Bioethanol from Cellulosic Materials: A Renewable Motor Fuel from Biomass

Abstract

Ethanol is the most widely used liquid biofuel. It is an alcohol and is fermented from sugars, starches or from cellulosic biomass. Cellulosic materials can be used to produce bioethanol. Bioethanol represents an important, renewable liquid fuel for motor vehicles. Production of bioethanol from biomass is one way to reduce both the consumption of crude oil and environmental pollution. Conversion technologies for producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass resources such as forest materials, agricultural residues and urban wastes are under development and have not yet been demonstrated commercially. In order to produce bioethanol from cellulosic biomass, a pretreatment process is used to reduce the sample size, break down the hemicelluloses to sugars, and open up the structure of the cellulose component. The cellulose portion is hydrolyzed by acids or enzymes into glucose sugar that is fermented to bioethanol. The sugars from the hemicelluloses are also fermented to bioethanol. The use of bioethanol as a motor fuel has as long a history as the car itself. It began with the use of ethanol in the internal combustion engine.