Ethanol Industry Research Articles

Comportamento Estratégico: Estudo de Caso em uma Organização do Setor Sucroenergético Brasileiro

The purpose of this paper is to understand the strategic behavior of an organization from the Brazilian ethanol industry. Specifically, this paper aimed to describe how the organization’s entrance in the Brazilian ethanol industry occurred, and to identify the organization’s positioning and strategic behavior through the application of Miles and Snow (1978) typology. Using a qualitative research design, a case study was conducted, based on documental research and semistructured interviews with three directors from the studied organization. We also utilized a structured questionnaire elaborated by Conant et al. (1990) and adapted by Gardelin (2010), aiming to categorize the strategies adopted by the organization. The results showed that the organization has a hybrid behavior pattern, varying from investigative to analytical, characterizing its strategic behavior through a dual strategy: on one hand, the organization investigates the environment and its competitive industry, introducing an innovative perspective in its external and internal operations; and on the other hand, the organization analyzes these internal and external contexts seeking a more effective positioning in national and international markets. Thus, Miles and Snow typology presents itself as an important research tool for the analysis and adoption of certain strategic positioning and decision making, establishing itself as a frame of reference for studies that seek to understand the strategic organizational reality.

Greenhouse gas balances and land use changes associated with the planned expansion (to 2020) of the sugarcane ethanol industry in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Brazil is expected to increase its sugarcane production in the coming years. Almost 60% of the Brazilian sugarcane production in 2012 was situated in the state of São Paulo, where production is expected to increase further. This paper reports estimated direct land use changes and greenhouse gas balances (including soil carbon stock changes) associated with expanding production of sugarcane-based ethanol in São Paulo state. Geographic information about the location of existing and planned sugarcane mills and existing land use in these locations is used. Almost all of the sugarcane expansion in 2004–2008 took place on roughly equal shares of cropland or pasture land. The locations of the planned mills indicate that most new sugarcane might be planted on cropland unless the sugarcane is sourced from longer distances than has typically been the case. These results confirm that sugarcane expansion does not cause much direct deforestation but contrast with the view that direct competition for prime cropland is generally avoided since sugarcane is mostly planted on extensively used pasture lands. Analyses of greenhouse gas emissions and savings support the view that expansion of sugarcane ethanol in Brazil will likely bring about substantial savings – unless the expansion causes significant emissions associated with indirect land use change.

Economic process to produce biohydrogen and volatile fatty acids by a mixed culture using vinasse from sugarcane ethanol industry as nutrient source

This work evaluates the potential of vinasse (a waste obtained at the bottom of sugarcane ethanol distillation columns) as nutrient source for biohydrogen and volatile fatty acids production by means of anaerobic consortia. Two different media were proposed, using sugarcane juice or molasses as carbon source. The consortium LPBAH1 was selected for fermentation of vinasse supplemented with sugarcane juice, resulting in a higher H2 yield of 7.14 molH2 molsucrose(-1) and hydrogen content in biogas of approx. 31%, while consortium LPBAH2 resulted in 3.66 molH2/molsucrose and 32.7% hydrogen content in biogas. The proposed process showed a rational and economical use for vinasse, a mandatory byproduct of the renewable Brazilian energy matrix.

Merging remote sensing data and national agricultural statistics to model change in irrigated agriculture

Over 22 million hectares (ha) of U.S. croplands are irrigated. Irrigation is an intensified agricultural land use that increases crop yields and the practice affects water and energy cycles at, above, and below the land surface. Until recently, there has been a scarcity of geospatially detailed information about irrigation that is comprehensive, consistent, and timely to support studies tying agricultural land use change to aquifer water use and other factors. This study shows evidence for a recent overall net expansion of 522 thousand ha across the U.S. (2.33%) and 519 thousand ha (8.7%) in irrigated cropped area across the High Plains Aquifer (HPA) from 2002 to 2007. In fact, over 97% of the net national expansion in irrigated agriculture overlays the HPA. We employed a modeling approach implemented at two time intervals (2002 and 2007) for mapping irrigated agriculture across the conterminous U.S. (CONUS). We utilized U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) county statistics, satellite imagery, and a national land cover map in the model. The model output, called the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Irrigated Agriculture Dataset for the U.S. (MIrAD-US), was then used to reveal relatively detailed spatial patterns of irrigation change across the nation and the HPA. Causes for the irrigation increase in the HPA are complex, but factors include crop commodity price increases, the corn ethanol industry, and government policies related to water use. Impacts of more irrigation may include shifts in local and regional climate, further groundwater depletion, and increasing crop yields and farm income.

