Abstract
Pilot plants and large-scale facilities that convert lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol have existed since the early 1900s. Early plants relied on acid conversion of cellulose to glucose while current research is focussed on both acid and encymatic conversion technology. This chapter briefly reviews acid and enzymatic conversion technology and some of the many pilot plants that have been builtfor converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Operating conditions, equipment used, and key results obtained are given for each pilot plant. The newer pilot plants are generally more flexible, highly instrumented, and able to investigate alternative process configurations that are the older plants. This should lead to more rapid commercialization of the technology in the near future.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization |
| Editors | C. E. Wyman |
| Pages | 381-394 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CH-423-6947