Energy Analysis of Cassava Bioethanol Production in the Philippines

Abstract

An energy balance analysis was performed to determine the energy efficiency of cassava bioethanol production in the Philippines. The analysis was based on a commercial scale production system and covered four segments in cassava bioethanol production: cassava production and cultivation, cassava processing, ethanol conversion and transportation. The values used for the analysis were sourced from local and foreign references. Results showed that a large portion of the total input energy for cassava bioethanol production comes from fossil fuels and used in the ethanol conversion process while human effort is concentrated to cassava production and cultivation. A net energy gain (NEG) of 9.27 MJ/L ethanol and a net energy ratio (NER) of 1.78 were obtained in the energy performance estimation. These values indicate that cassava bioethanol production in the Philippines can be energy efficient.

Bioethanol Potential From Whole Parts of Cassava Plant in Indonesia

“…Currently, distillation is the highest energy consumption in bioethanol production, which based on Lee and Pahl (1985) conventional distillation accounts for 50-80% of the energy input. Although many studies have calculated a positive net energy gain from cassava (Cheroennet and Suwanmanee, 2017;Gallegos et al, 2014;Hanif et al, 2017), with further development in distillation technology and other bioethanol production processes, energy input or on-site energy demand for bioethanol production can be reduced, and therefore increase the net energy gain from cassava and its plant.…”