Physiological characterization of thermotolerant yeast for cellulosic ethanol production

The conversion of lignocellulose into fermentable sugars is considered a promising alternative for increasing ethanol production. Higher fermentation yield has been achieved through the process of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). In this study, a comparison was performed between the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus for their potential use in SSF process. Three strains of S. cerevisiae were evaluated: two are widely used in the Brazilian ethanol industry (CAT-1 and PE-2), and one has been isolated based on its capacity to grow and ferment at 42 °C (LBM-1). In addition, we used thermotolerant strains of K. marxianus. Two strains were obtained from biological collections, ATCC 8554 and CCT 4086, and one strain was isolated based on its fermentative capacity (UFV-3). SSF experiments revealed that S. cerevisiae industrial strains (CAT-1 and PE-2) have the potential to produce cellulosic ethanol once ethanol had presented yields similar to yields from thermotolerant strains. The industrial strains are more tolerant to ethanol and had already been adapted to industrial conditions. Moreover, the study shows that although the K. marxianus strains have fermentative capacities similar to strains of S. cerevisiae, they have low tolerance to ethanol. This characteristic is an important target for enhancing the performance of this yeast in ethanol production.

The modern feedlot for finishing cattle.

The modern beef feedlot has evolved into a complex system that is very dependent upon technology. Modern feedlots are organized into departments, often including the office, cattle, yard, feed milling, and feed departments, that allow for improvements in production efficiency through the specialization of management and labor. Regardless of size, feedlots must succeed at the following tasks: cattle procurement, cattle receiving, cattle processing, daily cattle observations, health treatments, cattle marketing, feed procurement, feed commodity receiving, feed commodity storage, diet formulation, diet delivery, bunk management, and environmental management. Apart from cattle ownership, feedlots create most of their gross income from feed sales, yardage, inventory gain on flaked grain, and combinations of these sources. The future of the industry is filled with economic and political challenges, including high grain prices owing to competition from the ethanol industry, environmental regulations, excess feedlot capacity, and a diminishing labor pool owing to declining rural populations.

Intake and growth of prepubertal dairy heifers fed reduced-fat dried distillers grains

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2> Recent growth in the ethanol industry has led to increased availability of distillers grains that have undergone various processing methods resulting in differing nutrient composition. A modified dried distillers grains product with reduced fat due to removing oil through a solvent extraction process provides a new feed option for dairy heifers. The objective of this study was to evaluate intake, feed efficiency, and growth of dairy heifers fed diets containing reduced-fat dried distillers grains with solubles (RFDGS). Holstein heifers (n = 27), averaging 161 ± 9 d of age and 157.5 ± 11.4kg at the start of the study, were blocked according to BW and fed 1 of 3 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments included control, dried distillers grains fed at 20% of the diet DM, and RFDGS fed at 20% of the diet DM for 12 wk. Heifers were weighed every 2 wk to determine ADG. Hip and withers heights were measured on d 0, 42, and 84 of the study, and BCS were determined on d 0 and 84. Blood samples were collected via coccygeal venipuncture at the end of the study for determination of plasma urea nitrogen. In situ DM disappearance and intestinal CP disappearance were determined for feed and diet samples using lactating cows. Dry matter intake, BW gain, and feed efficiency were similar among treatments. In summary, inclusion of either DDGS or RFDGS at 20% of the diet resulted in similar intake, feed efficiency, and gains, and they are viable options for replacement dairy heifers.

