Cellulosic ethanol commercialization

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Cellulosic ethanol commercialization is the process of building an industry out of methods of turning cellulose-containing organic matter into fuel. Companies, such as Iogen, POET, and Abengoa, are building refineries that can process biomass and turn it into bioethanol. Companies, such as Diversa, Novozymes, and Dyadic, are producing enzymes that could enable a cellulosic ethanol future. The shift from food crop feedstocks to waste residues and native grasses offers significant opportunities for a range of players, from farmers to biotechnology firms, and from project developers to investors.[1]

The cellulosic ethanol industry developed some new commercial-scale plants in 2008. In the United States, plants totaling 12 million liters (3.17 million gal) per year were operational, and an additional 80 million liters (21.13 million gal.) per year of capacity—in 26 new plants—was under construction. In Canada, capacity of 6 million liters per year was operational. In Europe, several plants were operational in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Sweden, and capacity of 10 million liters per year was under construction.[2]

Italy-based Mossi & Ghisolfi Group broke ground for its 13 million US gallons (49,000 m3) per year cellulosic ethanol facility in northwestern Italy on April 12, 2011. The project will be the largest cellulosic ethanol project in the world, 10 times larger than any of the other currently operating demonstration-scale facilities.[3]

Contents

[edit] Cellulosic ethanol production

Main article: Cellulosic ethanol

Cellulosic ethanol can be produced from a diverse array of feedstocks, such as wood pulp from trees or any plant matter. Instead of taking the grain from wheat and grinding that down to get starch and gluten, then taking the starch, cellulosic ethanol production involves the use of the whole crop. This approach should increase yields and reduce the carbon footprint because the amount of energy-intensive fertilisers and fungicides will remain the same, for a higher output of usable material.[4][5]

[edit] Commercialization by country

[edit] Australia

Ethtec is building a pilot plant in Harwood, New South Wales, which uses wood residues as a feedstock.[6][7][8]

[edit] Canada

In Canada, Iogen Corp. is a developer of cellulosic ethanol process technology. Iogen has developed a proprietary process and operates a demonstration-scale plant in Ontario. The facility has been designed and engineered to process 40 tons of wheat straw per day into ethanol using enzymes made in an adjacent enzyme manufacturing facility. In 2004, Iogen began delivering its first shipments of cellulosic ethanol into the marketplace. In the near term, the company intends to commercialize its cellulose ethanol process by licensing its technology broadly through turnkey plant construction partnerships. The company is currently evaluating sites in the United States and Canada for its first commercial-scale plant.[9]

Lignol Innovations has a pilot plant, which uses wood as a feedstock, in Vancouver.[6]

In March 2009, KL Energy Corporation of South Dakota and Prairie Green Renewable Energy of Alberta announced their intention to develop a cellulosic ethanol plant near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan. The Northeast Saskatchewan Renewable Energy Facility will use KL Energy’s modern design and engineering to produce ethanol from wood waste.[10]

[edit] China

Cellulosic ethanol production currently exists at "pilot" and "commercial demonstration" scale, including a plant in China engineered by SunOpta Inc. and owned and operated by China Resources Alcohol Corporation that is currently producing cellulosic ethanol from corn stover (stalks and leaves) on a continuous, 24-hour per day basis.[11]

[edit] Denmark

Inbicon's bioethanol plant in Kalundborg, with the capacity to produce 5.4 million liters (1.4 million gallons) annually, was opened in 2009. Believed to be the world's largest cellulosic ethanol plant as of early 2011, the facility runs on about 30,000 metric tons (33,000 tons) of straw per year and the plant employs about 30 people. The plant also produces 13,000 metric tons of lignin pellets per year, used as fuel at combined-heat-and-power plants, and 11,100 metric tons of C5 molasses which is currently used for biomethane production via anaerobic digestion, and has been tested as a high carbohydrate animal feed supplement and potential bio-based feedstock for production of numerous commodity chemicals including diols, glycols, organic acids, and biopolymer precursors and intermediates.[12]

Since October 2010, an E5 blend of 95% gasoline and 5% cellulosic ethanol blend has been available at 100 filling stations across Denmark. Distributed by Statoil, the Bio95 2G mixture uses ethanol derived from wheat straw collected on Danish fields after harvest and produced by Inbicon (a div. of DONG Energy), using enzyme technology from Novozymes.[13]

