Cellulosic ethanol: closer to becoming a reality?

Novozymes, a bioinnovation company whose main focus is the development, production and distribution of enzymes, recently launched CELLIC® CTec2 and HTec2, which the company calls its first commercially viable enzymes for cellulosic ethanol. The new enzymes represent an improvement on previous products and are said to be effective on a broad range of feedstocks. The announcement was made at F.O Lichts Sugar and Ethanol Conference (March 22-24) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“Working with our partners and using bagasse as a feedstock, compared to our previous CTec solution, we have already achieved significant enzyme cost reductions in pilot scale facilities,” says William Yassumoto, Novozymes Marketing Manager. “This is a significant step towards full value chain commercialization of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil,” he added.

Brazil recently opened a research laboratory dedicated to cellulosic ethanol, a type of ethanol that uses wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants, thus avoiding competition with food crops. In the case of the Latin American country, where ethanol is made out of sugar cane, research is aimed at bagasse, the residue of sugarcane.

“Leading Brazilian stakeholders such as CTC are laying foundations that could ensure commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol in the future. However, to reach its potential, the industry must continue to support cellulosic ethanol through infrastructure development. This includes expedited funding to build demonstration and commercial-scale plants,” says Cynthia Bryant, Global Business Development Manager at Novozymes. “The advancements we have already made are bringing us ever closer to unlocking the potential of cellulosic ethanol.”

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts Found! Go find some...