SEMINAR

ON

BIOALCOHOL PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT Agriculture today faces the challenge of sustainable productivity and improved food security on a shrinking area of land under cultivation. Until recently, biotechnology has been viewed as an expensive technology affordable only by rich industrial countries. However, it is now increasingly considered as an essential tool for developing countries to tackle the numerous problems of underdevelopment. Unfortunately, to date, India, like many other countries in Asia, lags far behind in development, use and commercialization of biotechnology. There is a new role of agriculture regarding the utilization of agricultural residues for energy production in Asia. Various agriculture wastes like wheat straw and rice husk, damaged cereals and damaged potatoes etc are used for alcohol production as it adds to the economic value of country. Waste treatment has become one of the most important areas of application of biotechnology today in view of the ever-increasing pollution from a growing world population dependent on an ever larger number of industries. The biotechnological treatment of wastes relies on the utilization of the vast diversity of microorganisms and their versatile catabolic processes to degrade or transform wastes either into useful biomass or into compounds less damaging to the environment. Apart from its positive effect on public health and environmental hygiene, the application of biotechnology can also contribute towards the production of energy.

INDEX
Contents Page No.

1. 4-5

Introduction

2. 6

Main

Objectives

3. 7

Why

Alcohol

Fuels?

4. Bio-Ethanol production * 8 * 9-14 Manufacturing Steps Various Agriculture residues

5. 15

Advantages

of

Bio-Alcohol

6. 16
3

Disadvantages

of

Bio-Alcohol

INTRODUCTION Today bio-alcohol is probably the most used non-fossil alternative transport fuel in the World. Brazils decision to produce fuel alcohol from sugar cane, and the use of bio-alcohol in USA as an octane enhancer of gasoline, among other reasons have made transportation bioalcohol a relatively well-developed industry. Fermenting and distilling sugar crops, starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars or processing cellulose bio-mass can produce bio-alcohols. These bio-alcohols are mainly bio-ethanol and bio-methanol. Bio-ethanol is mainly converted into bio-ETBE or used mixed with gasoline and diesel. At present, bio-ethanol is mostly made from sugars derived from corncobs, sugar beets, grain, and sugarcane with the help of bakers yeast. A great number of by-products result from the cultivation of these crops, such as straw and corn husks. Its a major step forward that this leftover material, which also largely consists of sugar, is being used for the production of bio-ethanol. This allow agricultural land to be used more efficiently and at the same time prevent competition with food supplies. Bio- Ethanol production from cellulosic materials may offer a solution to some of the recent environmental, economic, and energy problems facing many countries agricultural sector. Nationally, energy costs are on the rise and forecasts of petroleum supply disruptions are once again making news. Farmers are not immune to these events and feel the impact of rising energy prices every time they purchase gasoline, diesel or other petroleum products. Changes in how agricultural field residues are managed further complicate farming
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economies in various countries. In the past, disposal of wheat straw by burning was an accepted practice. This practice is now being challenged due to concern over the health effects of smoke from burning fields. These smoke emissions contain harmful air pollutants including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds. In aggregate, agricultural burning in Washington State is responsible for as much as 40,000 tons of emissions annually. The elimination of field burning is forcing growers to examine alternative management practices. Converting wheat straw, or other agricultural residues, to ethanol may provide an acceptable alternative to burning. Ethanol fuel offers air quality benefits to the region for both regulated emissions such as carbon monoxide, as well as carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, these emission offsets may provide added value to an ethanol operation. Converting waste agricultural residues to a high quality fuel may provide an economic opportunity for countries. India is a country with a very large and diverse energy economy encompassing reliance upon crude biomass combustion, particularly in rural households, as well as advanced power-generation and hydrocarbon utilisation.There is little doubt that a very large volume of agro-residues arise in India; one estimate is that 200 million tonnes come from all sources. A considerable amount of this is wasted - the same source suggests that 40 million tonnes is burnt in the fields but much is already utilised. Barnard and Kristoferson in their survey of world agro-residue use, (Barnard and Kristoferson, 1985) estimate that 40 million tonnes are burnt in India directly for fuel. This may be compared with their figure of 133 million tonnes of fuelwood and 73 million tonnes of dungcake used as fuel. Residues are clearly already used to a considerable degree, largely by the rural poor.

MAIN OBJECTIVES
Strengthening the role of organic waste to energy systems and improving sustainable waste management systems, Providing means for energy production from residues from surplus production of agriculture and organic waste from the industry, Contributing to the many countries's objective of replacing approx. 10% of petrol and diesel consumption by 2010 by biofuels.







Why alcohol fuels?

