic material is considered one of the most promising options for future biofuel production contributing to both the energy diversification and decarbonization of the transport sector, especially where electricity is not a viable option (e.g., aviation). Compared to conventional (or first generation) ethanol production from food and feed crops (mainly sugar and starch based crops), cellulosic (or second generation) ethanol provides better performance in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings and low risk of direct and indirect land-use change. However, despite the policy support (in terms of targets) and significant R&D funding in the last decade (both in EU and outside the EU), cellulosic ethanol production appears to be still limited. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the status of cellulosic ethanol production in EU and outside EU, reviewing available literature and highlighting technical and non-technical barriers that still limit its production at commercial scale. The review shows that the cellulosic ethanol sector appears to be still stagnating, characterized by technical difficulties as well as high production costs. Competitiveness issues, against standard starch based ethanol, are evident considering many commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plants appear to be currently in idle or on-hold states.

scholarly journals Recent Developments and Current Status of Commercial Production of Fuel Ethanol

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuan-Dung Hoang ◽  
Nhuan Nghiem
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Commercial Scale ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments

Ethanol produced from various biobased sources (bioethanol) has been gaining high attention lately due to its potential to cut down net emissions of carbon dioxide while reducing burgeoning world dependence on fossil fuels. Global ethanol production has increased more than six-fold from 18 billion liters at the turn of the century to 110 billion liters in 2019 (1,2). Sugar cane and corn have been used as the major feedstocks for ethanol production. Lignocellulosic biomass has recently been considered as another potential feedstock. This paper reviews recent developments and current status of commercial production of ethanol across the world. The review includes the ethanol production processes used for each type of feedstock, both currently practiced at commercial scale and newly developed technologies, and production trends in various regions and countries in the world.

scholarly journals Biofuels – Towards Objectives Of 2030 And Beyond

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-40
Author(s):  
Rafał M. Łukasik
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Ghg Emission ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Environmental Criteria ◽  
Production Technologies

The European (and global) energy sector is in a process of profound transformation, making it essential for changes to take place that influence energy producers, operators, and regulators, as well as consumers themselves, as they are the ones who interact in the energy market. The RED II Directive changes the paradigm of the use of biomass in the heat and electricity sectors, by introducing sustainability criteria with mandatory minimum greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and by establishing energy efficiency criteria. For the transport sector, the extension of the introduction of renewables to all forms of transport (aviation, maritime, rail and road short and long distance), between 2021-2030, the strengthening of energy efficiency and the strong need to reduce GHG emissions, are central to achieving the national targets for renewables in transport, representing the main structural changes in the European decarbonisation policy in that sector. It is necessary to add that biomass is potentially the only source of renewable energy that makes it possible to obtain negative GHG emission values, considering the entire life cycle including CO2 capture and storage. Hence, this work aims to analyse the relevance of biomass for CHP and in particular, the use of biomass for biofuels that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. The following thematic sub-areas are addressed in this work: i) the new environmental criteria for the use of biomass for electricity in the EU in light of now renewable energy directive; ii) current and emerging biofuel production technologies and their respective decarbonization potential; iii) the relevance or not of the development of new infrastructures for distribution renewable fuels, alternatives to the existing ones (biomethane, hydrogen, ethanol); iv) the identification of the necessary measures for biomass in the period 2020-2030

scholarly journals Assessment of Feedstocks and Technologies for Advanced Biofuel Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 05002
Author(s):  
Elena Cerruti ◽  
Francesca Di Gruttola ◽  
Giancarlo Lauro ◽  
Teresa Dina Valentini ◽  
Paolo Fiaschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Costs ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Advanced Biofuel ◽  
Advanced Biofuels ◽  
Green Diesel ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Strategic Solution ◽  
Forestry Residues

The present contribution deals with a comprehensive analysis of the available feedstocks and the appropriate technologies to produce advanced biofuels. The analysis is focused on the EU countries, since they adopted policy measures able to promote advanced biofuels as a strategic solution for a competitive and sustainable transport sector. In this regard, four classes of feedstocks have been taken into account: wastes, vegetable oils, agricultural and forestry residues. Their availability is studied with the aim to respect the European targets in terms of emissions without neglecting possible negative impacts on environment and biodiversity. A metric for the classification of the different solutions is proposed on the basis of feedstocks availability, technology readiness levels (TRL), quality of the produced biofuel as well as feedstock and production costs. It is possible to conclude that, even if the several interesting alternatives currently available have a high ranking in the proposed metric and must be taken in consideration, green diesel is today the most convenient solution for producing advanced biofuel without risks of technological failures and feedstocks shortage. This analysis can provide insights to encourage the development of advanced biofuels in EU, especially for some of the Member States as Germany, France and Italy.

scholarly journals Recent Developments and Current Status of Commercial Production of Fuel Ethanol

Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 314
Author(s):  
Tuan-Dung Hoang ◽  
Nhuan Nghiem
Keyword(s):  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Commercial Scale ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Current Production

