Renewable and sustainable fuel production from woody biomass

Abstract

Bioethanol has been produced from woody biomass (Neem wood saw dust) and the work has been extended to check the feasibility of Honge oil methyl ester (HOME)-bioethanol blends. Based on the experimental results, 11.8 g/L glucose is obtained with H₂SO₄ acid hydrolysis at 120°C reaction temperature, 2% H₂SO₄ concentration and 120 min reaction time for pretreated biomass. The results for batch fermentation show that pH 4.5, temperature 30°C and incubation period of 72 h are found to be favourable for producing maximum bioethanol. Based on the results obtained on HOME-Bioethanol blends, bioethanol from woody biomass has been found to be feasible to use in blend form.