77
X 8
Cellulosic ethanol from sugar cane
Second-generation advanced biofuels are fuels that can be manufactured from non-food biomass. These are differentiated from first-generation biofuels which are produced from food crops themselves and are called “advanced” because of their low CO2 emissions and land use impact. First-generation biofuels have fallen out of favour due to the sustainability issues associated with diverting portions of the food supply towards energy production. As a result, second-generation biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol/ lignocellulosic ethanol, have garnered significant interest globally. The particular “advanced-biofuels” investment that is being proposed for the sugar industry could co-exist with any proposal to use natural gas to generate power, as the cellulosic ethanol that will be produced would be in the nature of “off-grid energy” that will be used largely by the transport sector that itself could be expected to grow as the economy expands. Additionally, consideration could be given to developing a biorefinery to produce ethanol and other high-value chemicals from lignocellulose, both as a strategy for reducing costs and also for further diversifying the industry.28 1Biorefineries would make use not only of bagasse but will also use other kinds of biomass including rice straw, saw-dust, and so forth. It will allow for the production of several commercial-scale, high-valued co-products that will enhance the profitability of the core cellulosic ethanol facility. Apart from the economics and investment strategy, another basis for the cellulosic energy proposal is the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2015) and the UN’s SDG 13 (United Nations General Assembly 2015). The former refers to the urgent need for a global response to climate change that is consistent with sustainable development and poverty eradication, while the latter makes “urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” a goal of sustainable development. Renewable energy is, of course, related to both climate change mitigation and sustainable development. What is important here is that the Paris Agreement gives emphasis to the importance of technology transfer, climate finance, and provides a framework that will allow investors to get carbon credits for the reduction in carbon emissions that will in all likelihood result from the greater use of cellulosic ethanol. Table 8.1. gives details:
28 A Review on Commercial-Scale High-Value Products that Can be Produced Alongside Cellulosic Ethanol .
