COVID-19 - a Stepping Stone for a Sustainable Bio-Economy

The Economic shutdown has had two types of impact on our lives - negative & positive. the negative impacts meant loss of jobs, reduction in income, loss of business and in a few cases, complete closure of certain business models. On the other hand, the positive effects are rather long lasting and long awaited such as drastically reduced pollution levels, significantly improved air & water quality, saving of fuels, shift of focus from unhealthy foods to healthy ones, less wastage and an overall contained life. Ofcourse, the pandemic has proved to be a great tribulation to various sectors of society especially the policemen, doctors, administrators, migrant laborers and gig workers, but what we got in return was nothing less than phenomenal - a worldwide detox.

What we need to do now is to take these change of events in our stride and start a new way of life. We need to let go off the previous state of toxicity and adopt a new one - one where emphasis is placed on necessity over extravagance. Now that we have been given an opportunity to amend our ways, one of the key areas for a rethink would be the dependence on fossil fuels. We already know that fossil fuels greatly contributes to environmental pollution and exploitation of nature, yet we continue to do so offsetting health hazards. One should remember that Covid-19 has been known to exacerbate existing respiratory and other health conditions often caused due to toxic air. In fact, according to a research, the death toll in China could have been more had their pollution levels been regular which are way beyond acceptable levels.

Promote Bio fuels

According to a report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD’s) Global Subsidies Initiative and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (Ceew), 56% of India’s energy comes from coal, 36% comes from oil & gas, while a mere 3% comes from renewable energy. The study urges the Union government to use the pandemic as an excuse to calibrate wasteful subsidies and target investment towards renewable fuel schemes to balance our fuel consumption and give an impetus to the ethanol industry. By concentrating more on enhancing and promoting the ethanol production process in India, we will achieve our target of 20% blending in the next 10 years. Not only will using ethanol reduce the cost of procurement and our reliance on imported crude oil, but will also reduce carbon emissions, carbon footprint, create more rural jobs, make good use of sugar mills, and make us self sustainable in the long run.

Turn Waste into Wealth

On the bio-energy front, we can use solid waste that is bio-composted, vermin-composted or anaerobically digested, based on bio-recycling methods. The Bio-energy plant would provide a cost-effective means of generating organic manure and megawatts of bioenergy, respectively. Successfully running biogas programs across our villages and nearly 100MW worth of biomethanation plant across cities such as Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad are proof of their success for Indian conditions. A mandatory drive for household-level waste segregation across urban India would thus be an essential first step.

Just like an occasional fast helps our bodies purge out toxins and regenerate, the This economical detox brought down by COVID-19 will have scrubbed our environment clean and handed us the opportunity for a restart.

Enfinity Technology - The Latest Headway in Biofuel Technology Solutions

It's no secret that the world today is yearning for renewable energy sources that can combat issues like harmful emissions, depleting fossil resources and spiraling fuel prices. Ethanol Industry is being viewed as a viable alternative which is expected to play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for renewable energies and cleaner fuels.

While initiatives are being taken at different levels, the introduction of one of the latest technologies Enfinity is the breakthrough that is likely to take the bio-refinery sector by storm.  Enfinity is the brainchild of Praj Industries which is one of the most trusted names in the bioenergy spectrum, known for delivering the best ethanol plant solutions.

Enfinity Ethanol Technology

Ethanol production process

It is the 2G or second-generation cellulosic ethanol technology that utilizes the available renewable sources for bio-fuel solutions that successfully meet the environmental and energy challenges. The smart Bio-Refinery system based on Enfinity technology is equipped with multi-feed capability and improved biological processing ability.

Unlike the first-generation ethanol production process that depends on food crops, typically corn and sugar cane as raw material, Enfinity uses agricultural wastes like rice husk, palm residue, wheat stalks, corn cobs, and other ligno cellulosic biomass. It utilizes different kinds of enzymes to break these organic wastes into glucose or carbon sugars from which ethanol is extracted. The complete production process encompasses enzymatic hydrolysis, co-fermentation, and distillation and is a thermally integrated system that facilitates optimum energy consumption.

Features of 2G Ethanol Technology

Enzyme Flexibility

●       Proven technology on multiple enzymes

●       High yields with different enzyme strains

Co-Fermentation

Yeast strain for efficient utilization of C5 (pentose) and C6 (hexose) sugars 

●       Higher yield

●       Lower reaction time

●       Higher tolerance to solids

Other HIghlights of the Technology

1.      Optimum Capacity – 1 million liter  per annum

2.      Capability to process multiple feedstock - corn cobs & stover, rice & wheat straw, cane trash, cane bagasse, cotton stalk, empty fruit bunches (EFB)

3.      A holistic approach with an end to end offering; from feedstock processing till end product and wastewater treatment.

