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Feedstocks for bioethanol production

Renewable Sources

Basically alcohol, bioethanol is made from sugar which comes from sugar plants or is utilized from starch plants. Cellulose is a further possible source, although technical issues in large-scale conversion are still to overcome.

The choice of feedstock is a matter of climate, for example sugar cane is used in tropical zones, wheat is favored in Europe and corn is typical for North America.

Integrated production

Bioethanol plants often are linked to sugar or starch factories and use the by-products from that industry as substrates (in the form of molasses, starch hydrolysate a.s.o.).

As only the sugar respectively starch is needed for the process, the remaining ingredients of the raw material in turn can provide valuable co-products. The proteins, minerals, fat and fiber contained in grain make a high-quality economical animal feed (known as DDGS) which can substitute soya in animal husbandry.

The concentrated stillage from (sugar) molasses is used also as animal food additive, as fertilizer, or it can be incinerated to generate energy for the plant.

 

Read about Bioethanol Production Technology