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Twenty Years of Trials, Tribulations, and Research Progress in Bioethanol Technology

Selected Key Events Along the Way

  • Chapter
Twenty-Second Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals

Part of the book series: ABAB Symposium ((ABAB))

Abstract

The projected cost of ethanol production from cellulosic biomass has been reduced by almost a factor of four over the last 20 yr. Thus, it is now competitive for blending with gasoline, and several companies are working to build the first plants. However, technology development faced challenges at all levels. Because the benefits of bioethanol were not well understood, it was imperative to clarify and differentiate its attributes. Process engineering was invaluable in focusing on promising opportunities for improvements, particularly in light of budget reductions, and in tracking progress toward a competitive goal. Now it is vital for one or more commercial projects to be successful, and improving our understanding of process fundamentals will reduce the time and costs for commercialization. Additionally, the cost of bioethanol must be cut further to be competitive as a pure fuel in the open market, and aggressive technology advances are required to meet this target.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 8000 Cummings Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Charles E. Wyman

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  1. Charles E. Wyman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA

    Brian H. Davison

  2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA

    James McMillan  & Mark Finkelstein  & 

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Wyman, C.E. (2001). Twenty Years of Trials, Tribulations, and Research Progress in Bioethanol Technology. In: Davison, B.H., McMillan, J., Finkelstein, M. (eds) Twenty-Second Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. ABAB Symposium. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-0217-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-0217-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-6667-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-0217-2

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