How much ethanol is produced from switchgrass?

The high cellulosic content of switchgrass makes it a favorable feedstock for ethanol production. It is anticipated that switchgrass can yield sufficient biomass to produce approximately 500 gal- lons of ethanol per acre.

How do you turn ethanol into switchgrass?

Mix the chopped switchgrass with water in a large tank and add cellulosic enzymes that can digest the cellulose into sugars that can be refined to ethanol. The major source of these enzymes is Novozymes, a Danish company that specializes in agricultural biochemistry.

What is switchgrass ethanol?

Switchgrass. While corn-based ethanol contains scarcely as much energy as is required to produce it, fuel made from switchgrass, a native prairie plant found in the Great Plains region, contains more than 5 times as much energy than it takes to grow it and refine it into ethanol.

What is cellulosic ethanol produced from?

Cellulosic ethanol is a type of biofuel produced from lignocellulose, a material that comprises much of the mass of plants. Corn stover, switchgrass, miscanthus and woodchip are some of the more popular nonedible cellulosic materials for ethanol production.

What is switchgrass energy?

Switchgrass is an excellent candidate for biofuel production. It is an adaptable plant that can grow on millions of acres of U.S. lands that cannot support crop or food production. It is also a renewable resource.

What is the net energy yield of biomass?

Annual biomass yields of established fields averaged 5.2 -11.1 Mg·ha−1 with a resulting average estimated net energy yield (NEY) of 60 GJ·ha−1·y−1.

How do you make cellulosic ethanol from grass?

Production methods

  1. A “pretreatment” phase to make the lignocellulosic material such as wood or straw amenable to hydrolysis.
  2. Cellulose hydrolysis (cellulolysis) to break down the molecules into sugars.
  3. Microbial fermentation of the sugar solution.
  4. Distillation and dehydration to produce pure alcohol.

Which plant is best for ethanol production?

Corn
Corn is the leading U.S. crop and serves as the feedstock for most domestic ethanol production. Corn ethanol meets the renewable fuel category of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which is limited to 15 billion gallons.

How much ethanol is produced from cellulose?

The type of feedstock and method of pretreatment both influence the amount of ethanol produced. Currently, one dry short ton of cellulosic feedstock yields about 60 gallons of ethanol. Projected yields with anticipated technological advances are as high as 100 gallons of ethanol per dry short ton of feedstock.

How much cellulosic ethanol is produced?

The Million Gallon Milestone For the entire year, 2.2 million gallons were produced. In 2016, another 3.8 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol was added. Then 2017 saw the biggest jump in cellulosic ethanol production to date, with production reaching 10.0 million gallons.

Why is switchgrass good for biofuel?

Switchgrass is an attractive biofuel feedstock because it can grow on marginal lands of little agricultural value. It also requires less chemical fertiliser than corn, the dominant source of ethanol currently mixed into unleaded gasoline.

What are the 3 advantages of switchgrass as a fuel?

Growing switchgrass for biofuel can provide ecosystem services benefits that do not have a direct cash value—at least in today’s marketplace. These benefits include reduced soil erosion and fertilizer runoff, increased soil organic carbon that retains moisture and maintains fertility, and wildlife habitat.