Ethanol from Corn Stover Brandon Landry, Sam Beck, Rheagan Chambers, Allie Williams

Objectives Objective: to produce fuel-grade ethanol from corn stover on an industrial level History Ethanol vs Gasoline General Flowchart Detailed Flowchart Pretreatment Hydrolysis/Fermentation Purification Cost Analysis Conclusion References

History of Ethanol Production 1826 Ethanol first used by Samuel Morey to power an engine 1862 Union Congress imposed a $2 tax on ethanol to help pay for the Civil War. 1906-08 Tax was removed and made ethanol an alternative to gasoline. Henry Ford produced the Model-T (flex-fuel vehicle) 1941-45 Demand/ Production increased due to World War II 1974 The Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act led to research and development of the conversion of biomaterials into useful fuels. 1979 Amoco Oil company began the marketing of commercial alcohol-blended fuels 1992 The Energy Policy Act defined that E-85 is an alternative to transportation fuels. 1997 Mass production of flex-fuel vehicles began

Ethanol vs Gasoline Ethanol Gasoline Low emission levels Renewable fuel Quickly biodegradable Higher emission levels Nonrenewable

General Flowchart Figure 1. Four main steps involved in ethanol production from lignocellulosic material.

Detailed Flowchart . Calcium oxide Calcium oxide Figure 2. Flowchart for producing ethanol from corn stover.

Raw Material corn stover is the largest quantity of biomass residue in the United States There are about 120,000,000 tons of biomass residue available for use each year which has the potential of supplying 23 billion to 53 billion liters of fuel ethanol. 70% cellulose and hemicellulose. 15-20% lignin. A vast majority of the cost to create biofuels comes from the price to ship the raw materials. -Only cellulose and hemicellulose can actually be converted to ethanol, but lignin can be burned to generate steam/electricity. -corn belt: Midwest region of the US Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, iowa. Figure 3. Image of corn stover

Pretreatment Physico-Chemical Pretreatment Hammer Mill Reduces size of corn stover Alkali Treatment Calcium oxide Improves biomass digestibility Improves biomass conservation Figure 4. Hammer mill device used to crush corn stover.

Hydrolysis/Fermentation Simultaneous Saccharification and Hydrolysis (SSF) Cost effective Requires less energy Produces higher yield than separate processes Lower risk of contamination Figure 5. Simplified flow diagram for Simultaneous Saccharification and Hydrolysis (SSF).

Purification Molecular Sieves Figure 6. Molecular Sieve Diagram Used in Industry Trap water molecules based on molecular weight properties Graded based on internal pore diameter Type 3Å used for ethanol dehydration Figure 6. Molecular Sieve Diagram

Mass Balance Figure 7. Mass balance of production.

Cost Analysis

Conclusion Our Ethanol Production Process Ethanol Production Benefits Input of 57 ton/hr of corn stover produces a yield of 16 ton/hr of ethanol Ethanol Production Benefits Reduces greenhouse gas emission Renewable Creates jobs Reduces U.S. dependency on imported oil

References "Ethanol Timeline." Green Plains Renewable Energy. N.p., June 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Bothast, R. J., and M. A. Schilcher. "Biotechnological Processes for Conversion of Corn into Ethanol." Www.agro.uba.ar. National Corn-To-Ethanol Research Center, Southern Illinois University, 14 Dec. 2004. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. Taherzadeh, Mohammed J., and Keikhosro Karimi. "Enzyme Based Hydrolysis Processes for Ethanol from Lignocellulosic Materials: A Review." Www.ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu. North Carolina State University, 2 Nov. 2007. Web. 1 Mar. 2014