Biochemical Process Options for Biofuel Production

Sanja Gunawardena

Energy Balance 2014

Total Energy Demand 2014 (PJ)

Fuel woodBagasse

Imported petroleum products

Fuel wood

Biomass• Energy Plantations - Short Rotation Coppicing– Gliricidia Sepium (20- 30 tons/ Ha/yr)

BiogasMunicipal solid wastes in to biogas• Daily generation 6400 tonnes • 3400 tonnes are collected by LA’s• High organic content in MSW• High moisture content (70–80% on a wet mass basis)• Low calorific value (about 600– 1000 kcal/kg)

BiogasDigesters

Bioethanol Feedstock - molasses Bioethanol production is well established In 2014, only 9.2% of the sugar demand was locally

produced More than 90% of sugar is imported

(2014 - 520 000 MT)

Way forward…..

Development of sugarcane varieties with • high cane and sugar yields• drought resistant • tolerant/resistant to pests and diseases• desirable features for cultivation in different

sugarcane-growing areas

Different Biomass feed stocks into Bioethanol

Sugar platformSugar Fermentable sugar juice ethanol

Starch starch enzyme sugar ethanol

Lignocellulose Cellulose cellulase sugar ethanol

Lignocellulosic bioethanol

Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF)

Recent biotech advances in enzyme technology: Significant cost reductions

Biodiesel potential in Sri Lanka ??

Rubber seed oilJatropha oil

Waste Cooking oilAnimal fat

Rubber seed oil potential in Sri Lanka• Sri Lanka has 119,500 ha of rubber plantation• Seeds from 400 ha is sufficient for nurseriesIf• 75% of the Rubber seeds is collected • extracted (with a 20% efficiency)• and converted into biodiesel (with a 65 % efficiency)

around 5000 tons of biodiesel can be produced annually

• This is an equivalent of 4500 tons of petroleum diesel • Which is 0.2% of the total diesel consumption in the country or• 12% of the fuel consumption in the railway sector alone.

Jatropha potential in Sri Lanka

• Many entrepreneurs started growing Jatropha in the country

• No recorded information on the extent

UK’s first large-scale biodiesel plant in Scotland started production of biodiesel way back in March 2005

• Biodiesel from tallow and used cooking oil• The plant is capable of using a wide variety of raw materials including virgin oils such as rapeseed oil.

Waste cooking oilAnimal fat ?

Algae for Biodiesel Production

• Micro algal Farming Using Wastewater • Marine micro algae

Household Commercial and other• Biomass• Biogas

Industry• Biomass• Biogas• Liquid biofuels (biodiesel)

Transport• Biogas• Bioethanol• Biodiesel