Viable Feedstock Options and Technological Challenges for Ethanol Production in India

Abstract

Though improvements in processing and technology are important, the fluctuating price of inputs such as molasses, corn, sugar beet, sugarcane, sweet sorghum, starch, etc. and their seasonal availability play an important role in ethanol industry. As a matter of fact, the ethanol industry based on conventional resources has reached its saturation point. Technologies for ethanol production from lignocellulosics are being developed by scientists world over with the objective of exploiting the potential of a resource, which is otherwise considered a waste, to generate energy. The focus has been to produce ethanol in a cost-effective manner, besides aiming to find use of its by-products as food supplements for cattles, etc. Recent developments like adoption of technologies such as dry grind fractionation, which is now commercially viable, would reduce the cost of milling; wet milling being costintensive and dry milling requiring smaller plants.

Net Energy Analysis and Techno-Economic Assessment of Co-Production of Bioethanol and Biogas from Cellulosic Biomass

“…1G bioethanol is directly tied to edible biomass, including sucrosecontaining feedstock such as sugarcane and sugar beet, and starchy biomass, primarily corn, cassava, wheat, etc. Using sugarcane to produce bioethanol, as in Brazil, Argentina, India, and Thailand, sugarcane juice as well as byproducts of sugar production, such as molasses, are fermentation substrates [15]. In such a case, after some simple preparation, the feedstock can be directly subjected to fermentation.…”

“…In such a case, after some simple preparation, the feedstock can be directly subjected to fermentation. In many of the world's major ethanol producers, such as the USA, China, the UK, and Canada, a great deal of starch-based biomass is used to produce ethanol [15]. Nevertheless, due to the yeast's inability to directly ingest large molecule carbohydrates, these starches must first be broken into smaller sugars via hydrolysis prior to fermentation; enzymatic hydrolysis is mostly implemented rather than acid hydrolysis due to its favorable efficiency [16].…”