Cellulosic ethanol still far off, consultant says

07 May 2008 19:16  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--Cellulosic ethanol production will one day be a reality, but large-scale production of the biofuel will not be available for at least another 20 years, a consultant said on Wednesday.

While the technology to produce ethanol from non-edible biomass already exists, the issue now is to make the product economically viable, said Pincas Jawetz, secretary-general of Sustainabilitank, a think-tank for alternative energy sources.

“It is one thing to make something in a laboratory, but another to produce it in large scale,” the consultant said on the sidelines of a biofuels event in New York.

The US is touting cellulosic ethanol as a means to meet a mammoth 36bn gal/year mandate for consumption of alternative fuels set for 2022. Of that amount, at least 16bn gal must be made from cellulosic feedstock under a bill signed in December 2007.

The US now produces ethanol solely from corn.

Biofuels critics claim corn is a poor feedstock for ethanol because of the low energy yield it has compared with sugarcane, the feedstock used for ethanol in Brazil.

US emphasis on cellulosic ethanol research is positive, Jawetz said, adding, however, that a better short-term solution for the US would be to eliminate its tariff on Brazilian ethanol imports.

“It would probably make a lot of people unhappy,” he said, referring to fears in the US ethanol industry that the cheaper product from Brazil will put pressure on US ethanol prices.

The US levies a 54-cent/gal duty on imports from Brazil.

Jawestz acknowledged that tax-free imports could pressure US ethanol prices, but he said competition from Brazil would also help improve long-term efficiency in the US industry.

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By: William Lemos
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