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Detailed material balance and ethanol yield calculations for the biomass-to-ethanol conversion process

  • Session 3 Bioprocessing Research
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Abstract

Applying material balance calculations to the evaluation and optimization of lignocellulosic biomass conversion processes is fundamentally important. The lack of a general framework for material balance calculations and inconsistent compositional analysis data have made it difficult to compare results from different research groups. Material balance templates have been developed to follow accurately the distribution of carbon in lignocellulosic substrates through the pretreatment and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes, and provide information on overall carbon recovery, recovery of individual sugars, and solubilization of biomass components. Based on material balance considerations, we developed equations that allow us to compute overall ethanol yields for biochemical conversion of biomass correctly.

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Abbreviations

C-mol:

amount (mass) of a substance containing 1 mol of the element carbon (g)

[C5]:

concentration of pentose sugars in hydrolysate (g / L)

[C6]:

concentration of hexose sugars in hydrolysate (g/L)

dL :

density of liquor (SSF or hydrolysate) (g/L)

[E]:

ethanol concentration (g/L)

fs :

fraction of insoluble solids (g insoluble solids / g slurry)

Lf :

mass-loss factor of insoluble solids from pretreatment (g pretreated solids/g raw solids)

m:

mass of whole slurry (g)

mL :

mass of liquid phase (g)

ms :

mass of insoluble solids (g)

QC5 :

mass fraction of pentose sugars in raw substrate (g/g dry mass)

QC6 :

mass fraction of hexose sugars in raw substrate (g/g dry mass)

YE :

ethanol yield (g/100 g hexose sugar)

L:

liquid-phase composition or mass

max:

maximal potential yield

0:

raw substrate or beginning of SSF (t = 0)

p:

substrate or solids compositions after pretreatment

s:

solids composition or mass.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioprocess Development Branch, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 1617 Cole Boulevard, 80401, Golden, CO

    Christos Hatzis & George P. Philippidis

  2. Analysis and Project Management Branch, Alternative Fuels Division, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 1617 Cole Boulevard, 80401, Golden, CO

    Cynthia Riley

Authors
  1. Christos Hatzis
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  2. Cynthia Riley
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  3. George P. Philippidis
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Hatzis, C., Riley, C. & Philippidis, G.P. Detailed material balance and ethanol yield calculations for the biomass-to-ethanol conversion process. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 57, 443–459 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02941725

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