Focus on bioenergy industry development and energy security in China

This paper focuses on the relationship between bioenergy industry and energy security. The situation of fuel ethanol, biodiesel, biogas and biomass power industry of China in recent years has been introduced comprehensively. With a quick look at the existing bioenergy industrial development policies, combined with China's energy security situation, we drew the following conclusions: (1) the bioenergy industry is an effective way to achieve China's energy security; (2) as for energy substitution from cost aspect, China has already had the ability to make bioenergy substitute for fossil fuels; (3) from technical aspect, however, China's bioenergy technologies are not mature, this means that in a very long period of time, biomass and fossil energy will jointly develop in a mutually beneficial way.

Scenarios for the second generation ethanol in Brazil

Abstract The objective of this paper is to build scenarios for the ethanol industry in Brazil, considering the technology of the second generation ethanol. The theoretical framework draws on the field of studies of the future, scenario construction methods and concepts of stakeholder analysis. The method for constructing the scenarios employs techniques of environmental analysis, stakeholder analysis and consulting with experts. The variables “Creating subsidies for consolidation of second generation ethanol” and “Price of oil” formed the axes of the scenarios. Four scenarios were developed based on the contrast of the variables and on checking their internal consistency, as follows: “Cellulosic integration,” where the second generation ethanol is the world fuel; “Bioelectrical world” with no investments on the production of second generation ethanol, “Fossil World” that shows the decline of the ethanol market, and “Apocalypse,” which features an energy crisis. For each scenario, the respective plots and logic diagrams are presented. This paper presents two types of contributions: the first are the scenarios that can be used in the development of public policy and as a tool for decision makers working in the energy sector, the second contribution is to the knowledge of future studies to provide an orderly construction of scenarios.

Production of poly-3-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) by Haloferax mediterranei using rice-based ethanol stillage with simultaneous recovery and re-use of medium salts

Haloferax mediterranei holds promise for competitive industrial-scale production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) because cheap carbon sources can be used thus lowering production costs. Although high salt concentration in production medium permits a non-sterile, low-cost process, salt disposal after process completion is a problem as current environmental standards do not allow total dissolved solids (TDS) above 2000 mg/l in discharge water. As the first objective of this work, the waste product of rice-based ethanol industry, stillage, was used for the production of PHA by H. mediterranei in shake flasks. Utilization of raw stillage led to 71 ± 2% (of dry cell weight) PHA accumulation and 16.42 ± 0.02 g/l PHA production. The product yield coefficient was 0.35 while 0.17 g/l h volumetric productivity was attained. Simultaneous reduction of BOD5 and COD values of stillage by 83% was accomplished. The PHA was isolated by osmotic lysis of cells, purification by sodium dodecyl sulfate and organic solvents. The biopolymer was identified as poly-3-(hydroxybutyrate-co-15.4 mol%-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). This first report on utilization of rice-based ethanol stillage for PHBV production by H. mediterranei is currently the most cost effective. As the second objective, directional properties of decanoic acid together with temperature dependence of water solubility in decanoic acid were applied for two-stage desalination of the spent stillage medium. We report for the first time, recovery and re-use of 96% of the medium salts for PHA production thus removing the major bottleneck in the potential application of H. mediterranei for industrial production of PHBV. Final discharge water had TDS content of 670 mg/l.

Feasibility of high solid anaerobic digestion: option for treatment of distillers grains from cassava ethanol production

This research article mainly focused on the feasibility and management of distillers grains produced from ethanol industries using high solid anaerobic digestion systems. A significant barrier for distillers grains in the anaerobic process are its low pH (3.80–4.16) and high C/N ratio (37/1–42/1). According to distillers grains characteristics, the stillage investigated was in dry form (TS 23% to 26%) and contained high organic matter (76% to 83%). The biochemical methane potential (BMP) studies revealed that the distillers grains had a methane potential of 144 NmLCH4/gVS. Four substrate to inoculum ratio (S/I) ratios were studied namely; 0:1, 0.35:1, 1:1 and 7:1 with organic loading rate (OLR) of 2 kgVS/m3.day. The optimum (substrate to inoculums ratio) S/I ratio for high solid anaerobic digestion was found at < 1:1, indicated by reactor performance. Furthermore, four OLR, 2, 3, 3.5, 4 KgVS/m3.day were studied and methane yield during start-up phase were in the range of 0.25–0.28 m3CH4/kgVSaddedfor all four loading rates. Ammonia inhibition was not observed in the reactor which indicated that high solid anaerobic digestion for distillers grains is feasible. However, after longer run (60 days), the methane yield decreased to 0.20 m3CH4/kgVSaddeddue to a lack of nitrogen.

