​ Fuel from waste wood

 

In order to limit climate change, fast greenhouse gas reductions are required already before 2030. Ethanol commonly produced by fermentation of sugars derived either from starch-based raw material such as corn, or lignocellulosic biomass is an established fuel decarbonizing the transport sector. A research Team from Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) in Finland have developed a novel selective and flexible process concept for the production of ethanol with electricity and lignocellulosic biomass as main inputs. The process consists of several consecutive steps. First synthesis gas from gasification of biomass is purified by filtration and reforming and fed to methanol synthesis. The produced methanol is fed to acetic acid synthesis, together with a carbon monoxide-rich stream separated from the synthesis gas by membranes. Finally, acetic acid is hydrogenated to yield ethanol. The hydrogen is produced by water electrolysis and powered by green energy. Countries with a large amount of waste wood and green electricity, such as Finland or even Canada would benefit from this technology.



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