Biofuels: Myths and Reality (Keynote)
Multi-scale and/or multi-disciplinary approach to process-product innovation
Evaluation-Analysis of Bio-Fuels (T3-9)
Keywords: ethanol sccahrification pentose metabolism biomass
This presentation highlights the problems and opportunities in ethanol production from renewable resources. Typically ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass can be made either through “thermo-chemical” or “enzymatic” route. This presentation will focus on “enzymatic route.” Ethanol from corn or grains is a well-established technology, though advances have been made in new generation enzymes, and high yielding yeasts. Process automation and optimization is still lacking typical chemical industries. There is room for productivity improvement. Lignocellulosic ethanol production has remained mainly in the domain of research over the last twenty five years. Currently, only one ethanol plant from lignocellulosic biomass is in production in North America. Though many companies have established fast track commercialization plans. The bottlenecks are in pretreatment, high solids saccharification and fermentation, designing appropriate enzyme systems, developing microbial strains, which can tolerate harsh environmental conditions and can metabolize both pentose and hexose. Effective utilization of byproducts and minimization of water usage may be important issues for community acceptance and commercialization of these processes. This talk highlights some of the technical barriers and progresses made in our labs in different research labs in the world.
_________________________________________________________________________
Note: This is a keynote address.
Presented Tuesday 18, 09:45 to 10:05, in session Evaluation-Analysis of Bio-Fuels (T3-9).
