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Simulation of integrated first and second generation bioethanol production from sugarcane: comparison between different biomass pretreatment methods

  • Original Paper
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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Sugarcane bagasse is used as a fuel in conventional bioethanol production, providing heat and power for the plant; therefore, the amount of surplus bagasse available for use as raw material for second generation bioethanol production is related to the energy consumption of the bioethanol production process. Pentoses and lignin, byproducts of the second generation bioethanol production process, may be used as fuels, increasing the amount of surplus bagasse. In this work, simulations of the integrated bioethanol production process from sugarcane, surplus bagasse and trash were carried out. Selected pre-treatment methods followed, or not, by a delignification step were evaluated. The amount of lignocellulosic materials available for hydrolysis in each configuration was calculated assuming that 50% of sugarcane trash is recovered from the field. An economic risk analysis was carried out; the best results for the integrated first and second generation ethanol production process were obtained for steam explosion pretreatment, high solids loading for hydrolysis and 24–48 h hydrolysis. The second generation ethanol production process must be improved (e.g., decreasing required investment, improving yields and developing pentose fermentation to ethanol) in order for the integrated process to be more economically competitive.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dedini Indústrias de Base S/A for supplying investment data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia do Bioetanol (CTBE), Caixa Postal 6170, 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marina O. S. Dias, Marcelo Pereira da Cunha, Antonio Bonomi, Charles D. F. Jesus & Carlos E. V. Rossell

  2. Faculdade de Engenharia Química, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Caixa Postal 6066, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marina O. S. Dias, Rubens Maciel Filho & Carlos E. V. Rossell

Authors
  1. Marina O. S. Dias
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  2. Marcelo Pereira da Cunha
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  3. Rubens Maciel Filho
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  4. Antonio Bonomi
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  5. Charles D. F. Jesus
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  6. Carlos E. V. Rossell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marina O. S. Dias.

Additional information

This article is based on a presentation at the 32nd Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals.

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Dias, M.O.S., da Cunha, M.P., Maciel Filho, R. et al. Simulation of integrated first and second generation bioethanol production from sugarcane: comparison between different biomass pretreatment methods. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 38, 955–966 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0867-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-010-0867-6

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