Critical analysis of techno-economic estimates for the production cost of lignocellulosic bio-ethanol

Chovau, Simon; Degrauwe, David; Bruggen, Bart Van der

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.05.064

Cited by 151 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Zymomonas mobilis | nitrogenase | ethanol | cellulosic | biofuel E thanol is the most heavily used biofuel in the world and until recently has been produced almost entirely from food crops (1). Last year saw a surge in cellulosic ethanol production as several commercial facilities came online, offering more favorable land use and lower CO 2 emissions than conventional ethanol production from cornstarch and sugarcane (2)(3)(4).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Last year saw a surge in cellulosic ethanol production as several commercial facilities came online, offering more favorable land use and lower CO 2 emissions than conventional ethanol production from cornstarch and sugarcane (2)(3)(4). Even so, cellulosic ethanol is struggling to be cost-competitive against corn ethanol and gasoline (1)(2)(3). Efforts to lower the price of cellulosic ethanol have primarily focused on the largest cost contributors, such as plant feedstocks and the cellulase enzymes needed to degrade feedstocks into usable sugars (1).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Even so, cellulosic ethanol is struggling to be cost-competitive against corn ethanol and gasoline (1)(2)(3). Efforts to lower the price of cellulosic ethanol have primarily focused on the largest cost contributors, such as plant feedstocks and the cellulase enzymes needed to degrade feedstocks into usable sugars (1). However, the industry is also estimated to spend millions of dollars on nitrogen supplements to compensate for the low nitrogen content of the cellulosic feedstocks and allow the ethanol-producing microbes to grow (5)(6)(7)(8)(9).…”

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N₂gas is an effective fertilizer for bioethanol production byZymomonas mobilis

Kremer

LaSarre

Posto

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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A nascent cellulosic ethanol industry is struggling to become costcompetitive against corn ethanol and gasoline. Millions of dollars are spent on nitrogen supplements to make up for the low nitrogen content of the cellulosic feedstock. Here we show for the first time to our knowledge that the ethanol-producing bacterium, Zymomonas mobilis, can use N 2 gas in lieu of traditional nitrogen supplements. Despite being an electron-intensive process, N 2 fixation by Z. mobilis did not divert electrons away from ethanol production, as the ethanol yield was greater than 97% of the theoretical maximum. In a defined medium, Z. mobilis produced ethanol 50% faster per cell and generated half the unwanted biomass when supplied N 2 instead of ammonium. In a cellulosic feedstock-derived medium, Z. mobilis achieved a similar cell density and a slightly higher ethanol yield when supplied N 2 instead of the industrial nitrogen supplement, corn steep liquor. We estimate that N 2 -utilizing Z. mobilis could save a cellulosic ethanol production facility more than $1 million/y.Zymomonas mobilis | nitrogenase | ethanol | cellulosic | biofuel

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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N₂gas is an effective fertilizer for bioethanol production byZymomonas mobilis

Kremer

LaSarre

Posto

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…While CE for non-fuel uses has been produced for decades in small quantities, the production of CE for transport fuels on a commercial scale has been limited by inefficient process technology (high production costs) and difficulties in sourcing and transporting feedstock in sufficient amounts. Two papers [12,22] considered the production cost of CE from corn stover in different studies and compared it with the production costs of corn ethanol and gasoline respectively. Their estimates showed that cellulosic ethanol from corn stover had a production cost in 2012 of $651/m 3 versus $800/m 3 for corn-starch ethanol (due to the high price of corn), yet the ethanol equivalent for gasoline was still considerably lower at $451/m 3 .…”

Section: Economy Of Cementioning

confidence: 99%

Value Chain Structures that Define European Cellulosic Ethanol Production

et al. 2017

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Production of cellulosic ethanol (CE) has not yet reached the scale envisaged by the literature and industry. This study explores CE production in Europe to improve understanding of the motivations and barriers associated with this situation. To do this, we conduct a case study-based analysis of CE production plants across Europe from a global value chain (GVC) perspective. We find that most CE production plants in the EU focus largely on intellectual property and are therefore only at the pilot or demonstration scale. Crescentino, the largest CE production facility in Europe, is also more interested in technology licensing than producing ethanol. Demonstration-scale plants tend to have a larger variety of feedstocks, whereas forestry-based plants have more diversity of outputs. As scale increases, the diversity of feedstocks and outputs diminishes, and firms struggle with feedstock provisioning, global petroleum markets and higher financial risks. We argue that, to increase CE production, policies should consider value chains, promote the wider bio-economy of products and focus on economies of scope. Whereas the EU and its member states have ethanol quotas and blending targets, a more effective policy would be to seek to reduce the risks involved in financing capital projects, secure feedstock provisioning and support a diversity of end products.

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“…As the development of fuels from biomass continues apace, the consumption of edible crops and sugars has raised food security, morality, and ethics issues [3]. In order to overcome these issues, the second generation bioethanol, refined from lignocellulosic biomass, is developed to meet economic growth and morality requirements [4,5]. However, the cultivation of terrestrial plants requires the resources that could be used for food production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%