Genotypic variability for tuber yield, biomass, and drought tolerance in Jerusalem artichoke germplasm

Jerusalem artichoke could be an alternative feedstock for bioenergy during times when there are shortages of other raw materials for the ethanol industry. However, insufficient water under rainfed conditions is a major cause of Jerusalem artichoke losses. Genetic variation for drought tolerance is an essential prerequisite for the development of Jerusalem artichoke cultivars with improved drought tolerance. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of drought stress on tuber dry weight and biomass and to investigate the genotypic variability in Jerusalem artichoke germplasm. The line-source sprinkler technique was used to compare moisture responses of a range of 40 Jerusalem artichoke genotypes grown using 3 water levels. Experiments were conducted on a Yasothon soil series in Northeast Thailand during 2010/11 and 2011/12 and included extended dry periods. Drought reduced tuber dry weight and biomass, and the reductions in tuber dry weight and biomass were greater under severe drought than moderate drought conditions. Over both seasons, CN 52867, HEL 53, HEL 231, HEL 335, JA 76, HEL 65, and JA 102 × JA 89 (8) had consistently high tuber dry weight (1.3 to 4.5 t ha -1 ) and HEL 53, HEL 61, HEL 231, HEL 335, JA 76, JA 15, JA 89, HEL 65, HEL 256, and JA 102 × JA 89 (8) had consistently high biomass (2.0 to 6.8 t ha -1 ). These Jerusalem artichoke genotypes are promising parents in breeding for drought tolerance.

Isolation of Thermotolerant Yeast Strains for Ethanol Production: A Need for New Approaches

There is a need for new approaches to isolate thermotolerant yeast strains that can be utilized for the efficient production of ethanol. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of starch or lignocellulosic will greatly benefit from thermotolerant yeast strains that actively ferment ethanol at temperatures above 40°C. The development of new procedures targeting the cell membrane to increase yeast thermotolerance in yeast strains represents an opportunity to advance the ethanol industry.

Political Strategy Choices: Cognitive Influences in the Brazilian Ethanol Industry

While a considerable body of work has been developed on the cognitive influence in strategic decision processes, there are rare attempts to do so in the corporate political action (CPA) or political strategy. We argue that cognition has an important role on corporate political action decisions due to the complex and uncertain nature of the business-government relations. We also argue that cognition is especially important on situations of repetitive interaction of actors. In this article, we use the comparative case study method to examine cognitive influences on CPA choices for different groups within the Brazilian ethanol industry. Our study describes that different cognitive communities share different frames in interpreting cues from the political actors and that those frames influence their political decisions, enforcing the importance of cognitive influences in political strategy.

Purification and characterization of an extremely stable glucose isomerase from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans TH2

The D-glucose/D-xylose isomerase was purified from a thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus thermodenitrificans TH2, by precipitating with heat shock and using Q-Sepharose ion exchange column chromatography, and then characterized. The purified enzyme had a single band having molecular weight of 49 kDa on SDS-PAGE. In the presence of D-glucose as a substrate, the optimum temperature and pH of the enzyme were found to be 80 degrees C and 7.5, respectively. The purified xylose isomerase of G. thermodenitrificans TH2 was extremely stable at pH 7.5 after 96 h incubation at 4 degrees C and 50 degrees C. When the thermal stability profile was analyzed, it was determined that the purified enzyme was extremely stable during incubation periods of 4 months and 4 days at 4 degrees C and 50 degrees C, respectively. The K(m) and V(max) values of the purified xylose isomerase from G. thermodenitrificans TH2 were calculated as 32 mM and 4.68 micromol/min per mg of protein, respectively. Additionally, it was detected that some metal ions affected the enzyme activity at different ratios. The enzyme was active and stable at high temperatures and nearly neutral pHs which are desirable for the usage in the food and ethanol industry.

