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Assessment of Conversion Technologies for Bioalcohol Fuel ...

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SECTION 4 - BIOCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR<br />

ALCOHOL FUEL PRODUCTION<br />

The efficiency <strong>of</strong> biochemical conversion processes is highly dependent upon the<br />

chemical composition and physical structure <strong>of</strong> the biomass feedstock. Biomass is<br />

typically comprised <strong>of</strong>:<br />

Lignin–a complex polymer that is resistant to microbial attack<br />

Hemicellulose–a sugar polymer that is easy to hydrolyze<br />

Cellulose–a sugar polymer that is fairly resistant to chemical/microbial attack<br />

Starch–a sugar polymer that is readily degraded by chemical or microbial<br />

attack<br />

Inorganics–primarily comprised <strong>of</strong> oxides and salts <strong>of</strong> Na, K, Fe and Si<br />

Figure 3 illustrates the major systems used <strong>for</strong> the biochemical production <strong>of</strong> fuels<br />

from cellulosic biomass. These processes include<br />

Feedstock pretreatment (acid or steam explosion)<br />

Separation (lignin and celluloses from sugars)<br />

Cellulose hydrolysis (production <strong>of</strong> sugars using acid or enzymes)<br />

Separation (lignin and other unreacted solids from sugars)<br />

Separation (sugars from acids or enzymes)<br />

Fermentation (ethanol production from sugars) and neutralization (acid<br />

hydrolysis)<br />

Alcohol purification (distillation and drying)<br />

The effectiveness <strong>of</strong> processes <strong>for</strong> the biochemical conversion <strong>of</strong> biomass to ethanol is<br />

dependent upon:<br />

Type <strong>of</strong> feedstock<br />

Type <strong>of</strong> pretreatment<br />

Types <strong>of</strong> separation processes<br />

Simultaneous fermentation and saccharification (SSF) vs. sequential processes<br />

Continuous vs. batch processes<br />

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