国産草本系原料からのバイオエタノール製造技術開発: CaCCO法およびMix-CARV法の概要

摘要

地球温暖化の原因と指摘される温室効果ガスの発生抑制は，喫緊の世界的課題と認識されている。ガソリン代替輸送燃料としてのバイオマス由来エタノール（バイオエタノール）は，エネルギーあたりの温室効果ガスの発生量がガソリンよりも少ないことから，地球温暖化進行を抑制する燃料と見なされる。国内でバイォエタノールを製造した場合には，この抑制効果に加えて，エネルギー安全保障への貢献や農地•林地の維持，循環型社会の形成，地域での新規産業•雇用の創出など，多岐にわたる副次的効果が期待される。%Fuel ethanol made from biomass (bioethanol) is attracting keen interest as an alternative transportation fuel to replace fossil oil due to its lower environmental impact. In addition, domestic bioethanol production is expected to significantly contribute not only to the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, but also to domestic energy security and stimulation of the domestic economy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan, has been developing technology for bioethanol production from strategic starch/sugar crops: sugarcane, sweet sorghum, potato, sweet potato, and sugar beet, and from domestic agricultural wastes such as rice and wheat straw. In this project, the team developed a multiple bioconversion processes for bioethanol production, including the CaCCO (Caicmm Capturing by Carbonation) process for agricultural waste and the Mix-CARV (Conversion After Reduction of Viscosity) process for a mixture of potato and sugar beet mash. Herein recent topics about domestic bioethanol production in Japan are introduced, as well as the characteristics of the CaCCO and the Mix-CARV processes.