Checmical Engineering Senior Design Project

Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol

The Team:

Barbara Korda, Chemical Engineering, 2008
Amanda Rogers, Chemical Engineering, 2008
Kelsea Wilks, Chemical Engineering, 2008
Natalia Malantchouk, Chemical Engineering, 2008

Summary:

Due to the rise in crude oil prices and concerns over global warming over the past few decades, considerable research has been done to find an alternative energy source other than fossil fuel. Ethanol, as a fuel source, has been in major production for several years and has been primarily produced from corn. A variety of other sources are also in use, but in much smaller quantities. All of the sources that are currently used to make ethanol utilize the starches in the biomass and convert them to sugars which are then fermented into ethanol. Since starches are a necessary part of the human diet, the use of these sources, especially corn, has put a strain on agriculture to produce more. Due to its recently high demand, corn prices have risen substantially, and protests have been seen due to the increases in prices on numerous products that are dependent on corn. Although it is a relatively well established technology, the use of corn’s starch to produce ethanol is not efficient and the United States does not have the capability to produce all the ethanol it would need to replace its crude oil demand. These two factors have motivated researchers to find a biomass source that is efficient and does not compete with human food sources.

The biomass sources of today utilize only the starches of the plants, which are easily hydrolyzed and converted into sugars. Biomass sources consist of three major components, which are cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin, but some sources also contain starches.

Due to unfavorable economical situations, developing countries that are suffering fuel shortages now will continue to do so even more in the future. This provides a need for an EWB Research Project to provide a solution for a low-cost, low-risk and sustainable method for production of fuel using sources available to communities in rain-forest tropics. The research aims to investigate seeds of tayota, a vegetable grown in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, as well as wheat straw and algae.

In the Spring of 2007, a team of Chemical Engineers consisting of Lorrie Brabender, Yen Cheng, Teo Demetriades, and Brian Marks started a research project to investigate bioconversion of lignocellulose to ethanol under the supervision of Professor Lawal. The team has run a set of acid hydrolysis experiments to determine the optimal conditions for the digestion of cellulose and hemi-cellulose by varying the temperature and acid concentrations.

In the Spring of 2008, a follow-up team of Chemical Engineers consisting of Barbara Korda, Amanda Rogers, Kelsea Wilks and Natalia Malantchouk will continue the project by establishing optimum conditions for sugar fermentation into ethanol.

The progress of research will be reported throughout the semester.

* As with any pictures on this website, simply hover your cursor over the picture for more information