Ethanol was first produced thousands of years ago by fermentation of carbohydrates and in some countries large volumes are still produced by this method. Synthetic alcohol was first produced industrially in the 1930s by indirect catalytic hydration of ethylene but suffered from disadvantages such as corrosion from the large volumes of sulphuric acid handled and the energy required for concentration.
This route has been superseded by direct gas phase hydration of ethylene. The reaction is carried out at high temperature and pressure in a fixed bed reactor containing a phosphoric acid catalyst.
Alternative synthetic processes based on methanol or synthesis gas feedstocks have been developed. The synthesis gas is converted to methanol which is carbonylated to acetic acid. The acid formed is esterified with methanol to methyl acetate which is then hydrolysed to methanol and ethanol. Alternatively, the acetic acid can be hydrolysed directly to ethanol.
Fermentation ethanol processes based on starch or sugar-based feedstocks such as corn and sugar cane are being used to meet the demand for ethanol as a fuel. There are two production processes: wet milling and dry milling. In 2006, dry mill ethanol facilities accounted for 82% of US production and wet mills were 18%.
The main difference between the two processes is in the initial treatment of the grain and the feed co-products. In the wet mill process, instead of initially grinding the corn, it is soaked or "steeped" to separate the grain into its many parts.
The starch is fermented into ethanol, similar to the dry mill process, or processed into corn starch or corn syrup. The germ is processed for corn oil. The fibre and concentrated steeping liquid are co-dried and sold as corn gluten feed to the livestock industry. The gluten (protein) is dried to produce gluten meal, a highly sought after feed ingredient for poultry.
An increasing amount of ethanol is produced from non-traditional feedstocks such as waste products from the beverage, food and forestry industries. In the near future, ethanol will be produced from agricultural residues such as ricestraw, sugar cane bagasse and corn stover, municipal solid waste, and energy crops such as switchgrass.
Ethanol
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Ethanol
Uses and Outlook
The use of ethanol as a fuel is seeing tremendous growth driven by changes in legislation. In North America, demand for fuel ethanol is already growing rapidly, mainly driven by the replacement of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) which has been eliminated from gasoline as an additive. In Europe, the use of bioethanol (ethanol from fermentation) in fuel has had a slow start but is still expected to grow rapidly.
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