DEPartment of Biological and Ecological Engineering

DEPartment of Biological and Ecological Engineering

Contact Information:

G.S. Murthy, Asst. Professor,

122 Gilmore Hall, Biological and Ecological Engineering

Oregon State University

Corvallis OR 97331-3906

Phone: 541-737-6291 Fax: 541-737-2082 E-mail: murthy@engr.orst.edu

Advanced Bioproduct Systems: Ethanol production

Description

Bioethanol is one of the important alternatives to fossil fuels. We will cover the preprocessing, postprocessing and fermentation technologies in ethanol production.  Influence of feedstock composition and process technologies on ethanol and coproducts will be discussed. Process simulation using SuperPro Designer will be introduced for modeling ethanol production process.

Course Objectives

             After completion of the course, students will be able to:

· Outline key processes in ethanol production from biobased feedstocks.

· Differentiate starch and cellulose based ethanol processing technologies.

· Describe effects of process conditions and  analytical techniques used in ethanol production.

· Develop process models for various ethanol production pathways.

 

Topics Covered

· Overview of biobased economy: introduction, bioethanol, emphasis on systems analysis and sustainability.  (1 lecture)

· Feedstocks: availability, chemical and physical properties; starch, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin composition. (2 lectures)

· Fermentation technologies for ethanol production: an overview of yeast, novel pentose fermenting yeasts and microorganisms, enzymes, effect of process conditions and a summary of analytical techniques used. (3 lectures)

                                                                 Exam I  (28^th January, 2009)

· Process Modeling and Analysis: Intorduction to process modeling, heat and mass balances, andeconomic analysis using SuperPro. Process calculations for ethanol production process. (3 lectures)

· Economic Analysis: introduction to economic analysis. (1 lectures)

· Ethanol production from starch based feedstocks: unit operations, SSF, distillation and postprocessing and utilization of coproducts. (3 lectures)

                                                                 Exam II (25^th February, 2009)

· Ethanol production from lignose, hemicellulose and cellulosic feedstocks: pretreatment technologies, hydrolysis, fermentation, and postprocessing and utilization of coproducts. (4 lectures)

                                                                 Exam II (4^th March, 2009)

· Summary: state of the art and future outlook. (1 lecture)

· Final Project: process model development in SuperPro. (2 lectures)

                                                                  

Course Format

Weekly 2 hour lectures, class tests, take home exams and review of journal articles.

Course Schedule and Location

Winter, 2009; Wednesday, 11.00-12.50 pm; 275 Weigner Hall.

Registration Information

BEE 699 2 Credit Hour. Winter, 2009. CRN 38076

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