Why should you know about cellulosic ethanol?
- You will be exploring an alternative to one of our most precious commodities: oil.
- You will be learning more on a feedstock that has the potential to revolutionize the world of energy.
- You will have an early mover advantage as the industry is just about to take off.
Cellulosic biomass, a second generation biofuel feedstock, are one of the fastest growing feedstock for biofuels (especially ethanol), and present one of the most exciting possibilities as a future solution to our energy problems, especially that of transportation fuel.
Cellulosic ethanol presents an exciting business opportunity for entrepreneurs. In the last few years, activity in this field has been accelerating fast.
Why is cellulosic ethanol so exciting from a renewable energy standpoint? For a number of reasons
- While first generation ethanol feedstock such as corn present a food or fuel dilemma owing to the feedstock also being used for food, cellulosic ethanol uses non-food biomass such as woodchips and agricultural and plant waste, and thus does not affect the food chain.
- The total ethanol yields from first generation feedstock are limited owing to the choice of biomass. Total ethanol production based on Cellulosic technologies can be order of magnitudes higher than production based on traditional, starch-based ethanol.
- The biomass used for cellulosic ethanol is available at very low prices. With the continuous reduction in operating costs for other stages of cellulosic ethanol production, cellulosic ethanol could soon start having total costs that are competitive with starch ethanol.This presents a strong business case for cellulosic ethanol.
Cellulosic ethanol is a nascent field today, but has enormous potential for the future. The pay-offs are big, and so are the challenges. Companies that make an early start in this field stand a chance of reaping significant benefits in future.
While people around the world have heard about the cellulosic ethanol possibilities and would like to know more, few resources are available that provide in-depth details of the cellulosic ethanol industry, its potential, the status of various companies in this industry, and what the future is likely to hold for this industry.
Based on our interactions with hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors and businesses who have been exploring this domain in the last few years, we realized the need for a resource that provides structured data, insights and opinion that answers the key questions in their minds.
The following are the key questions those exploring cellulosic ethanol are asking themselves
- Should I explore cellulosic ethanol as a business opportunity?
- Do I have the skills and resources required for an entrepreneur or business to benefit from this opportunity?
- Do I know enough about the main risks and bottlenecks present in this domain?
- Do I know enough about the future trends to evaluate this opportunity against other energy-related opportunities?
- What can I learn from the performance of existing companies in the cellulosic ethanol domain?
- What are the small scale business opportunities in cellulosic ethanol?
- What are the various stages involved in setting up a cellulosic ethanol business venture?
To assist all those exploring this exciting domain, the Cellulosic Ethanol Division of PlantOils.in has come out with a comprehensive report. PlantOils.in is the premier resource for biofuels.
The Comprehensive Cellulosic Ethanol Report provides precise inputs for the following questions- What is the current and future potential for the cellulosic ethanol industry?
- What is the real-world status of cellulosic ethanol efforts?
- Which are the prominent companies in this field and what are the efforts currently undertaken by them?
- What types of industries and companies will benefit most by investing in this field?
- What is the quantum of investment required in this field?
- What is the key success factors required to succeed in this exciting business opportunity?
- What types of venture capital investments are happening in this industry?
- What are the real bottlenecks / problems that could hamper the growth of this industry?
- What are the predictions for the future with regard to challenges, possibilities and breakthroughs?
- What are the next steps an entrepreneur should take should she/he be interested in exploring this opportunity further?
Why should you buy the Comprehensive Cellulosic Ethanol Report?
- It answers the most important questions that entrepreneurs, investors and businesses (small scale or large scale) have regarding cellulosic ethanol.
- It provides critical inputs and expert intelligence on one of the most exciting renewable energy sources.
- It helps you understand all aspects of the Cellulosic ethanol industry, and provides you key insights which will be invaluable in planning your venture.
- It has a special emphasis on providing real-life case studies, data and inputs. These will be useful for those interested in investing or starting a business in this field.
- It comprises intelligence and an input derived from many seminars and expert presentations, and provides insights from industry professionals worldwide.
- It informs you of the precise status of Cellulosic ethanol efforts
- It can assist you to quickly take the next steps in the cellulosic ethanol business opportunity.
- It has been developed by BioZio (www.biozio.com), the leading resource for information on biofuels and plant-based products.
