Feasibility study of biofuel conversion from cellulosic waste in Singapore

• Main Author: Chen, Ernest JianYou.
• Other Authors: Alastair Campbell Ritchie
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Alternative, renewable energy sources
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15673
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In 2008, crude oil reached a peak of US$147 per barrel. This sudden increase in price caught the world by surprise, pushing many countries to search for alternative sources of energy. In addition, a rising world population and growing affluence in China and India, is driving an exponentially increasing demand for energy. This growing demand for energy is depleting the fossil fuel resources of the world, and releasing enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. By many estimates, fossil fuel reserves will be exhausted in around 170 years. Renewable energy sources are therefore needed urgently. Biofuels are particularly important for applications where energy density is a vital consideration, such as transportation. While there is some controversy over the use of food sources to make ethanol (the food vs. fuel debate), there is no doubt that production of bioethanol from biomass will provide sustainable fuel while reducing pollution. Second generation biofuels from non-food crops have shown similar or even greater potential as a sustainable source of energy. In this project, the case for production of ethanol from cellulosic waste is examined, taking into account the supply of cellulosic feedstock, energy demand, technology, and the market for ethanol. Increasing prices of petroleum gasoline for private cars, and appropriate technology development, will make the production of bio-ethanol from cellulosic wastes viable in the near future.