Abstract
The purpose of project is to study the possibility for Borås Energy & Environment to build and run a commercial ethanol production facility in Borås. The project also studies the technology for the production of ethanol using renewable energy, e.g. lignocelluloses with focus on two processes, svag-syra hydrolyse and enzymatic hydrolyse. The technology of the process is based of hydrolysation of biomass (hemicelluloses and cellulose) to sugar and extract it to ethanol. These two techniques will compare with each other to determine which of them that it’s more suitable for ethanol production. Also a comparison will be made and determine which of them that it’s economic favourable and suitable to integrate with a thermal power plant. A structure plan over different process steps of the ethanol facility have been made and will be describing in this report. The sizes of the ethanol facility have two alternatives been proposed. The first alternative is to build a facility with a production of 200 000 m3 ethanol each year. The second alternative is to build a facility with a production of 400 000 m3 ethanol each year.
The design of this hydrolysation process is more complicated compare with other processes that use grain in theirs ethanol production. Both of the techniques are still under development and so far have any full-scale ethanol production been built. Etek Etanolteknik AB in Örnsköldsvik has recently built a pilot using the svag-syra technique to produce ethanol by lignocelluloses. The purpose of pilot is to develop a commercial technique for the production of ethanol that can be use in a facility.
Data receives from analyses have been used in the calculation of material- and energy- balance, which create an overview on the facility. The performance of the difference process steps have been analysed and the results used in the economical calculation. After haven analysed all the data, results, economic costs and put them together and the investment cost for the facility has been estate mated. The investment cost for a facility with production of 200 000 m3 ethanol/year estate mated to cost 1, 18 billions SEK for svag-syra process and 2, 85 billions SEK for enzymatic process. And the investment cost for a facility with production of 400 000 m3 ethanol/year estate mated to cost 1, 94 billions SEK for svag-syra process and 5, 22 billions SEK for enzymatic process.
Out of these four alternatives the most economical alternative is to build a facility applied with svag-syra process and a production of 400 000 m3 ethanol/year. A facility like this one can a huge profit been earned and also the payback time is short. But the economic aspect it’s not always that important. Due a facility applied with enzymatic process is in present not economic profitable compared with svag-syra process, but there is still an opportunity for the facility to gain profit. In long-term building a facility applied with enzymatic process can be more economical compare with svag-syra process. The cost of equipments for svag-syra process is much higher than for enzymatic process. The reason is the svag-syra process equipments expose for harsh environment e.g. acid attack, oxidation, and corrosion and have to been changed more often.
The price on produced ethanol will be put to 5 SEK/litre so the facility can gain profit. Besides ethanol that pro...
