ENHANCING ETHANOL PRODUCTION USING SUGAR PROCESSING INTERMEDIATES

摘要

World ethanol production is estimated to reach 50 Billion liters in 2006 and expected to increase to about 63 and 100 Billion liters by 2010 and 2020, respectively. Indian ethanol demand is projected to reach 3.715 Billion liters in 2010 at 10% blending rate of fuel ethanol in gasoline. The drivers behind this demand are steep increase in crude prices, environmental concerns and requirement of renewable energy sources, increasing requirement of industrial ethanol as well as continuous growth of beverage ethanol industry. Considering maximum sugarcane crushing in the country of 235.0 million MT in 2010, it would be possible to produce maximum 2.068 Billion Liters of ethanol. Thus, a gradual increasing shortfall in ethanol supply is expected in coming years. Ethanpl supply can be augmented by distilleries attached to sugar factories using various sugar processing intermediates. However, this will depend on prevailing prices of sugarcane, sugar and ethanol at any given time. The paper envisages the economics of using alternate sugar processing intermediate for fulfilling the expected shortfall of ethanol. Various routes of using sugar processing intermediates are described with expected impact on sugar & ethanol production and cane price that can be paid.