Ethanol produced from various biobased sources (bioethanol) has been gaining high attention lately due to its potential to cut down net emissions of carbon dioxide while reducing burgeoning world dependence on fossil fuels. Global ethanol production has increased more than six-fold from 18 billion liters at the turn of the century to 110 billion liters in 2019, only to fall to 98.6 billion liters in 2020 due to the pandemic. Sugar cane and corn have been used as the major feedstocks for ethanol production. Lignocellulosic biomass has recently been considered as another potential feedstock due to its non-food competing status and its availability in very large quantities. This paper reviews recent developments and current status of commercial production of ethanol across the world with a focus on the technological aspects. The review includes the ethanol production processes used for each type of feedstock, both currently practiced at commercial scale and still under developments, and current production trends in various regions and countries in the world.

scholarly journals THE PROSPECTS, IMPACTS, AND RESEARCH CHALLENGES OF ENHANCED CELLULOSIC ETHANOL PRODUCTION: A REVIEW

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-275
Author(s):  
SL Ezeoha ◽  
CN Anyanwu ◽  
JN Nwakaire
Keyword(s):  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Cellulosic Ethanol ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Thermochemical Processes

The benefits and impacts of enhanced cellulosic ethanol (CE) production, the major features of existing production processes, and some current research challenges of major pretreatment processes are presented. The prospects of enhanced CE production, especially in developing economies like Nigeria are highlighted. We conclude that in order to reap the promising prospects and conquer the challenges and negative impacts of enhanced CE production, current researches for production of cellulosic ethanol must be focused on the development of processes that are capable of liberating and fermenting lignocellulose into bioethanol at faster rates, higher yields, and overall technical and economic efficiency. These researches should concentrate on the development of cheaper enzymes, genetically engineered microorganisms, and cost-effective thermochemical processes in order to accomplish the much-needed breakthrough in cellulosic biofuel production. Properly targeted innovative researches on cellulosic ethanol production processes are the sure route to effective reduction of global dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels. The needed research breakthroughs will obviously be based on innovative integration of processes rather than on the improvement of the well-known individual processes of bioethanol production. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i1.32

scholarly journals Biofuels in transport sector of Latvia: experience, current status and barriers

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-43
Author(s):  
R. Smigins ◽  
P. Shipkovs
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Barriers To Implementation ◽  
Eu Directives ◽  
The Eu

Abstract During the last 10 years biofuel production and utilization in the European Union have become more extensive owing to support provided by the relevant EU Directives. Achievement of the main targets defined by Directives was not simple, being confronted with various barriers. Latvia is one of the EU member-countries that have set an ambitious goal as to the production of biofuel and its use in transport. The authors summarize the major achievements of the country in this area and analyze the main barriers to implementation of biofuels in the transport sector, providing an outlook on the current status of the bioenergy and the transport situation in Latvia.

Comparative analysis of key technologies for cellulosic ethanol production from Brazilian sugarcane bagasse at a commercial scale

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 994-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuj K Chandel ◽  
Juliana Q Albarelli ◽  
Diego T Santos ◽  
Shishir Ps Chundawat ◽  
Munish Puri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Sugarcane Bagasse ◽  
Cellulosic Ethanol ◽  
Commercial Scale ◽  
Key Technologies

Development of plant concepts for ethanol production from wheat and wheat straw

2013 ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Gröngröft ◽  
André Brosowski ◽  
Kathleen Meisel ◽  
Franziska Müller-Langer
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Fresh Matter ◽  
Market Prices ◽  
Ethanol Plant ◽  
Plant Processing ◽  
Supply Costs ◽  
The Cost

Fuel ethanol produced from sugar and starch is to be complemented and eventually even replaced by ethanol produced from lignocellulose, in order to mitigate possible competition with the food sector. A first step towards this goal may be a combination of both feedstocks in one plant. This is topic of the presented study, whether synergies in lowering the production costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be reached through combined processing was topic of the presented study. A greenfield straw ethanol plant, a wheat ethanol plant and an integrated plant, processing both wheat grain and straw were developed and compared regarding the resulting GHG emissions and production costs. Despite showing the best results with regard to greenhouse gas emissions, greenfield straw ethanol production is related to relatively high production costs. The wheat based ethanol plant again is associated with higher GHG emissions, but low production costs. By combining straw and wheat processing, resulting production costs of EUR651/m3 ethanol are at a level close to market prices, but the same mitigation potential as separate straw based ethanol cannot be reached. The low level of 16.1 g CO2-eq/MJ of straw based ethanol results mainly from the use of the agricultural residue as feedstock and the use of the internally produced lignin to ensure the steam supply. In the assessment of the production costs, feedstock costs are one of the most relevant parameters. Since straw prices are not available from market statistics, an assessment of Germany’s sustainable straw potential in a high spatial resolution has served to calculate straw supply costs. Depending on the exact location of the plant, a range of EUR50/t to EUR90/t (fresh matter) was found to be the cost for straw provision.

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