The goal of the Comprehensive Cellulosic Ethanol Report is to present an objective status report on the Cellulosic ethanol industry. Written by professionals who have been observing the industry for the past four years and interact continuously with all the key industry players, the Comprehensive Cellulosic Ethanol Report will assist you to clearly distinguish hype from reality.
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Free Expert Assistance : Buyers get additional research support from the BioZio Team at no cost
Free Updates: Customers who buy the report get three updated versions released subsequent to their purchase, at no additional cost
Customisability: BioZio can provide minor customizations and enhancements to the report usually at no additional cost.
List of Contents
1.0 Introduction
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1.1 Introduction to the Biofuel Industry 1.1.1 Biodiesel 1.1.2 First, Second and Third Generation Biodiesel Feedstock 1.1.3 Ethanol 1.1.4 First and Second Generation Ethanol Feedstock 1.2 Conventional Ethanol 1.3 Why Cellulosic Ethanol 1.4 Growth of Cellulosic Ethanol Industry 1.4.1 Cellulosic Ethanol Production - Current Status 1.4.2 Cellulosic Ethanol Production – Future Projections |
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2.0 Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Major Feedstock for Cellulosic Ethanol 2.3 Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock Properties 2.3.1 Cellulosic Ethanol Energy Content 2.3.2 Composition of Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstocks 2.3.3 Inorganic Content in Cellulosic Feedstock 2.3.4 Length of Cellulose Fibers 2.3.5 Density of Cellulosic Feedstock 2.4 Cellulosic Ethanol Yield 2.4.1 Theoretical Yields per Dry Ton for Commonly Considered Biomass Feedstock 2.4.2 Yield from Energy Crops 2.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstocks
2.6 Availability of Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock 2.6.1 Current Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock Availability 2.6.2 Projected Future Availability of Feedstock 2.6.3 Cellulosic Supply Projections within Study Price Ranges 2.7 Land Requirements for Biofuel Production 2.8 Commercial Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock Used in Major Companies |
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3.0 Production Methods of Cellulosic Ethanol 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Cellulosic Ethanol Production Value Chain 3.3 Primary Methods to Produce Cellulosic Ethanol 3.3.1 Biochemical Conversion Process 3.3.1.1 Pre-treatment 3.3.1.2 Hydrolysis
3.3.1.3 Fermentation 3.1.1.4 Ethanol Recovery 3.3.2 Thermochemical Conversion Process 3.3.2.1 Gasification Catalytic Synthesis Process
3.3.2.2 Fermentation of Syngas to Ethanol
3.4 Preferred Technology Route 3.5 Innovations in Production Process 3.5.1 Feedstock Innovations and Breakthroughs 3.5.2 Pretreatment Innovations and Breakthroughs 3.5.3 Production Process Innovations and Breakthroughs 3.5.4 Production Facility Innovations and Breakthroughs 3.5.5 Hydrolysis Innovations and Breakthroughs 3.5.6 Acid Hydrolysis Innovation and Breakthroughs 3.5.7 Fermentation Innovation and Breakthroughs 3.5.8 Ethanol Recovery Innovation and Breakthroughs 3.5.9 Gasification Innovation and Breakthroughs 3.5.10 Others 3.6 Cellulosic Ethanol - Probable Research & Technology Timeline |
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4.0 Cellulosic Ethanol Production Value Chain and Companies 4.1 Introductions 4.2 Cellulosic Ethanol Process Diagram 4.3 Cellulosic Ethanol Companies and Profiles 4.3.1 Energy Crop Producing Companies 4.3.2 Enzyme Supplier 4.3.3 Cellulosic Ethanol Producers |
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5.0 Cost of Cellulosic Ethanol 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Production Costs 5.2.1 Feed handling & Pretreatment Costs 5.2.2 Hydrolysis Costs 5.2.3 Fermentation Costs 5.2.4 Distillation & Drying Costs 5.2.5 Gasification/Pyrolysis Costs 5.2.6 Fermentation of Syngas Costs 5.2.7 Catalytic Conversion of Syngas Costs 5.3 Capital Costs 5.4 Costs – Targets 5.5 Cost Drivers 5.6 Cellulosic Ethanol EROI 5.7 Cellulosic Ethanol vs. Competing Fuels 5.7.1 Cost Comparison between Starch Ethanol and Cellulosic Ethanol 5.8 Commercial Prospects for Cellulosic Ethanol |
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6.0 Cellulosic Ethanol: Venture Capital 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Stages of Supply Chain in Which VC is Investing 6.3 Company List with VC details 6.4 Global Cellulosic ethanol funding 6.5 Venture Capital - Reference |
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7.0 Cellulosic Ethanol Issues and Barriers 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Feedstock Production Technical Barriers 7.3 Feedstock Logistics Technical Barriers 7.4 Convertion Process Technical Challenges and Barriers 7.4.1 Thermochemical Platform Technical Challenges and Barriers 7.5 Biofuels Distribution Infrastructure Challenges and Barriers 7.5.1 Market Challenges and Barriers 7.5.2 Technical (Non-Market) Challenges/Barriers 8.0 Biofuel Apex Bodies |
- Cellulosic biomass represents the second generation feedstock for producing ethanol. The key advantages of cellulosic feedstocks are their large-scale availability, their usage of entire plant biomass, low costs and non-interference with the human food chain.