Commercial or experimental Cellulosic Ethanol Plants in Denmark[14] [15] [16] [17]
(Operational or under construction)
Company Location Feedstock Yearly amount Operational
Biogasol Bornholm Wheat straw 5 mill litre 2012
Ensted-værket Aabenraa Wheat straw  ? mill litre 2013
Inbicon owned by Dong Energy Kalundborg, Zealand Wheat straw 5.4 mill litre 2009
Maabjerg Energy Concept owned by Dong Energy Maabjerg Wheat straw 50-70 mill litre ??2013

[edit] Germany

The biofuel company Butalco has recently signed a research and development contract with Hohenheim University. The Institute of Fermentation Technology within the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at Hohenheim University has been concerned with questions on the production of bioethanol for almost 30 years. The focus in recent years has been on the improvement of the material, energy and life cycle assessment of the production of ethanol. Special interest to BUTALCO is the use of the newly built pilot plant, which is equipped with a safety class 1 approved fermentation room with 4 x 1.5 m³ fermenters. The concept of the plant allows both starch and lignocellulosic based raw materials to be processed. The collaboration will allow BUTALCO to optimise its C5 sugar fermenting and butanol producing yeast strains on a technical scale and produce first amounts of bioethanol from lignocellulose. The whole process of the production of biofuel from the choice of cellulosic biomass feedstock to the conversion into sugars and fermentation through to the purification will be optimised under industrial conditions.[18]

[edit] Italy

Italy-based Mossi & Ghisolfi Group broke ground for its 13 million US gallons (49,000 m3) per year cellulosic ethanol facility in Crescentino in northwestern Italy on April 12, 2011. The project will be the largest cellulosic ethanol project in the world, 10 times larger than any of the currently operating demonstration-scale facilities. The plant is "expected to become operational in 2012 and will use a variety of locally sourced feedstocks, beginning with wheat straw and Arundo donax, a perennial giant cane".[3]

[edit] Japan

Nippon Oil Corporation and other Japanese manufacturers including Toyota Motor Corporation plan to set up a research body to develop cellulose-derived biofuels. The consortium plans to produce 250,000 kilolitres (1.6 million barrels) per year of bioethanol by March 2014, and produce bioethanol at 40 yen ($0.437) per litre (about $70 a barrel) by 2015.[19]

In March 2009, Honda Motor announced an agreement for the construction of a new cellulosic ethanol research facility in Japan. The new Kazusa-branch facility of the Honda Fundamental Technology Research Center will be built within the Kazusa Akademia Park, in Kisarazu, Chiba. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2009, with the aim to begin operations in November 2009.[20]

[edit] Norway

In October 2010, Norway-based cellulosic ethanol technology developer Weyland commenced production at its 200,000 liter (approximately 53,000 gallon) pilot-scale facility in Bergen, Norway. The plant will demonstrate the company’s acid hydrolysis production process, paving the way for a commercial-scale project. The company also plans to market its technology worldwide.[21]

[edit] Spain

Abengoa continues to invest heavily in the necessary technology for bringing cellulosic ethanol to market. Utilizing process and pre-treatment technology from SunOpta Inc., Abengoa is building a 5 million US gallons (19,000 m3) cellulosic ethanol facility in Spain and have recently entered into a strategic research and development agreement with Dyadic International, Inc. (AMEX: DIL), to create new and better enzyme mixtures which may be used to improve both the efficiencies and cost structure of producing cellulosic ethanol.[11]

[edit] Sweden

SEKAB has developed an industrial process for production of ethanol from biomass feed-stocks, including wood chips and sugar cane bagasse. The development work is being carried out at an advanced pilot plant in Örnsköldsvik, and has sparked international interest. The technology will be gradually scaled up to commercial production in a new breed of bio-refineries from 2013 to 2015.[22]

[edit] United Kingdom

A $400 million investment programme to cover the construction of a world scale ethanol plant and a high technology demonstration plant to advance development work on the next generation of biofuels has been announced by BP, Associated British Foods (ABF) and DuPont. The bioethanol plant will be built on BP's existing chemicals site at Saltend, Hull. Due to be commissioned in late 2009, it will have an annual production capacity of some 420 million litres from wheat feedstock.[23]

[edit] United States

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is promoting the development of ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks as an alternative to conventional petroleum transportation fuels. Programs sponsored by DOE range from research to develop better cellulose hydrolysis enzymes and ethanol-fermenting organisms, to engineering studies of potential processes, to co-funding initial ethanol from cellulosic biomass demonstration and production facilities. This research is conducted by various national laboratories, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), as well as by universities and private industry. Engineering and construction companies and operating companies are generally conducting the engineering work.[24]

