SGS Group Headquarters
Day 1
Tuesday, 13th November 2007
TYPES AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING BIOFUELS
ETHANOL AS A BIOFUEL
ETHANOL PRODUCTION
Brief Introduction to Mature technologies
• Squeezed sugar (Sugarcane)
- Process description
• Starch (Corn)
- Process description
• Distillation
- Alcoholic distillation, description, capacities
• Anhydrous ethanol production
• Yields /Overall process energetics
CELLULOSIC ETHANOL
• Historic background of cellulosic ethanol
• Importance of establishing a cellulosic-ethanol economy
• Potential feedstock & yields - sugarcane bagasse & trash, corn straw (stover), rice straw, wheat straw, rice husks, municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, manure (cattle, poultry, swine), wood chips, switch grass
• Characteristics of lignocellulose
• Some incentives for implementing cellulosic ethanol
- Agricultural waste burning phase out
- Lignocellulose yields
- Environmental impact of using wastes
- Potential ethanol yield from lignocellulosic sources
• High-productivity crops (energy cane, Miscanthus hybrids, sweet sorghum, water hyacinth)
• Harvesting, transportation and storage strategies (efficiency and economics)
POTENTIAL OUTLOOK OF CELLULOSIC ETHANOL - THE NEXT GENERATION OF ETHANOL MANUFACTURING
• Commercial Viability of Cellulosic Ethanol – Will it take off ?
• Can recent technologies develop this industry into a competitive level
Lutz Buske, Associate Principal
McKinsey & Company
ETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM LIGNOCELLULOSE
i) Gasification followed by Catalysis
• Economics/yields
• Description of processes
ii) Gasification followed by ethanol fermentation (Gaddy process)
Day 2
Wednesday, 14th November 2007
iii) Lignocellulose hydrolysis processes followed by ethanol fermentation
• Acid hydrolysis
• Enzymatic hydrolysis
• Pretreatment technologies for enhancing biodigestibility
• Ethanologenic microorganisms
EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF CELLULOSIC BIOMASS APPLICATIONS
Dr. Thomas Brück, Senior Scientist Biocatalysis - Corp R & D
Süd-Chemie AG
iv) Lignocellulose hydrolysis followed by Acetic-acid fermentation with downstream Chemical transformation into ethanol (the Zeachem process)
• Rationale: Acetic-acid fermentation vs. ethanol fermentation
v) Mixed-acid fermentation of lignocellulose followed by downstream chemical transformation into ethanol and higher-alcohols (the MixAlco process)
TRANSPORTATION & ETHANOL BLENDING IN THE GASOLINE POOL
• storage tanks
• pipelines & cleanliness
• usage of additives – under what circumstances
SHIP CLEANLINESS
• impact on quality
• types of ships
Senior Representative
SGS
COURSE TIMINGS
Registration : 8:00 am
Seminar Proper : 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
(Lunch at 12:30 – 1:30 pm with another ten minutes coffee/tea breaks)