Jamaica Biofuels Report - Ministry of Energy

Figure 9: Schematic representation of the biochemical process for the conversion of biomass,such as sugarcane bagasse, to ethanolIn the thermochemical path all the organic components of biomass (cellulose, hemicellulose,and lignin) are turned into synthesis gas via gasification (Fig. 10). The syngas is conditioned toremove tars and is subsequently converted in the presence of catalysts to alcohols orhydrocarbons depending on the catalyst employed.Figure 10: Schematic representation of the thermochemical process for the conversion ofbiomass, such as sugarcane bagasse, to alcohol or hydrocarbon fuels45