Cost analysis of ethanol production from willow using recombinant Escherichia coli

Biotechnol Prog. 1994 Sep-Oct;10(5):555-60. doi: 10.1021/bp00029a017.

Abstract

This study comprises a technical and economic analysis of the production of fuel ethanol by fermentation of a pentose-rich hydrolysate with recombinant Escherichia coli, strain KO11. Hydrolysate from steam-pretreated willow was used as raw material in calculations regarding the fermentation. The calculations were based on a feed capacity of 10 metric tons of dry willow per hour to the pretreatment stage, providing 35 metric tons of hydrolysate per hour, consisting of 45 g of sugars/L, to the pentose fermentation plant. A detoxification step was included, since the hydrolysate has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the E. coli KO11. The technical data used in the calculations were based on a kinetic fermentation model, which was developed from laboratory-scale experiments in a previous study. The economic analysis predicted an ethanol production cost of 48/L in the pentose fermentation plant, indicating potentially good economy. The detoxification cost constitutes 22% of this cost. Sensitivity analyses revealed that if the concentration of sugars in the feed to the fermentation was decreased by 40% to 27 g/L, the ethanol production cost was increased to 54/L. The production cost was increased to 50/L ethanol if the cell mass was recirculated to the fermentation stage 5 times instead of 20.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biotechnology / economics*
  • Cellulose / metabolism
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Ethanol / economics*
  • Ethanol / metabolism*
  • Fermentation
  • Kinetics
  • Lignin / metabolism
  • Pentoses / metabolism
  • Plants*
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis

Substances

  • Pentoses
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • lignocellulose
  • Ethanol
  • Cellulose
  • Lignin