Cellulosic Ethanol

1. Cellulosic Ethanol By Ryan Callanan

2. What is Cellulosic Ethanol? • Cellulosic ethanol is a type of biofuel produced from the cellulose in plants • Because cellulose makes up cell walls and is therefore found in every plant, it is very abundant and is also renewable • Designed to be used as a transportation fuel

3. How is Cellulosic Ethanol Created?

4. How is Cellulosic Ethanol Created? (Cont.) • First, biomass is taken from plants, often woodchips and switchgrass • It is then cut into small pieces and heated to make the cellulose available • From there, enzymes break down the cellulose into sugars, which then ferment and turn into ethanol

5. Advantages of Cellulosic Ethanol • Abundant • Can be made from a variety of sources • High density reduces transportation cost • Can be harvested year-round, reducing storage costs • Low greenhouse gas emissions • High net energy yield

6. Disadvantages of Cellulosic Ethanol • Too expensive-currently cannot compete with the cost of conventional oil • Will not be commercialized for 5-10 years • Process of creating ethanol from cellulose is still inefficient

7. Where is Cellulosic Ethanol Produced? • There are currently 15 cellulosic ethanol plants in the U.S. • These are generally found in the Midwestern U.S. due to the region’s close proximity to farmland • As of today, there is not much of a market for cellulosic ethanol in developing countries because it is too expensive

8. What is the Future of Cellulosic Ethanol? • Once it becomes more mainstream, cellulosic ethanol will likely replace conventional oil as fuel for transportation • Ideally, it will be much cleaner and will provide more energy than oil, and once its production is made more efficient, it should even cost less to purchase