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CELLULOSIC ETHANOL - HEADING TOWARDS COMMERCIALLY VIABLE ADVANCED BIOFUELS

Sigrid Kusch

Abstract

Ethanol is the most common alternative transport fuel. The current standard market product bioethanol is criticised for limited environmental sustainability as it is largely based on utilisation of food crops. Cellulosic ethanol, derived from lignocellulosic biomass including organic wastes and residues, as well as biomass grown on marginal land, is considered clearly more sustainable under environmental criteria compared to first generation ethanol, and it makes use of highly abundant, low cost organic material. However, the production of cellulosic ethanol is more complex. Biochemical and thermochemical conversion pathways are both used. Cellulosic ethanol production procedures have been the subject of manifold research and development mainly during the last four decades. An assessment of market developments and a review of scientific literature both indicate that research and development in the field remain vibrant. Key bottlenecks that caused commercial uptake to proceed slower than had been expected around a decade ago, have now been overcome. Since few years, first commercial scale sites in Europe and the US produce cellulosic ethanol. The cellulosic ethanol industry is progressing towards full maturity.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017/42/s17.015

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