In May 2008, Congress passed a new farm bill that will accelerate the commercialization of advanced biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 provides for grants covering up to 30% of the cost of developing and building demonstration-scale biorefineries for producing "advanced biofuels," which essentially includes all fuels that are not produced from corn kernel starch. It also allows for loan guarantees of up to $250 million for building commercial-scale biorefineries to produce advanced biofuels.[25]

The cellulosic ethanol industry in the United States developed some new commercial-scale plants in 2008. Plants totaling 12 million liters (3.17 million gal) per year were operational, and an additional 80 million liters (21.13 million gal.) per year of capacity - in 26 new plants - was under construction. (For comparison the estimated US petroleum consumption for all uses was about 816 million gal/day in 2008.[26])

In September 2008, Iogen Corporation delivered more than 100,000 liters (26,000 gallons) of cellulosic ethanol to Royal Dutch Shell, its commercial business partner, “for upcoming fuel applications.” The fuel was the first part of Shell’s initial order of cellulosic ethanol from Iogen, which totaled 180,000 liters (47,550 gallons). Shell first gained an equity stake in Iogen in 2002, and in July 2008, Shell increased its shareholding in Iogen from slightly more than 26 percent to 50 percent.[27]

Following a successful start-up in the fourth quarter of 2008, the POET LLC Research Center in Scotland, South Dakota is now producing cellulosic ethanol on a pilot scale, at a rate of 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L)-per-year (GPY) using corn cobs as feedstock. The US $8 million plant is a precursor to the company's US $200 million Project Liberty, a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant which is to begin production in 2011.[28][29]

Verenium Corporation announced in January 2009 that it will construct a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Highlands County, Florida. The plant, which will provide about 150 full-time jobs in the production of 36 million US gallons (140,000 m3) of ethanol per year, will cost about $250 million to construct. Verenium plans to break ground in the second half of 2009 and have the plant in full production during 2011.[30]

Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Plants in the U.S.[6][31]
(Operational or under construction)
Company Location Feedstock
Abengoa Bioenergy Hugoton, KS Wheat straw
BlueFire Ethanol Irvine, CA Multiple sources
Colusa Biomass Energy Corporation Sacramento, CA Waste rice straw
Fulcrum BioEnergy Reno, NV Municipal solid waste
Gulf Coast Energy Mossy Head, FL Wood waste
KL Energy Corp. Upton, WY Wood
Mascoma Lansing, MI Wood
POET LLC[29][32] Emmetsburg, IA Corn cobs
SunOpta Little Falls, MN Wood chips
US Envirofuels Highlands County, FL Sweet sorghum
Xethanol Auburndale, FL Citrus peels

Using a newly developed tool known as the "Biofuels Deployment Model", Sandia researchers have determined that 21 billion US gallons (79,000,000 m3) of cellulosic ethanol could be produced per year by 2022 without displacing current crops. The Renewable Fuels Standard, part of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, calls for an increase in biofuels production to 36 billion US gallons (140,000,000 m3) a year by 2022.[33]

In January 2011, the USDA approved $405 million in loan guarantees through the 2008 Farm Bill to support the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol at three facilities owned by Coskata, Enerkem and INEOS New Planet BioEnergy. The projects represent a combined 73 million US gallons (280,000 m3) per year production capacity and will begin producing cellulosic ethanol in 2012. The USDA also released a list of advanced biofuel producers who will receive payments to expand the production of advanced biofuels.[34]

A federal loan guarantee was obtained in July, 2011 for a commercial-scale plant to be built by POET in Emmetsburg, Iowa.[35] As of February 2011, farmers in Iowa have been delivering bales of biomass to POET’s Emmetsburg storage facility that will supply the new cellulosic ethanol plant. When operational, the facility will accept 300,000 tons of biomass, and so far area farmers have harvested 56,000 tons of corn cobs, leaves, husks and stalks.[36]

[edit] Environmental issues

Cellulosic ethanol and grain-based ethanol are, in fact, the same product, but many scientists believe cellulosic ethanol production has distinct environmental advantages over grain-based ethanol production. On a life-cycle basis, ethanol produced from agricultural residues or dedicated cellulosic crops has significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions and a higher sustainability rating than ethanol produced from grain.[9]