Effect of feeding differently processed sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) bagasse based complete diet on nutrient utilization and microbial N supply in growing ram lambs

This study was carried out to identify appropriate processing method for efficient utilization of sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB), an agro-industrial by product of ethanol industry after blending with concentrate. SSB based complete diet with roughage to concentrate ratio of 50:50 was processed into mash (SSBM), expander extruded pellet (SSBP), chop form (SSBC) and evaluated in comparison to sorghum stover based complete diet in mash form (SSM). Twenty-four Nellore×Deccani ram lambs (9 months age; 21.1±0.57kg body weight) were randomly divided into four groups of six animals each and the experimental complete diets were allotted at random to each group and evaluated for their intake, nutrient utilization and microbial N supply. Among all the groups, the average dry matter (DM) intake (g/kg w0.75), digested DM, organic matter and crude protein were higher (P<0.01) in lambs fed SSBP diet. The cellulose digestibility was higher (P<0.05) in lambs fed SSBP diet than those fed SSM and SSBC diets. Intake of digestible crude protein (DCP, g/d) and metabolizable energy (MJ/d) were higher (P<0.01) in lambs fed SSBP diet. The SSBP diet had higher (P<0.01) DCP and N (P<0.05) balance compared to other three diets. Increased (P<0.01) purine derivatives and microbial N supply was observed in processed diets. Expander extrusion of SSB based complete diet resulted in improved (P<0.01) efficiency of microbial protein synthesis. It is concluded that, when SSB was processed into complete diets, in terms of nutrient utilization and microbial N supply, the expander extruded pellet diet was better utilized than chopped or mash form by the growing ram lambs.

Why Do Cooperatives Emerge in a World Dominated by Corporations? The Diffusion of Cooperatives in the U.S. Bio-Ethanol Industry, 1978–2013

Given the strong economic disincentives that exist, why do cooperatives continue to emerge? And why is it that, in some communities, these cooperatives are collocated with their commercial counterparts, yet, in others, territorial partitioning occurs? In this paper, we develop a community ecology approach that integrates economic and sociological accounts of cooperatives, in an attempt to reconcile these contradictory observations. Using a detailed panel data set for the county-level founding process of cooperatives in the U.S. ethanol industry from 1978 to 2013, consistent with rational economic arguments, we find that the founding rate of cooperatives decreases in the presence of high, local, corporate ethanol production capacity. However, this negative competitive interdependence is attenuated in local communities where: (1) corporations represent a potential threat to the autonomy of local farmers, (2) there is a generally anti-corporate climate, and (3) there is a well-established organizational infrastructure supporting a cooperative ideology. Consistent with sociological theories that emphasize the mobilizing force of ideology, these local conditions spur and facilitate collective action among farmers to establish cooperatives in response to the local diffusion of corporations. We show further that the diffusion of plants owned by big business (oil and agribusiness) in communities characterized by a general anti-corporate climate especially promotes greater ideological contestation and the mobilization of resources to form cooperatives.

Comportamento dos óxidos de ferro da fração argila e do fósforo adsorvido, em diferentes sistemas de colheita de cana-de-açúcar

