CORN FERMENTATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

Bio-fuels are prominent in current discussions both as a solution to problems and as a creator of problems. They have promise as a substitute for fossil fuels, particularly petroleum as the raw material for transportation fuel. But bio-fuels also have pitfalls, especially when produced at a scale sufficient to replace a significant proportion of the world's use of petroleum. This controversial topic has attracted great political, economic and social attention because of its touching interest of the world significance during recent years.

This study focuses on the implication and relevance of corn fermentation on bio-fuel production with basic emphasis on bio ethanol which has gained special world recognition as it concerns it's utilization as an energy source in automobiles; it also addresses issues in the technology of producing raw materials for bio-fuels, which is the maize (corn) grain in this case and converting these raw materials into bio-fuels; resource constraints facing expansion of bio-fuel production and the demand for fuels. Special attention is given to the bio-fuel types that are used today or can be used in the future, their properties and characteristics and focuses on the evaluation and main economics, environmental and social impacts of bio-fuels measuring the pros and cons of their use in energy production the future of bio-fuels is also discussed.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Certification                                                                                                                           i                        

Dedication                                                                                                                              ii

Acknowledgement                                                                                                                 iii

Abstract                                                                                                                                 iv

Table of Contents                                                                                                                    v

CHAPTER ONE

1.1 Introduction                                                                                                                     1

1.2 Bio-fuels: Historical Perspective                                                                                    1

1.3 Maize and the Maize plant                                                                                             3

1.4 Fermentation and Fermenters                                                                                       9

1.5 Key Distinctions between Bio-fuels and Hydrocarbon Based Fuels                           15

CHAPTER TWO

2.1 Bio-Fuels                                                                                                                          17

2.2 Categories of Bio-Fuels                                                                                                   17

2.3 Bio-Fuels Production Technology                                                                                 19

2.4 Bio-Fuels: Sources and Extraction                                                                                21

2.5 Fed-Batch Simultaneous Saccharification and Ethanol Fermentation Of Corn       26

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CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Economic Impacts of Bio-fuels Production                                                                  28

3.2 Environmental Impacts of Bio-fuels Production                                                          29

3.3 Social Impacts of Bio-fuels Production                                                                         31

3.4 Barriers Affecting Bio-fuels Trade and Sustainable Development                            32

3.5 New Technologies in Bio-ethanol Production                                                               35

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 Limitations of Bio-Ethanol Production                                                                         38

4.2 Conclusion                                                                                                                       38

      References                                                                                                                         40

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: A Mature Maize Plant                                                                                     6

FIGURE 2: Simplified Scheme (a) Batch (b) Fed-batch (c) Continuous Cultivation     12

FIGURE 3: Diagram of a Fermenter: Three Multi-bladed Impellers                             15

FIGURE 4: Sources of Main Liquid Bio-fuels for Automobiles                                      25

FIGURE 5: Flow Chart for the Production of Bio-ethanol from Cereal Grain             27

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