Logistical design of a regional herbaceous crop residue-based ethanol production complex.

Political and economic arguments underlie the focus on cellulosic ethanol production as a preferred process for meeting future renewable fuel demand. Cellulosic ethanol production requires large volumes of the biomass input, adding logistical challenges to the feasibility of the technology. The objective of this research is to evaluate the profitability of a field-to-refinery model developed to identify optimal harvest, storage, transportation, pretreatment, and refining activities for a study area in Northeastern North Dakota. Sensitivity analysis indicates profitability of the ethanol complex is marginal under current prices and anticipated technologies. However, increases in ethanol prices and reduced conversion costs to produce ethanol from herbaceous crop residues suggest future viability of the process. Finally, development of a viable livestock feeding industry using some or all of the AFEX-pretreated crop residue increases the profitability of harvesting crop residues for further use.

[1]  Youn-Sang Choi,et al.  Economic feasibility of producing ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks , 2000 .

[2]  R. Elander,et al.  Process and economic analysis of pretreatment technologies. , 2005, Bioresource technology.

[3]  Francis M. Epplin,et al.  Biorefinery Feedstock Production on Conservation Reserve Program Land , 2007 .

[4]  F. Larry Leistritz,et al.  Preliminary Feasibility Analysis For An Integrated Biomaterials And Ethanol Biorefinery Using Wheat Straw Feedstock , 2006 .

[5]  P. A. Vadas,et al.  Economics and Energy of Ethanol Production from Alfalfa, Corn, and Switchgrass in the Upper Midwest, USA , 2008, BioEnergy Research.

[6]  Burton C. English,et al.  The Economic Feasibility of Crop Residues as Auxiliary Fuel in Coal-Fired Power Plants , 1981 .

[7]  Akwasi A. Boateng,et al.  Assessment of straw biomass feedstock resources in the Pacific Northwest. , 2008 .

[8]  S. Oosting,et al.  Effect of ammonia treatment of wheat straw with or without supplementation of potato protein on intake, digestion and kinetics of comminution, rumen degradation and passage in steers , 1994, British Journal of Nutrition.

[9]  Robert C. Brown,et al.  Establishing the optimal sizes of different kinds of biorefineries , 2007 .

[10]  Francis M. Epplin,et al.  Economics of a coordinated biorefinery feedstock harvest system: lignocellulosic biomass harvest cost , 2004 .

[11]  J. Duffield,et al.  Entry of Alternative Fuels in a Volatile U.S. Gasoline Market , 2006 .

[12]  Kelly N. Ibsen,et al.  Lignocellulosic Biomass to Ethanol Process Design and Economics Utilizing Co-Current Dilute Acid Prehydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Corn Stover , 2002 .

[13]  Francis M. Epplin,et al.  Cost to produce and deliver switchgrass biomass to an ethanol-conversion facility in the southern plains of the United States , 1996 .

[14]  Michael J. Ottman,et al.  Durum Grain Quality as Affected by Nitrogen Fertilization near Anthesis and Irrigation During Grain Fill , 2000 .

[15]  R. Huhnke,et al.  Integrative Investment Appraisal of a Lignocellulosic Biomass-to-Ethanol Industry , 2003 .

[16]  Bruce E. Dale,et al.  Technical and Financial Feasibility Analysis of Distributed Bioprocessing Using Regional Biomass Pre-Processing Centers , 2007 .