Süd-Chemie AG is to build Germany´s largest plant to date for the
production of climate-friendly, second-generation
ethanol/order_t/'>bioethanol, so-called
cellulose ethanol, based on biotechnological processes.
The total project has a volume of altogether €28 million and comprises an investment volume of some €16 million and accompanying
research projects amounting to approximately €12 million. These and additional related research projects will be subsidised by the Bavarian State Government and Germany's Federal Ministry of
education and
Research (BMBF) with approximately €5 million respectively.
As from the end of 2011, this large-scale demonstration plant, located in the immediate vicinity of the new Bavarian BioCampus in Straubing, will produce up to 2,000 metric tons per year of
bioethanol fuel from
agricultural waste, such as cereal straw.
"By launching construction of this demonstration plant for our so-called sunliquid® technology, we continue to pursue our strategy of developing to market maturity sustainable manufacturing processes for climate-friendly
biofuels and
chemicals, based on leading expertise in the fields of
catalysis,
biocatalysis and
process engineering. In view of the increasing expense and risks involved in excavating oil, we are making a significant contribution to providing a sustainable substitute for oil-based products," said Süd-Chemie AG´s Managing Board Chairman, Dr. Günter von Au.
"Compared with the first-generation
biofuels already in use today, for instance
biodiesel, which consist of fuel extracted from plant material containing oil and
starch,
second-generation biofuels like
cellulose ethanol offer considerable advantages. Firstly, they have much better climate and energy balances, since their potential for reducing CO2 emission is, for instance, significantly higher. Secondly, they do not compete with the cultivation of either
food or
animal feed," continued Dr. von Au.
The sunliquid® process, which Süd-Chemie has been testing in a pilot plant since the beginning of 2009, is an innovative method of producing second-generation bioethanol in a cost-effective and energy-efficient manner. To this end, cellulose-based plant residue, such as wheat straw or
maize straw, bagasse from sugar cane or so-called energy crops, are initially converted into sugar constituents with the aid of
enzymes generated using biotechnology. Bioethanol is subsequently extracted from these constituents and used as fuel. In the case of Süd-Chemie´s process, not only the cellulose contained in
plants, but also the so-called
hemicellulose can be converted into ethanol, making it possible to increase ethanol production by up to fifty percent compared with conventional technology. Furthermore, the
enzymes needed to convert the cellulose can be optimised depending on the original
raw materials used and produced directly on the spot in each production plant. This guarantees an optimal enzyme supply, being both highly efficient and cost-effective.
Süd-Chemie´s demonstration plant located in Straubing will represent a scaled-down version of the entire integrated manufacturing process required to convert cellulosic plant residue into bioethanol.