Microwave and Plasma Assisted Pre-treatment of Wheat Straw for Bio-ethanol Production

The “plasma and microwave assisted pre-treatment of wheat straw for bio-ethanol production” – is a multidisciplinary national Danish research initiative involving two research groups in order to study new pre-treatment technologies for biofuel production.

 
Bio-fuels are emerging on the world market as new transport fuels. Cellulosic materials and lignocellulosic materials are in many countries abundant by-products from farming e.g. wheat straw, rice straw or occur abundantly in nature e.g. macroalgae. They constitute a significant source of sugars available for the production of 2nd generation bio-alcohols and other industrial chemicals that are based on biological materials.

Progressive pre-treatment methods like the application of plasma and microwave technology for the production of 2nd generation bio-ethanol (2 G bio-ethanol) are investigated in this project. The result will be a whole new 2 G bio-ethanol production process starting from the pre-treatment technology up to the production of 2 G bio-ethanol.

Cellulosic bio-materials are generally protected by lignin to prevent microbial attack. The sugars are therefore well shielded. Technologies have to be developed in order to make those sugars available. The effect of the pre-treatment can be proved by enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification fermentation of the treated bio-material e.g. wheat straw. The potential of microwave technology for pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass and lignin is a further technology presently under investigation.

The result of the newly established bio-ethanol production process using plasma and microwave technology will be ecologically balanced and cost efficiency will be calculated and compared to e.g. the well established wet oxidation pre-treatment process used at Risø.

Fermentation of plasma pre-treated wheat straw for bio-ethanol production

Fermentation of plasma pre-treated wheat straw for bio-ethanol production

Participants:
The project involves a consortium of two research groups from Risø DTU:

• Biosystems Division (BIO): Leading the project and responsible for characterization of treated materials, enzymatic hydrolysis and bio-ethanol fermentation.
• Program for plasma physics and technology (PLF): Responsible for microwave and plasma assisted pre-treatments processes.

Resources:
Energi Forskning Program (EFP), Danish Energy Authority.

Duration:
2008-2011

Employees involved:
Anne Belinda Thomsen (head), Nadja Schultz-Jensen (pre-treatment, characterization, enzymatic hydrolysis), Frank Leipold (plasma and microwave technology), Ingelis Larsen (HPLC), Annette Eva Jensen (characterization), Tomas Fernqvist (pre-treatment), Zsófia Kádár (ethanol fermentation).

Student projects:
Student projects are offered in connection with the project.

 

Page updated  by   08.10.2010