Ethanol is already in use as a liquid transport fuel in a number of countries, via blends of ethanol and petrol and as a fuel in its own right. It is generally perceived to offer a range of benefits over fossil fuels, including: Lower greenhouse gas emissions Lower levels of certain exhaust emissions Provides octane enhancement to petrol/alcohol blends Domestic production of ethanol allows reduced imports of fossil fuels Can utilise sugar or starch by-products and be part of integrated processing industries Favours rural industry and employment.

Current Ethanol Use

Ethanol may be used as a fuel in several ways: low level blends with petrol - at levels of up to 10% ethanol may be blended with petrol (commonly called E10) and used in most modern car engines with no modifications. high level blends with petrol - in Brazil a blend of approximately 22% ethanol (E22) in petrol is used in many vehicles, with only minor modifications to fuel handling systems reported. In the USA there is increasing use of E85, with many major vehicle manufacturers producing flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) that have engines and fuel systems designed to utilise this level of ethanol. pure ethanol - in both USA and Brazil some vehicles use pure, hydrous ethanol (an azeotrope of 96% ethanol and 4% water). In each case vehicles require engines and fuel systems that are
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designed with the high levels of ethanol in mind. blends with diesel - low level blends of ethanol and diesel fuel are technically feasible. BIO-ETHANOL PRODUCTION  VAROIUS AGRICULTURE RESIDUES Ethyl alcohol may be made by the fermentation process from three basic types of raw materials, called "feedstock". The three basic types of feedstock are: (1 ) SACCHARINE (sugar containing) materials in which the carbohydrate (the actual substance from which the alcohol is made) is present in the form of simple, directly fermentable six and twelve carbon sugar molecules such as glucose, fructose, and maltose. Such materials include wastes of sugar cane, damaged onions, fruit wastes, sugar corn wastes(Stalks from sugar corn contain 7-15% sugar and should be considered as an alcohol source if they are available. The stalks need to be shredded and extracted in a manner similar to sugar cane or sorghum stalks. A relatively efficient operation should yield 8-18 gallons of alcohol per ton of material). (2) STARCHY MATERIALS that contain more complex carbohydrates such as starch that can be broken down into the simpler six and twelve carbon sugars by hydrolysis with acid or by the action of enzymes in a process called malting. Such materials include corn, damaged straw, damaged potatoes, damaged sweet potatoes,etc. (3) CELLULOSE MATERIALS such as wheat straw,rice husk, corn stalks, corn cobs , etc., which contain material that can be hydrolyzed with acid, enzymes or otherwise converted into fermentable sugars called glucose.

 MANUFACTURING STEPS Certain materials require less processing than others. There are a great many variables in the manufacture of ethanol. Even materials from the same basic group can require radically different processing. Generally, small scale production is easiest (and most economical in terms of labor and energy consumption) from the saccharine materials. However, starchy materials usually produce the most alcohol on a weight/weight basis, and cellulose materials are the cheapest. Manufacturing alcohol from saccharine feedstocks generally requires: (1) extraction or crushing to make the sugars available to the yeast enzymes during fermentation: (2) dilution. which is only required with certain materials; (3) fermentation; and (4) distillation. Starchy materials require the steps of: (1) milling to free the starchy material from, for example, grain kernels; (2) Liquefaction (3) cooking to dissolve and "gelatinize" the starch; and (4) conversion of the starch to fermentable sugars by malting, enzymes, or acid hydrolysis in addition to the steps of fermentation and(5) distillation;(6)Dehydration ;and(7)Denaturation. Cellulose materials are similar to starchy materials in that they must be converted prior to fermentation.  PROCESSING STEPS OF SACCHARINE FEEDSTOCK 1)extraction or crushing to make the sugars available to the yeast enzymes during fermentation 2)dilution. which is only required with certain materials.It is simply the addition of water to adjust the amount of sugar in the mash or (ultimately) the amount of alcohol in the beer. It is necessary because the yeast, used later in the fermentation process, can be killed by too great a concentration of alcohol. Also, during the mashing and conversion of starchy material, dilution is necessary to make the mash easier to stir and handle. The optimum dilution, then, is a compromise between the highest alcohol concentration and the point where the particular yeast strain being used will be killed.
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To determine the amount of fermentable sugar in a mash, it is best to have the material tested by a laboratory. If this is not possible, the sugar content can be estimated with a hydrometer. Any solution being tested with a hydrometer must be filtered to remove any undissolved solids. Otherwise the readings will be inaccurate. Sugar content of a solution can also be determined with the use of an optical instrument called a sugar refractometer. 3)Fermentation - Yeast is added to the mash to ferment the sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Using a continuous process, the fermenting mash is allowed to flow through several fermenters until it is fully fermented and leaves the final tank. In a batch process, the mash stays in one fermenter for about 48 hours before the distillation process is started. 4)Distillation - The fermented mash, now called beer, contains about 10% alcohol plus all the non-fermentable solids from the corn and yeast cells. The mash is pumped to the continuous flow, multi-column distillation system where the alcohol is removed from the solids and the water.

