Production of Second Generation Bioethanol in Chile Pia Wiche

Outline Bioenercel –Description –Goals –Organization My work –Software –Some results –What am I doing here?

Bioenercel Consortium comprising: –Universities –Forestry Companies –Private Sector –Government Financial support from government: –USD 6 million (58%)

Bioenercel Objectives: –To create knowledge and obtain new technology –Training human resources –Protection and marketing of results –Make bioenergy a part of everyday talks –Generate the appropriate conditions for the creation of bioethanol plants

My work Main goals –As LCA practitioner To learn how to effectively do LCA –As first student in the area Generate a solid document that may serve as basis for the continuation of this subject in my school –In the LCA Obtain the environmental impact of the process Consider chilean conditions for growth of biomass Start determining the possible drawbacks of certain process designs (and show just how good this can be for process design!)

A brief introduction… Second Generation Bioethanol  non edible biomass This process is still not commercially available There’s much research on the field Bottleneck: pretreatment

Pretreatment

The process

Some indicators Efficiency of 53% from theoretical (Baeza et al., UdeC) –5,18 [kg wood/L ethanol] or –0,19 [L ethanol/kg wood] Energy generation –Out of lignin: 3,4 [GJ/ton wood] –Out of biogas: 7,2 [GJ/ton wood] (Equivalent to the heating requirement of 1150 houses/h)

The software I am using Simapro –Simpler approach –Several databases –Easiness of use –Nice and easy to comprehend graphs and results

Some results

From left to right: carcinogens, respiratory organics, respiratory inorganics, climate change, radiation, ozone layer, ecotoxicity, acidification/eutrofication, land use, minerals, fossil fuels.

From left to right: carbon dioxide - biogenic, carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide - fossil, methane – biogenic, methane, carbon dioxide – in air, other substances.

Work in Belgium I am studying exergy! Completed inventory Soon to come: Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment.

Thanks for your attention!