Billion Liters Of Ethanol Research Articles

Woody biomass availability for bioethanol conversion in Mississippi

Abstract This study evaluated woody biomass from logging residues, small-diameter trees, mill residues, and urban waste as a feedstock for cellulosic ethanol conversion in Mississippi. The focus on Mississippi was to assess in-state regional variations and provide specific information of biomass estimates for those facilities interested in locating in Mississippi. Supply and cost of four woody biomass sources were derived from Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) information, a recent forest inventory conducted by the Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory, and primary production costs. According to our analysis, about 4.0 million dry tons of woody biomass are available for production of up to 1.2 billion liters of ethanol each year in Mississippi. The feedstock consists of 69% logging residues, 21% small-diameter trees, 7% urban waste, and 3% mill residues. Of the total, 3.1 million dry tons (930 million liters of ethanol) can be produced for $34 dry ton−1 or less. Woody biomass from small-diameter trees is more expensive than other sources of biomass. Transportation costs accounted for the majority of total production costs. A sensitivity analysis indicates that the largest impacts in production costs of ethanol come from stumpage price of woody biomass and technological efficiency. These results provide a valuable decision support tool for resource managers and industries in identifying parameters that affect resource magnitude, type, and location of woody biomass feedstocks in Mississippi.

Biofuels, climate change and industrial development: can the tropical South build 2000 biorefineries in the next decade?

AbstractBiofuels are important because they span three of the greatest issues of our time –world industrial development; energy security and the transition to a bioeconomy; and global warming. Biofuels have something important to contribute as a solution in each of these three areas –without being a ‘magic bullet’ or the whole of the solution in any of them. Indeed, biofuels may be a transitory solution that will phase out after two or three decades as new electric‐powered transport systems take over. But in the meantime, biofuels have the potential to bring together North and South in a new Biopact of transcendent significance, promising to allow countries of the South to lift themselves out of poverty through biofuel cultivation, processing and export; and countries of the North to solve their transport and global warming problems by opening up to biofuels produced sustainably and responsibly from the tropical South. A goal of 2000 biorefineries over the course of the next decade is entirely realistic: their output would be of the order of 400 billion liters of ethanol and/or biodiesel, or about one fifth of OECD countries' current transport fuel requirements. The investment required would be of the order of US$240 billion over a decade –compared with the more than $470 billion expected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to be invested in the oil and gas industry in a single year by 2010. In this light, the investment required is modest. Such an investment can only be undertaken if markets in the North are guaranteed. The best means of achieving such an investment‐grade guarantee is through a comprehensive global trade agreement. But the prospects for such an agreement are vitiated by the cacophony of opposition to biofuels raised in the North, by non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) and vested interests, who are raising hysterical concerns over the transition from fossil fuels to biofuels, and stand accused of seeking industrial protection under the guise of environmental concerns. © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Optimizing transportation and storage of final products in the sugar and ethanol industry: a case study

AbstractCOPERSUCAR Ltda (the acronym for the Sugarcane and Ethanol Producers' Cooperative in São Paulo state) is a Brazilian cooperative of sugarcane producers and the largest sugar and ethanol manufacturer in Brazil, producing 4.4 million metric tons of sugar and 2.7 billion liters of ethanol. The cooperative is composed of 34 sugar mills with centralized sales and marketing. This organization establishes the amount of each product that will be manufactured in each mill to reduce total transportation and storage costs and, consequently, increase overall gain. Critical aspects of this problem are seasonal production and, therefore, the need to store final products to meet demand during the off‐season period. This study focuses on the application of a multi‐period linear programming model that provides optimal assignment of production, transportation, and storage of final products subject to manufacturing and flow capacity constraints. The expected annual benefits of implementing the proposed solution are 3.3 million dollars. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate the possibility of increasing the capacity of the installed mills.

Ethanol fuel as an octane enhancer in the US fuel market

Ethanol from corn is an important US renewable energy source. In 1986, about 3·3 billion liters of ethanol were used, primarily as a gasoline extender. With lead phasedown, ethanol (octane rating of 113-16) is being considered as an alternative octane source. First, octane requirements following enactment of lead phasedown regulations are determined. Competing octane sources are then analyzed under various oil price, corn price and policy (subsidies, import tariffs) scenarios. At corn price levels of $59.05–68.90 Mg and oil prices of $16–26 per barrel, a subsidy of $0.07–0.105 per liter would be necessary for ethanol to compete with other octane enhancers. Potential demand for ethanol could approach 10.7 billion liters per year. A tariff of $0.035–0.071 per liter on imported ethanol (net of subsidy) would be necessary to protect this potential market for US corn-based ethanol.

Design of pond systems for treatment of ethanol plant effluents

Brazil has made a major commitment to alcohol production in order to free itself from the problems inherent with importation of major amounts of crude oil. In 1985, Brazil produced 10 billion liters of ethanol via a conventional fermentation process from sugar cane as the raw material. For each liter of ethanol, approximately 13 liters of stillage waste effluent must be disposed of properly. Thus, the disposal of 130 billion liters of stillage effluent presents a major environmental problem for Brazil. Ponding systems are the cheapest, lowest operator attention, simplest, treatment system available to solve this problem. Experiments were conducted to get the first order kinetic data necessary to design pond systems for this effluent. A typical mill is taken as a design example and a ponding system consisting of two anaerobic ponds followed by two aerobic ponds is designed. The ponds are all connected in series. Using the data presented in this paper, any ethanol plant could roughly size a ponding system for itself. Pond construction details are also briefly discussed.

The Efficiency of Producing Alcohol for Energy in Brazil

Brazil is one of the few countries actually producing renewable fuels as a substitute for OPEC oil. There are now 150 distilleries producing five billion liters of ethanol a year from sugar cane, with another 100 distilleries in the planning and construction stages. The current stability of world oil prices, however, does not make alcohol substitution economically efficient for Brazil, and costs foreign exchange. The authors analyze the economics of alcohol production in two regions and find it to be socially unprofitable in terms of breaking even, although it does serve to dampen any impact from increasing oil prices. 5 tables. (DCK)