 PROCESSING STEPS OF STARCHY MATERIALS Ethanol can be manufactured using a dry mill or wet mill process, the majority of ethanol produced in the United States uses the dry mill method. In dry mill the starch portion of the corn is fermented into sugar then distilled into alcohol. The distinct difference with the two processes is the initial treatment of the biomass. a)Dry mill process:

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Steps in the dry mill process 1. Milling - In the dry milling process the feedstock or biomass is ground through a hammer producing a fine powdered meal. 2. Liquefaction - The meal is then mixed with water and alpha-amylase, and then passed through cookers where the starch is liquefied. Heat is applied at this stage to enable liquefaction. Cookers with a high temperature stage (120-150 degrees Celsius) and a lower temperature holding period (95 degrees Celsius) are used. High temperatures reduce bacteria levels in the mash. 3. Saccharification - The mash is then cooled and the secondary enzyme (gluco-amylase) is added to convert the liquefied starch to fermentable sugars (dextrose). 4. Fermentation - Yeast is added to the mash to ferment the sugars to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Using a continuous process, the fermenting mash is allowed to flow through several fermenters until it is fully fermented and leaves the final tank. In a batch process, the mash stays in one fermenter for about 48 hours before the distillation process is started. 5. Distillation - The fermented mash, now called beer, contains about 10% alcohol plus all the non-fermentable solids from the corn and yeast cells. The mash is pumped to the continuous
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flow, multi-column distillation system where the alcohol is removed from the solids and the water. The alcohol leaves the top of the final column at about 96% strength, and the residue mash, called stillage, is transferred from the base of the column to the co-product processing area. 6. Dehydration - The alcohol from the top of the column passes through a dehydration system where the remaining water will be removed. Most ethanol plants use a molecular sieve to capture the last bit of water in the ethanol. The alcohol product at this stage is called anhydrous ethanol (pure, without water) and is approximately 200 proof. 7. Denaturing - Ethanol that will be used for fuel must be denatured, or made unfit for human consumption, with a small amount of gasoline (2-5%). This is done at the ethanol plant. b) Wet mill Process: Wet milling is a six stage process consisting of: 1. Steeping by soaking the feedstock and grinding to produce a slurry; 2. Germ separation by washing the slurry to remove oils; 3. Fine grinding to separate the starch and gluten (protein) from the fiber by washing and screening; 4. Starch separation from the gluten by centrifuges; 5. Fermentation converting the sugars to carbon dioxide and ethanol; and Separating the alcohol-water mixture by distillation.

 PROCESSING STEPS OF CELLULOSE MATERIALS The basic process steps in producing ethanol from biomass are: 1) Pretreatment to make the cellulose and hemicellulose components more accessible and to remove any foreign matter that may interfere with further processing steps. Pretreatment generally involves both a mechanical step to reduce the size of the biomass materials so they are more readily accessible to reaction with the subsequent steps and a chemical pretreatment to make the biomass more digestible.
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Chemical pretreatments include dilute acid, alkaline, organic solvent, ammonia, sulfur dioxide or other chemicals. Biological pretreatments have also been tested primarily to solubilize lignin and make the cellulose more accessible to hydrolysis and fermentation These various pretreatment processes generally result in separating the biomass into a liquid stream composed of hemicellulose and a solid stream composed of cellulose and lignin. 2) Hydrolysis to break down the polymers into their basic sugars using acids or enzymes 3) Fermentation of the six-carbon and/or five-carbon sugars into ethanol using organisms that convert sugars to ethanol. 4) Separating and concentrating the ethanol produced by fermentation.

