Author
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Rosentrater, Kurt |
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2011 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Biofuels, which are renewable sources of energy, can help meet some of the increasing need for petroleum, and can be produced from a variety of materials, including agricultural residues, corn stover, grasses, legumes, algae, food processing wastes, and other biological materials. Indeed, the lignocellulosic ethanol industry is poised to consume large quantities of biomass. At this point in time, however, the most heavily used is corn grain, because industrial-scale alcohol production from corn starch is readily accomplished, and at a lower cost, compared to other available biomass substrates. A short discussion of topics relevant to this industry is thus warranted. The goals of this chapter are to briefly describe the current fuel ethanol industry, how the industry evolved to its current state, and to stress the importance of coproducts. Technical Abstract: Biofuels, which are renewable sources of energy, can help meet some of the increasing need for petroleum, and can be produced from a variety of materials, including agricultural residues, corn stover, grasses, legumes, algae, food processing wastes, and other biological materials. Indeed, the lignocellulosic ethanol industry is poised to consume large quantities of biomass. At this point in time, however, the most heavily used is corn grain, because industrial-scale alcohol production from corn starch is readily accomplished, and at a lower cost, compared to other available biomass substrates. A short discussion of topics relevant to this industry is thus warranted. The goals of this chapter are to briefly describe the current fuel ethanol industry, how the industry evolved to its current state, and to stress the importance of coproducts. |
