(Energy Business Review) The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded funding of £1.15m to Robert Gordon University (RGU) and University of St Andrews researchers for a project to investigate photocatalytic bioethanol production.
The four-year project is aimed at finding a cost effective, environmentally friendly way to produce bioethanol from agricultural, forestry or industrial waste products by utilising solar energy.
The project will use substantial quantities of fibrous waste including cellulose rich straw or recovered paper available within the UK rather than using food crops such as sugar cane.
…
“What we are proposing is the production of bioethanol from cellulosic waste using photocatalysis combined with the fermentation process in a single reactor.
“Photocatalysis – the use of a catalyst to accelerate a photoreaction by generating free radicals – will be used to release sugars from the cellulose which will then pass through a semi-permeable membrane before being fermented to yield bioethanol,” RGU researchers added.
The research program calls for the targeted design and synthesis of novel catalysts to achieve the maximum quantity of fermentable sugars; the screening of microbes for maximum production of bioethanol; and the design, fabrication, testing and optimisation of a reactor in which the entire process will be pursued. READ MORE