Feedstocks for bioethanol production

Corn is a common raw material for ethanol production

Renewable Sources

Basically alcohol, bioethanol is made from sugar which comes from sugar crops or is utilized from starch crops. Cellulose is a further possible source, yet with technical issues in large-scale conversion still to overcome, such feedstocks are referred to as second generation (2G).

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 facilities 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. Some 30 % of the raw material input can be recycled to the food chain as a soya substitute 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 process

Read about 2G | Second generation

Read about Planning a bioethanol plant

View  VOGELBUSCH showcase projects

 

Contact

VOGELBUSCH Biocommodities GmbH
Blechturmgasse 11
A-1051 Vienna | Austria
Phone +43 1 54 661-0
Fax +43 1 545 29 79

vienna@vogelbusch.com

Grain consumption

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Measured by the volume available in the European Union, the proportion of cereals to produce bioethanol is marginal.

Of 363 million tons of cereals (including maize) the usage for bioethanol production in 2009/2010 is forecast with 7.5 million tonnes, or 2%.