05 Biochemical routes part II

ETHYL ALCOHOL (ETHANOL)

Henry Ford designed the famed ‘Model T’ Ford
to run on alcohol and he said it was “the fuel of
the future” in 1908.
 FUEL PROPERTIES
Gasoline Methanol Ethanol
Parameters (CnH1.87n) (CH3OH) (C2H5OH)
Stoichiometric A/F ratio 14.6 6.47 9.00

Density (kg/m3) 720-780 792 785

RON 95 106 107

MON 80-90 92 89

Low heating value (MJ/kg) 44 20 26.9

Heat of vaporization (kJ/kg) 305 1,103 840

LHV of stoich. mixture (MJ/kg) 2.83 2.68 2.69

Auto-ignition temperature (°C) 260-460 460 360

 ADVANTAGES OF ETHANOL
 Renewable fuel
 Zero Carbon Balance
 Not dependent of petroleum
 Large scale of production
 Agriculture based raw materials/resudues
 No green house effect
 High octane number
 High miscibility with gasoline and it is a perfect
substitute for tetraethyl lead
 20-30% less CO due to oxygen content
 SOx emissions negligible
 SPM emissions low
 Volatile organic compound (VOC) reduction
 DISADVANTAGES OF ETHANOL

 Low heating value (70 % of gasoline)

 Ignition difficulty in winter

 Metal corrosion

 Effect on plastic and rubber components

World ethanol production scenario (2017)
Ethanol production capacity in India
 Raw materials for ethanol
 Sugary materials: molasses, sugar cane juice,
fruits

 Starch materials: corn, barley, rice, wheat

 Cellulosic materials: biomass in general,

wood, agricultural residues etc.
1. Champagne: Grapes
2. Vodka/Gin: Apple/Grains
3. Rum: Molasses
4. Beer: Barley
5. Brandy: Distilled wine
6. Wines: Grapes and fruits
7. Whisky: Grains
8. Tequila: Agave (cactus like plant)
9. Feni/Fenny Cashew
World ethanol production by feedstock
Ethanol from biomass
Alcohol production from lignocellulosic biomass
Ethanol from molasses

1. Molasses: Fermentable
sugars
2. Yeast: Saccharomyces
cerevisiae or Zymomonas
mobilis

ENA: Extra Neutral Alcohol

Ethanol production route by Indian Manufacturers
Dry grind ethanol process (corn)
Wet grind ethanol process (corn)
Product separation/recovery terminology
Product recovery diagram of ethanol and other products
Distillation unit for ethanol and water separation
How the sieve works to keep water in and ethanol out
The first unit is the dehydrator to remove water
while second unit is having water removed
The units switch places because the second bed of zeolite had
moisture removed and now acts as dehydrator