Cellulosic Ethanol from Bagasse (Brazil)
Brazil's Dedini SA, the leading manufacturer of sugar and biofuel equipment, has discovered a way to produce cellulosic ethanol on an industrial scale from plant waste, a development that could revolutionize the industry by boosting the competitiveness and energy balance of biofuels. Dedini has commercial ties with all of Brazil's 357 sugar and ethanol mills and is the main supplier of co-generation plants, sugar refineries and ethanol distilleries. Dedini's São Luiz Mill in São Paulo state began producing cellulose bioethanol from bagasse - the leftover cane stalk after the sucrose is pressed out - at about US$ 40 cents a liter in 2002. But production costs have now fallen with improvements in processing technologies to below €20/US$ 27 cents a liter (US$ 1.02 per gallon). This means the fuel is cost-competitive with oil at US$42 a barrel. The technology is based on a combination of two processing steps that convert bagasse, the lignocellulose-rich byproduct from cane processing, into ethanol: (1) pretreatment of the biomass with organic solvents, and (2) dilute acid hydrolysis. The innovation consists of the pretreatment phase which allows the diluted acids to do their work much faster and more efficiently. The liquid hydrolyzates are then easily fermented and distilled into ethanol. Because of the speed of the process, the proprietary technique was dubbed 'Dedini Rapid Hydrolysis' (DHR). For further information, contact: Dedini S.A. Indústrias de Base Tel: (+55 19) 3403-5357 E-mail: dedini@dedini.com.br Website: www.dedini.com.br
Sector: Renewable Energy Technologies
Country: India
Area of Application: Biomass energy
Keywords: Cellulosic ethanol from bagasse
Advantages: 1. This technology boosts the competitiveness and energy balance of biofuels and could revolutionize the biofuel industry.
Environmental aspects: Cleaner Production , Energy efficiency
Development Status: Pilot Plant
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Transfer Terms: Consultancy , Technical Services , Others
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