What is Ethanol

Ethanol is an alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.

It is most often used as motor fuel mainly as biofuel
additive for gasoline.
Ethanol, unlike petroleum, is claimed to be a form of
renewable energy that can be produced from
agricultural crops such as sugar cane, potato, and corn.
Ethanol is widely used in Brazil and in the US and
together both countries are responsible for 89 percent
of the world’s ethanol fuel production in 2009.
 Annual Fuel Ethanol Production
Top 10 countries (Millions of U.S. gallons per year)
World Country 2009 2008 2007
Rank

1 United States 10,750.00 9,000.00 6,498.60

2 Brazil 7,264.73 7,053.39 5,943.87
3 European Union 1,069.52 733.60 570.30
4 China 541.55 501.90 486.00
5 Thailand 435.20 89.80 79.20
6 Canada 290.59 237.70 211.30
7 India 91.67 66.00 52.80
8 Colombia 83.21 79.30 74.90
9 Australia 56.80 26.40 26.40
10 Other 247.27
World Total 20,221.83 17,916.48 14,036.37
 History of Ethanol Fuel in Brazil
 Dates back from the 1970’s and relates to Brazil’s
sugarcane based ethanol fuel program, which allowed
the country to become the world’s 2nd largest producer of
ethanol.
 Sugarcane has been cultivated in Brazil since 1532 and
was one of the first commodities exported.
 Ethanol is obtained as a by-product of sugar mills
producing sugar and can be processed to produce
alcoholic beverages, ethanol fuel or alcohol for industrial
uses.
 Sugarcane ethanol as fuel in Brazil dates back late 1920’s
and early 1930’s with the introduction of the automobile.
 1973 Oil Crisis
 Resulted in gasoline shortages and awareness on the
dangers of oil dependence
 Brazilian government began promoting bioethanol as a
fuel. Phase out Gasoline. Blending gasoline with ethanol.
 The decision to produce ethanol from sugarcane was
based on the low cost of sugar at the time, the existing idle
capacity for distillery at the sugar plants, and the
country’s ample tradition and experience with this
feedstock.
 Brazilian carmakers modified gasoline engines to support
hydrous ethanol.
 The government made it mandatory the blend of ethanol
fuel with gasoline. Pure gasoline was no longer sold.
 Ethanol Production and Sale Fall

 Gasoline prices fell sharply as a result of lower

gasoline prices, but mainly because of a shortage
of ethanol fuel supply in the local market.
 Supply could not keep pace with the increasing
demand required by the now significant
ethanol-only cars, the government began
importing ethanol in 1991.
 Consumers lost confidence on the reliability of
ethanol fuel supply. Began selling or converting
their cars back to gasoline fuel.
 Flexible-Fuel Vehicles
 Confidence on ethanol-powered vehicles was restored
only with the introduction in the Brazilian market of
flexible-fuel vehicles in 2003. Commercial success.
 Key innovation in the Brazilian flex technology was
avoiding the need for an additional dedicated sensor to
monitor ethanol-gasoline mix which lowered the cost.
 Flex vehicles together with mandatory blend of 25%
ethanol with 75% gasoline have increased ethanol
consumption.
 Diesel engines
 Motorcycles
Prices and Effect on Oil Consumption
 Due to the lower energy content of ethanol fuel,
full flex-fuel vehicles get fewer miles per gallon.
 Ethanol price has to be between 25-30%
cheaper per gallon to reach the break even
point.
 Since 2005, ethanol prices have been very
competitive without subsidies.
 Brazilian gasoline taxes are high around 54%
while ethanol fuel taxes are lower and vary
between 12% to 30%. This differential taxation
favors ethanol fuel consumption.
ETHANOL IN INDIA - INFORMATION AND USEFUL LINKS
Fri, 10 July 2015
India imports nearly 70% of its annual crude petroleum
requirement, which is approximately 110 million tons. The prices
are in the range of US$ 50-70 per barrel, and the expenditure on
crude purchase is in the range of Rs.1600 billion per year,
impacting in a big way, the country's foreign exchange reserves.

The petroleum industry now looks very committed to the use of

ethanol as fuel, as it is expected to benefit sugarcane farmers as
well as the oil industry in the long run. Ethanol (FUEL ETHANOL)
can also be produced from wheat, corn, beet, sweet sorghum etc.
Ethanol is one of the best tools to fight vehicular pollution,
contains 35% oxygen that helps complete combustion of fuel and
thus reduces harmful tailpipe emissions. It also reduces
particulate emissions that pose a health hazard.
Ethanol Production
Feedstock
1. Biomass
2. Starch
 Definitions
Biomass
the relatively large amounts of heterogeneous matter
produced by living organisms. It includes residues
originating from plants, animals, and microorganisms