According to US Department of Energy studies conducted by the Argonne Laboratories of the University of Chicago, cellulosic ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 85% over reformulated gasoline. By contrast, starch ethanol (e.g., from corn), which usually uses natural gas to provide energy for the process, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 18% to 29% over gasoline.[11]

[edit] Criticism

Critics such as Cornell University professor of ecology and agriculture David Pimentel and University of California at Berkeley engineer Tad Patzek question the likelihood of environmental, energy, or economic benefits from cellulosic ethanol technology from non-waste.[37][38]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pernick, Ron and Wilder, Clint (2007). The Clean Tech Revolution p. 96.
  2. ^ REN21 (2009). Renewables Global Status Report: 2009 Update p. 16.
  3. ^ a b Kris Bevill (April 12, 2011). "World’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant breaks ground in Italy". Ethanol Producer Magazine. http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/7659/worldundefineds-largest-cellulosic-ethanol-plant-breaks-ground-in-italy. 
  4. ^ Mark Kinver. Biofuels look to the next generation BBC News, 18 September 2006.
  5. ^ Cellulosic Ethanol: Not Just Any Liquid Fuel
  6. ^ a b c Decker, Jeff. Going Against the Grain: Ethanol from Lignocellulosics, Renewable Energy World, January 22, 2009. Retrieved on February 1, 2009.
  7. ^ Ethanol Technologies Limited
  8. ^ Australia funds pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant
  9. ^ a b Countdown to Commercialization
  10. ^ Canadian Cellulosic Plant Plans
  11. ^ a b c Cellulosic ethanol
  12. ^ Lisa Gibson. Bioethanol plant in Denmark inaugurated Biomass Magazine, November 19, 2009.
  13. ^ Cellulosic ethanol blend available at filling stations in Denmark Green Car Congress, 28 October 2010.
  14. ^ Denmark - All systems go at world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant
  15. ^ BBF2 - 2nd Grant for Demonstration Plant, Denmark - 2009
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ Denmark - Maabjerg Energy Concept
  18. ^ BUTALCO to produce first amounts of bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass
  19. ^ Japan firms look to develop cellulosic ethanol
  20. ^ Honda Building Cellulosic Ethanol Research Facility
  21. ^ Kris Bevill. Pilot-scale cellulosic plant opens in Norway Ethanol Producer Magazine, November 2010.
  22. ^ American interest in SEKAB’s cellulosic ethanol technology
  23. ^ $400m investment in UK biofuels unveiled
  24. ^ Feasibility Study for Co-Locating and Integrating Ethanol Production Plants from Corn Starch and Lignocellulosic Feedstocks: A Joint Study Sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Energy January 2005, p. 1.
  25. ^ Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
  26. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/RecentPetroleumConsumptionBarrelsperDay.xls
  27. ^ Shell receives cellulosic ethanol from Iogen
  28. ^ Poet Plant Produces First Cellulosic Ethanol
  29. ^ a b POET Further Commits to Cellulosic Ethanol
  30. ^ County Lands World's First Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
  31. ^ Building Cellulose
  32. ^ Iowa gives final approval to Poet's cellulosic ethanol plant
  33. ^ Biofuels Can Provide Viable, Sustainable Solution To Reducing Petroleum Dependence, Study Shows
  34. ^ Bevill, Kris (January 20, 2011). "USDA approves loan guarantees for 3 cellulosic projects". Ethanol Producer Magazine. http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/7433/usda-approves-loan-guarantees-for-3-cellulosic-projects. 
  35. ^ Matthew L. Wald (July 6, 2011). "U.S. Backs Project to Produce Fuel From Corn Waste". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/business/energy-environment/us-backs-plant-to-make-fuel-from-corn-waste.html. Retrieved July 7, 2011. "The Energy Department plans to provide a $105 million loan guarantee for the expansion of an ethanol factory in Emmetsburg, Iowa, that intends to make motor fuel from corncobs, leaves and husks." 
  36. ^ Sapp, Meghan (February 1, 2011). "Farmers harvest 56K tons of corn residue for POET Emmetsburg cellulosic ethanol project". Biofuels Digest. http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/02/01/farmers-harvest-56k-tons-of-corn-residue-for-poet-emmetsburg-cellulosic-ethanol-project/. 
  37. ^ Ethanol From Switch Grass Deemed Feasible
  38. ^ "Grass gas" shows promise as superefficient, clean fuel

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