What is lignocellulosic bioethanol?

Publisher Summary. Lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive alternative material for bioethanol fuel production. This raw material is less expensive than conventional agricultural feedstock and can be produced with lower input of fertilizers, pesticides, and energy.

Is cellulosic ethanol viable?

Abstract: 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).

Why lignocellulosic waste is now considered for biofuels production instead of using starch and sucrose?

Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable resource and has great potentials for the production of fuel ethanol because it is less expensive than starch (e.g. corn) and sucrose (e.g. sugarcane) producing crops and available in large quantities.

How does lignocellulosic biomass make ethanol?

Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is produced mainly via biochemical routes. The three major steps involved are pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation. Biomass is pretreated to improve the accessibility of enzymes.

Why is lignocellulosic biomass used for ethanol production?

Compared with the production of ethanol from first-generation feedstocks, the use of lignocellulosic biomass is more complicated because the polysaccharides are more stable and the pentose sugars are not readily fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Why was corn stover used for lignocellulosic ethanol?

Corn stover handling was also investigated to support DOE’s decision to focus on corn stover as a feedstock for lignocellulosic ethanol. Working with Harris, process design and costing for these areas were improved through vendor designs, costing, and vendor testing in some cases.

What are the advantages of lignocellulosic materials?

Lignocellulosic materials (LCMs) have been recently considered as potential sources of energy and high value chemicals. A key advantage of LCM is the avoidance of the competition with food production. Furthermore, there are abundant source for LCM including waste materials.

What are the technologies used in ethanol production?

The process design included the core technologies being researched by the DOE: prehydrolysis, simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation, and cellulase enzyme production.