Large-scale ethanol fermentation through pipeline delivery of biomass.
Issues of traffic congestion and community acceptance limit the size of biomass-processing plants based on truck delivery to about 2 million (M) dry t/yr or less. In this study, the cost of ethanol from an ethanol fermentation plant processing 2 M dry t/yr of corn stover supplied by truck is compared with that of larger plants in the range of 4-38 M dry t/yr supplied by a combination of trucks plus pipelines. For corn stover, a biomass source with a low yield per gross hectare, the cost of ethanol from larger plants is always higher. For wood chips from the boreal forest, a biomass source with a relatively high yield per gross hectare, a plant processing 14-38 M dry t/yr produces ethanol at a 13% reduction in cost compared with a plant producing 2 M dry t/yr supplied by truck. Processing of value-added products, such as chemicals from lignin, would be enabled by larger-scale plants.
Kumar
Amit
A
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G8, Canada.
Cameron
Jay B
JB
Flynn
Peter C
PC
D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000191:economics* / Q000382:microbiology; D002170:Canada; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000191:economics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014186:Transportation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D014934:Wood; D003313:Zea mays / Q000191:economics* / Q000378:metabolism*
D000431:Ethanol