Assessment of Conversion Technologies for Bioalcohol Fuel ...

construction of which could begin in 2007. The company is also studying two more
biorefineries having an ethanol capacity 500 to 700 times higher than the existing pilot
facility. Other products besides ethanol will be produced at these biorefineries:
electricity, lignin pellets, district heating, and high-grade chemicals. Testing of other
feedstocks besides fir wood chips is also planned. SEKAB sees its current
development activities as steps in a sequence of long-term industrial investment in
cellulose-based ethanol and the international development of production plants. The
aim is to develop an industrial structure for providing knowledge and equipment and
for building production plants in Sweden and the rest of the world.
Iogen Corp., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Organizational Background–Iogen Corporation was established in 1974 with three
employees (then Iotech Corp.) as a commercial manufacturer of enzymes for use in
industries such as pulp and paper, textiles, and animal feeds. Today, the company
operates a 30,000 square feet enzyme manufacturing plant and employs nearly 200
people. For most of its history, Iogen has also been pursuing biomass-to-ethanol
production technology, based on the company’s own development of special enzymes
for converting cellulosic materials into sugars. Iogen’s supporting partners for its
biomass-to-ethanol process development have included the Canadian Government,
Goldman Sachs and Co., Petro Canada, and the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which
owns a 22 percent equity share of Iogen. The company has been seeking to build
upon experience achieved with its existing biomass-to-ethanol demonstration facility in
Otawa and construct a “commercial prototype” plant. In February 2007, Iogen
received a U.S. DOE grant of up to $80 million to co-fund such a project in the State of
Idaho.
Technology Characteristics– Iogen’s patented technology, shown in Figure A16,
incorporates a multi-stage enzymatic hydrolysis process. Four steps are involved in
the complete biomass-to-ethanol production process, described as follows: (1)
Feedstock Pretreatment–using a modified steam explosion process to increase the
surface area of the biomass feedstock accessible to the enzymes (2) Enzyme
Production–high-eficiency enzymes are made using Iogen’s proprietary technology
for use in the hydrolysis step (3) Enzymatic Hydrolysis–using a multi-stage process in
an Iogen-developed reactor, Iogen’s celulase enzymes convert the celulosic material
to glucose sugars (4) Ethanol Fermentation and Distillation–fermentation is done
using recombinant yeasts and microbes tailored to Iogen’s specific process.
Lignin byproduct, said to have 80 percent of the energy content of common coal, is
also produced in the process for use as boiler fuel. Iogen’s process is said to produce
about 340 liters of ethanol and 250 kilograms of lignin per tonne of fibrous cellulosic
feedstock processed. To date, Iogen’s main focus has been on processing of wheat
straw, a common agricultural residue in the Ontario region. Other cereal grain straws,
such as oat and barley straw are also adaptable, and various other potential
feedstocks of interest include corn stover, switchgrass, miscanthus, sugarcane
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