- As of March 2010, there are no large-scale cellulosic ethanol refineries in operation, but there are three companies producing cellulosic ethanol on a demonstration scale: Iogen Energy, Mascoma and DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol.
- Iogen is the only company that has been producing cellulosic ethanol for a long time, i.e., since 2004. In 2009, the company produced 581,000 liters of cellulosic ethanol.
- According to Ethanol Statistics’ projections, cellulosic ethanol production worldwide could top 16.5 billion gallons by 2020.
- The yield of cellulosic ethanol is about 80-100 gallons per T of biomass
- Ethanol from cellulosic biomass has two critical advantages over ethanol derived from corn – they require significantly less land and inputs such as fertilizers and water to produce the same amount of biofuels, and the land they require are not the agricultural land areas but marginal lands and uncultivated lands.
- The key differentiating aspect between ethanol production from starch and from cellulose-based biomass feedstock is the pretreatment requirement for cellulosic biomass.
- In the cellulosic ethanol production stage, while the Pretreatment Hydrolysis Fermentation route is the most common, an increasing number of companies have started exploring the thermochemical route as well. A few companies, such as Mascoma, have started intensifying their efforts in the consolidated bioprocessing route.
- The pretreatment stage required for the cellulosic biomass is the main contributor to the increased costs of cellulosic ethanol production.
- The capital costs for cellulosic ethanol are about 3-4 times those for starch ethanol production.
- The levelized cost for cellulosic ethanol production as of mid-2009 is about $2.2 per gallon; this translates to a cost of about $3.5 per gallon gasoline equivalent, factoring in the lower energy content of ethanol.
- Based on planned cost targets and roadmaps, the cost of cellulosic ethanol production is projected to decrease to about $1.6 per gallon ($2.2 per gallon gasoline equivalent) by 2012.
- According to IEA, the best possible future production cost of cellulosic ethanol would be US $1.87 by 2010 and US $1.29 by 2030.
- Lignocellulosic ethanol is estimated to become cost competitive with fossil fuels currently at a crude price of about $100 per barrel, and by 2030, it is expected to be competitive at a crude price of $75, according to a study.
- Investments in cellulosic ethanol have been primarily a North American phenomenon as of 2009.
- Over $1 billion of investments have been made into cellulosic ethanol through the various investment avenues, with government and other public grants playing a role equally important to that of private investments.
- Then US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of investment in 2007. Investments of upto $385 million for six biorefinery projects for the next four years were granted for the companies Abengoa Bioenergy, ALICO, BlueFire Ethanol, Poet, Iogen Biorefinery and Range Fuels. In April 2008, DOE announced that it will invest $86 million over the next four years in three new cellulosic ethanol biorefineries, to be built by Ecofin, LLC; Mascoma; and RSE Pulp & Chemical, LLC.
- Increasingly, the major oil companies as well as investors in starch-based ethanol (such as ADM), are beginning to take an increasing interest in cellulosic ethanol. With the increasing awareness and popularity worldwide of the cellulosic route for ethanol, it is likely that significant investments into this industry will start in other parts of the world as well.
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For those buying the report, the BioZio team will provide additional information support on the areas of their interest. This support is provided at no additional cost. Thus, we ensure that in case you need more specific information, our support efforts satisfy your needs.
BioZio is a premier resource for information and support on a wide variety of bio-based products, including biofuels. The BioZio team undertakes continuous and in-depth industry and market research on a wide range of biomass feddstocks, processes and products. Due to its dedicated focus on the bio-products (including biofuels) industry, BioZio is considered to be an authoritative information resource for the bio-based industry.