 PROCESSING STEP COMMON TO ALL MATERIALS pH CONTROL The pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution expressed on a scale of 1-14. Neutral is pH 7, pH 1-7 is acid, and pH 7-14 is alkaline. The pH is most conveniently measured with test papers that change color according to the pH of the solution being tested. The principal bacterial contaminants in a distillery are those that form lactic acid. Although the production of fuel alcohol is not concerned with the taste of the product, any lactic acid formed subtracts from the yield of alcohol. The production of lactic acid and other contaminants should therefore be avoided as much as possible. The development of these micro-organisms is severely repressed at pH values under 5.0. Above 5.0 their growth is rapid. The optimum pH range then is 4.8 to 5.0. Anything below about 4.1 to 4.4 is detrimental to other (desirable) processes taking place during the mashing and fermentation. Consequently, the pH should be checked during the cooking and conversion. If it is much above 5.0, it should be reduced by the addition of acid. While adjustment during mashing is desirable, the proper pH during fermentation is absolutely essential. As soon as the pH in fermentation falls below about 4.11 the fermentation stops. If this occurs prior to complete conversion of the sugars, the yield will be low. On the other hand, yeast needs a slightly acid environment in
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order to grow. Consequently, the pH should be kept between 4.8 and 5.0 for optimum results. There are two ways of adjusting pH. The firstis the addition of acid. The second is the addition of the naturally acid residues left from a previous distillation. It should be stressed that the pH should be checked periodically during the fermentation as well as before.

ADVANTAGES OF BIO-ETHANOL Compared to the conventional fossil fuels and especially bio-ethanol and bio-ETBE show several strong points. First of all, after phasing out the lead from gasoline as an agent for increasing the octane rating, refineries started to add oxygenates to gasoline for this purpose alcohol and ethers (benzene, xylene, toluene, etc.), the latter however being rather toxic. In this context, with an average octane rating of about 110, bio-ethanol represents an excellent, non-toxic octane enhancer. The fact that bio-ethanol is a little bit heavier than gasoline the average density of bio-ethanol is 790-800 kg per 1000 litres, as compared to 720-780 kg per 1000 litres for gasoline does not prevent its successful blending into gasoline. These properties offer the opportunity to blend bio-ethanol or bio-ETBE with lower-octane (so called sub-octane) gasoline. Apart from the increase of the gasoline octane rating, the oxygenated additives improve the thermal efficiency of spark ignition engines and reduce the regulated polluting emissions through more stable and better combustion process. Bio-ethanol is also an environmentally friendly fuel, being biodegradable and free from Sulphur content. The use of bio-ethanol
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is also advantageous because it may absorb small volumes of water, contained in fuel tank. Economic Benefits Rural economic development and stability: we spend $50 billion each year importing oil, biomass could replace half of this and direct a minimum of $25 billion to the U.S. economy not to foreign oil markets. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 17,000 jobs are generated for every million gallons of ethanol Defending our access to foreign oil supplies is extremely costly. Diversification of fuel sources would cut down on military spending and shift the focus to domestic welfare. DIS-ADVANTAGES OF BIO-ETHANOL Bio-ethanol,shows also some weak points in comparison with conventional fossil fuels. First of all, all current conventional gasoline engines cannot run on pure bio-ethanol without important engine modifications. Pure bio-ethanol could cause leaching from such soft metals. All rubber elements, which potentially might enter into contact with pure bio-ethanol, should also be replaced, due to its solvency properties. Other disadvantages of pure bio-ethanol are: lower cetane number; low vapour pressure and high latent heat of vaporisation, which induces cold start problems in cooler climates; increased formation of acetaldehyde, etc. Because of all these disadvantages, it is generally accepted that large-scale market application of pure bio-ethanol will only be achieved at a rather high cost.Due to this fact, the use of bio-ethanol reduces the fuel economy and power with about 33 % and 41 % in comparison with gasoline and diesel respectively, on an average basis. In other words, it should take about 1.5 litres of bio-ethanol to replace 1 litre of gasoline and 1.7 litres of bio-ethanol to replace 1 litre of diesel. However, when bio-ethanol is used in relatively low-concentration blends with gasoline (e.g. E5G, E10G) or diesel (E10D, E15D), the fuel economy penalty is reduced. The impact of the strong points of bio-ethanol, e.g. improved lubricity, better combustion process, etc., may partly compensate the impact of its lower energy content on the fuel in volumetric terms. On the other hand, most of the operational disadvantages of pure bio-ethanol, e.g. obligatory replacement of all rubber seals, gaskets and softer metals, cold start problems, etc., are
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generally not observed when bio-ethanol is blended into gasoline. Therefore, it might be assumed that bio-alcohol blends could successively combine the advantages of pure bio-ethanol, decreasing or eliminating the impact of its disadvantages in parallel. As a result, it is generally accepted that the blended form of bio-ethanol in relatively low concentrations is more promising from practical point of view than the utilisation of high concentration blends or even pure bio-ethanol. In theory, all current modern gasoline engines may be able to run without any material problems and engine modifications with up to 22% bio ethanol blends, which seems to be the upper limit for cold climates. However, in practice car manufacturers do not recommend utilisation of gasoline blends with more than 10 % content of bio-ethanol.

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