Critical analysis of techno-economic estimates for the production cost of lignocellulosic bio-ethanol

Simon Chovau, David Degrauwe and Bart Van der Bruggen

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2013, vol. 26, issue C, 307-321

Abstract: Bio-ethanol has been claimed to be a green and sustainable alternative to gasoline. The use of food crops on a large scale is ethically unacceptable, but lignocellulosic ethanol has potential to become an alternativfe transportation fuel. This relates to technical issues, and to the eventual cost of bio-ethanol, which requires determination of an absolute production cost. The minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) estimated in different studies varies between $234 and $1210 per m³ ethanol ($0.89 and $4.58 per gallon), although often the same processing methods are assumed. This entails uncertainties about the potential of bio-ethanol from lignocellulosic sources.

Keywords: Lignocellulosic ethanol; Techno-economics; Corn stover; Target costing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2013.05.064

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