Lignocellulosic biomass

Biomaterials whose composition is dominated by

lignified cell walls from vegetative plants.
Polysaccharide and lignin content of representative
lignocellulosic feedstocks a,b

Component Lignocellulosic Material

(Straw)

Glucan 31.9
Xylan 18.9
Arabinan 2.1
Mannan 0.2
Galactan 0.6
Lignin 22.8
Sum of above 76.5
a
values are percentages on a dry weight basis
b
data taken from Puls and Schuseil (1992)
c
measured as Klason lignin
 Biomass
(cellulose, Hemicellulose, lignin)
Mechanical
chipping/grinding

Milled Biomass
Pretreatment
(Dilute acid, 180oC)

Pretreated solid Prehydrolysate Liquid

(cellulose, lignin) (xylose, 2-furaldehyde)

Enzymatic saccharification Fermentation

(fungal cellulases)

Ethanol
Hydrolyzed Solid Hydrolysate Liquid
(lignin) (glucose)

fermentation
Ethanol
 Conversation Mechanism

C6H12O6 C2H5OH + CO2

180 92 88

100 Kg 51.1 Kg 48.9 Kg

Theoretical Yield : 51.1%

The figure uses a symbolic notation familiar in biochemistry. It shows the stepwise transformation of glucose to ethanol through intermediates, pyruvate and acetaldehy

C6H12O6 ====> 2(CH3CH2OH) +2(CO2) + Energy

(which is stored in ATP)
Sugar ====> Alcohol + Carbon dioxide gas + Energy
(Glucose) (Ethyl alcohol)
 Organisms used:
 Bacteria:
• Zymomonas mobilis
• Closteridium acetobutylicum
• Klebsiella pneumoniae
 Yeast
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• Saccharomyces carlsbergenesiae
• Saccharomyces saki
• Saccharomyces oviformis
• Candida utilis
• Mucur sp.
FERMANTABLE SUBSTRATE

• Sugary materials
• Starchy material
• Cellulosic materials
SUGARY MATERIALS:
Molasses
Suger cane
Sugar beet
Sweet potato
Sulfide waste
Weet sorgum
Whey
Glucose
Succrose
Lactose
STARCHY MATERIALS

Cereals:
wheat,maize,barley,sorgum,corn,rice
Roots:
potato,tropica
Mild products:
wheat flour,corn feed
CELLULOSIC MATERIALS
Wood
Paper waste
Agricultural waste
Fermentation media
Nutrient Raw material
Carbon molasses, starch
Nitrogen corn steep liquor, soybean meal,
pure ammonia or ammonium salts,
urea, nitrate salts, phosphate salts

Vitamins and biotin, yeast extract, beef extract,

growth corn steep liquor, wheat germ meal
factors
 CONDITIONS FOR FERMENTATION

Carbon sources: pure sugar or crude

sugars/molasses (10-18%).
Nitrogen sources: Mostly available in the
form of ammonium sulphate.
Growth factors: can be provided in the
form of molasses.
pH: 4.8-5.0.
Temperature: 70-80°F. Temp. can be
controlled by cooling jacket.
CONTN……..

Time: Depends on yeast strain.

Usual time is between 30 to 72hrs.

Yield: 0.4 gallon of ethyl alcohol per one

gallon of molasses. 90%
carbohydrates can be converted in to
alcohol.
FERMENTATION PROCESS CARRY OUT BY:
• batch fermentation
• Continuous fermentation
continuous fermentation is used because of
several advantages.
 FERMENTATION
• Inoculums size:
In range of 3% to 10% with an
average about 4%
• Media:
10 -18%. Concentrations greater than
20% are not employed as they could be
detrimental to yeast.
 PRODUCT RECOVERY

 Distillation is a separation process for a

mixture of liquids or oils. It relies on
differences in the boiling points of the
component liquids to be separated.
 Alcohol can be obtained by distillation and
column is known as rectified column.
 Can also be recovered by fractional
distillation. Distillate contains 95.6% ethyl
alcohol and 4.4% water.
 BY-PRODUCTS
• Three byproducts generated
1.Carbon dioxide- used for production of dry ice
and pure form used for preparation of soft
drinks.
2.Yeast biomass- used for animal fodder
because it contains high protein, vitamins etc.
3.Distillery effluents- used as a fertilizer and
animal feed.
 Chemical Composition of Corn
(percent of dry matter)

Compositions Range Average

Starch 61.0 – 78.0 71.7
Protein 6.0 – 12.0 9.5
Fat 3.1 – 5.7 4.3
Ash 1.1 – 3.9 1.4
Cellulosea 3.3 – 4.3 3.3
Pentosansb 5.8 – 6.6 6.2
Sugarsc 1.0 – 3.0 2.
other 1.0
a
plus lignin
b
as xylose
c
as glucose