Na agricultura, a obtenção de maiores produtividades das culturas com base no manejo sustentável do solo tem levado a uma busca gradativa do conhecimento das variáveis envolvidas nos sistemas de produção. Determinar as causas da variabilidade dos atributos passa a ser uma etapa do planejamento estratégico no setor sucroenergético. Este trabalho teve por objetivo estudar a variabilidade espacial dos óxidos de ferro da fração argila e sua relação com atributos físicos e químicos do solo, em diferentes sistemas de colheita de cana-de-açúcar na Região de Ribeirão Preto, SP. Duas parcelas de 1 ha foram delimitadas em áreas com sistema de colheitas mecanizada e manual. Foram retiradas, em cada área, amostras de solos em 126 pontos, na profundidade de 0,00-0,25 m. Os resultados das análises mineralógicas e químicas foram submetidos às análises geoestatísticas, obtendo-se a dependência espacial, os semivariogramas e os mapas de krigagem dos atributos estudados. Para analisar a correlação espacial entre os atributos estudados, foram construídos semivariogramas cruzados. A variabilidade espacial dos atributos químicos é maior em áreas com colheita de cana crua, quando comparada com áreas de colheita de cana queimada, ao contrário dos atributos mineralógicos, que apresentaram os maiores alcances na área de cana crua. Os atributos matéria orgânica, diâmetro médio do cristal da goethita apresentaram correlação espacial negativa, enquanto a argila apresentou correlação positiva com a adsorção de fósforo nos dois sistemas de colheita de cana-de-açúcar avaliados.

A Canadian Ethanol Feedstock Study to Benchmark the Relative Performance of Triticale: I. Agronomics

A need has been identified for alternative crop(s) with high grain yield, low grain protein concentration, and high starch for the ethanol industry. The objective of this study was to benchmark the relative performance of triticale (×Triticosecale ssp.) to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) classes currently utilized for ethanol production. Sixteen cultivars—three triticale, four Canada prairie spring (CPS) wheat, three Canada western soft white spring wheat (CWSWS), two Canada western red spring (CWRS) wheat, and four Canada western general purpose (CWGP) candidate cultivars—were grown at 36 locations across western Canada from 2006 to 2009. The performance of these cereal classes can generally be summarized as triticale = Hoffman (CWGP) = CWSWS &gt; CPS white &gt; CPS red &gt; CWRS for most variables. The triticale and white wheats produced 12 and 13% more grain, respectively, than the hard red spring wheats. Among the triticales, AC Ultima’s and Pronghorn’s yield potential were most notable because they exceeded the CWRS cultivars AC Barrie and AC Superb by an average of 32% and the CPS red cultivars 5700PR and AC Crystal by 18%. The triticales and Hoffman matured later than most other cultivars. Pronghorn consistently displayed low levels of fusarium head blight (FHB), Septoria nodorum blotch, and powdery mildew, but elevated ergot levels were observed for all triticales. We conclude that triticale would be superior to CPS and CWRS wheat and similar to CWSWS in many agronomic traits desired by ethanol fermentation plants and is superior for biomass production.

EFFECT OF FEEDING CORN DRIED DISTILLERS GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES (DDGS) ON MILK PRODUCTION OF COW UNDER HOT CLIMATE CONDITION

Dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) is a co-product of ethanol industry made from grains through fermentation process and it can be used for animal feeding especially for dairy cows. A feeding trial on US corn DDGS was conducted at commercial dairy farm in Vietnam during hot condition in 2010. One hundred and fifty six dairy cows in a later stage of milk production were allotted randomly in three groups of 52 cows with similar milk production. Three dietary treatments offered comprised control diet, diet with 7.5% DDGS and diet with 15% DDGS. The diets were formulated to contain similar nutrient profiles and comprised forages (corn, elephant grass and alfalfa hay), brewery waste, soybean curd waste, corn, soybean meal, molasses and commercial dairy supplement. The diet was manufactured locally in total mixed ration system and delivered two times per day. Milk production, feed consump-tion and milk quality were measured for 5 days before the trial and 45 days after the trial. The result demonstrated that feeding DDGS could support higher milk production without affecting feed consumption. Feeding DDGS at 7.5% and 15% resulted in higher milk production of 2 and 4 kg per day respectively compared to cows fed control diet. Feed intake remained unaffected at around 35 kg per day. Milk quality as measured by total solid and fat content was similar in cows fed the control diet and DDGS at 7.5%. Feeding DDGS at 15% tended to have slightly better total solid and fat content. Feeding DDGS was able to reduce cost of the diets; diet cost for control, DDGS 7.5% and DDGS 15% were VND 2537, 2460 and 2399 per kg, respectively. It is concluded that DDGS can be economically used for feeding dairy cows in hot climate condition and improving milk production. &lt;br /&gt;