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Scaling Up Ethanol Production for Emerging Biofuel Feedstocks

Posted by Matt in Alternative Fuels - May 13

With the investment in research and development of second and third-generation biofuel feedstocks, process engineering firms are seeing a rise in scale-up projects for ethanol production. However, some companies are now finding it difficult to move beyond R&D to pilot or commercial scale production for a variety of reasons. The most prohibiting factor many companies face when making the shift from pilot facility to commercial-scale production is the financing of these larger-scale ethanol processes.

Pursuing a pilot or commercial scale ethanol process requires a substantial capital investment in equipment and engineering, and many firms are unable to build these facilities due to a lack of financing. Even with government DOE grants and loan guarantees, companies find they hit a wall in building large-scale biofuels plants with the lack of available private or venture capital funding as compared to wind and solar projects. First-generation ethanol projects had the support of corn growers and companies with a vested interest in these first-generation feed stocks, while other biofuels companies are driven to seek debt financing or scrape together enough venture capital, both of which are currently hard to come by.

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The Technology & Process behind Cellulosic Ethanol Production: Part 2

Posted by Jennifer in Alternative Fuels - November 11

 Qteros, a start-up from UMass Amherst is on the forefront of the cellulosic ethanol industry. Their mission is to develop efficient and cost effective ways to make ethanol from waste products, and they have already broken ground on their demonstration scale facility. Qteros success comes, not only from their Q microbe (see Qteros website for detailed explanation as to how this process works), but also from their growth plan that allowed them to scale up production at progressively higher levels, while accurately predicting their costs.

• Designed scale up from laboratory bench scale to pilot process
• Created equipment ordering process parallel to laboratory development/design
• Continuously revised floor plans to meet projected requirements for Qteros new program and facility
• Helped vet potential buildings to evaluate what would be the best fit for their unique requirements

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Will Cellulosic Ethanol Replace Gasoline? Part I: The Facts

Posted by Jennifer in Alternative Fuels - November 09

 Recent reports from Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors have estimated that by 2030, alternative energy and biofuels in the U.S will replace one-third of annual gasoline consumption. One of the clean technology forerunners contributing to this reduction is cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is already being produced on a commercial scale by several companies across the U.S. and is already commercially viable:

• Fewer steps used to break down waste product means more conversion potential for fermentable components
• No impact on essential food resources (unlike corn-based ethanol production)
• Produced from agricultural waste products/non-food sources (switchgrass and wood chips)
• Reduction in air pollution (traditional gas production can radiate roughly 75-80% more CO2 emissions)
• Reduction in green house gases (traditional reformulated gas production can emit roughly 80% more green house gases)
• Reduction in fine particle emissions (traditional gasoline production can discharge roughly 50% more fine particle emissions)

Part II: We\'ll outline an up and coming cellulosic ethanol producer, Qteros, and why their technology is making cellulosic ethanol an attractive fuel alternative.

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