4.      Process integration facilitating optimization of energy & water consumption.

5.      Efficient wastewater management with Zero Liquid Discharge system

6.      Operating cost at par with global competition.

7.      The technology is designed to produce Bio-ethanol, Bio-gas with provision for the set-up of Bio-CNG unit

Another Milestone Achieved

Praj Industries has spread its wings far and wide and is a name to reckon with in the global biofuel technology solutions. Its 2G ethanol technology will now be used for USA’s bagasse-based biorefinery. ‘Enfinity’ will be deployed to produce ethanol and other co-products using sugarcane bagasse in the bagasse-based bio-refinery. The bio-refinery will be jointly promoted by Florida based Omega Energy USA, a developer of renewable energy projects, while Louisiana based Lasuca Sugar, a producer of cane sugar, will supply bagasse feedstock. With Enfinity gaining global recognition and acceptance from developed markets like that of USA, it reinforces the position of Praj industries as a global leader in the advanced bio-economy.

Production of Ethanol using Dry Milling .

Ethanol is produced from biomass, primarily by fermenting the glucose derived from sugars obtained from sugar cane, sugar beet, and molasses, or starches obtained from corn, wheat, grains or using cellulose as raw materials. Industrial production of ethanol is majorly carried on using either the wet mill or dry mill process. Wet milling process involves separating the grain kernel into its constituents of germ, fiber, protein, and starch, before fermentation. Whereas in the dry mill process, the entire grain kernel is directly ground into flour. The starch in the flour is converted to ethanol during the fermentation process, creating carbon dioxide and distillers’ grain. In the USA, around 67% of ethanol is produced by the ethanol industry using the dry-grinding process. The various procedure involved in the ‘dry-milling’ process is discussed below.

Mash Formation

Screening is used to remove debris from the grains mass. These filtered kernels are then ground and mixed with water to form a slurry called ‘mash’.

Cooking

The mash is cooked, followed by the addition of enzyme which converts the starch into sugar. Yeast is then added to ferment the sugar which results in a mixture of ethanol and solids. The ethanol is extracted using the distillation & dehydration process. The solid which remains is dried to find its application as a distiller’s dried grain soluble or DDGS. DDGS is popularly used as a high-protein supplement in cattle, swine, poultry, and fish diets. Starch usually comprises of 25-30% amylose and rest is amylopectin. In order to metabolize this starch, yeast is used break it down into glucose, prior to fermentation.

Liquefaction

The slurry is then pumped through a pressurized jet cooker at high temperatures and held for a few minutes. The mixture is then cooled using a condenser. After the condensation cooling, the mixture is held for a few hours at a predefined temperature to give the alpha-amylase enzyme time to break down the starch. The slurry is then heated to reduce viscosity and to provide mechanical shearing to rupture starch molecule, especially of high molecular weight. The mash is further liquefied for at least 30 min to reduce the size of the starch polymer. This dextrinized mash is further cooked to facilitate the addition of glucoamylase to convert liquefied starch into glucose. To accomplish the saccharification of starch to glucose, glucoamylase is added in enough quantity.

Saccharification

Once inside the fermentation tanks, the dextrins are broken down to form simple sugars. Yeast is then added to convert the sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide. The mash is afterward allowed to ferment for 48–72 hours, resulting in a mixture that contains about 10% ethanol as well as the solids from the grain and added yeast.

Fermentation 

After saccharification, cooling is done and mash is transferred to fermenter and yeast is added. The whole process requires 48-72 hours and can concentrate up to 10-12% of ethanol. CO2 released during this process can be captured and sold for the use in carbonated soft drinks, dry ice, and some beverages industries.

Distillation and Dehydration

Distillation is the process of separating ethanol from the solids and water in the mash. The fermented mash is pumped into the distillation columns where additional heat is added. The columns utilize the differences in the boiling points of ethanol and water as a milestone to boil off and separate the ethanol. By the time the product stream is ready to leave the distillation columns, it contains about 95% ethanol by volume. To carry out the separation of the remaining 5% water from ethanol, It is passed through a molecular sieve. This step produces 100% pure ethanol.

DDGS: A Nutritious Yet Inexpensive Addition to Poultry Feed

The rising cost and declining supply of conventional grains have made way for researching newer methods of poultry food production which are cheaper but have better nutritional value. As such, Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles  (DDGS) is a significant alternative.  DDGS is a co-product of Bioenergy plant which uses grains for bioethanol production. The ethanol production requires yeast fermentation as one of the processes. In this process, the corn is ground and mixed with water. It is then cooked to generate liquified starch. This starch is fermented to produce ethanol and CO2. The non-fermentable components of this process which are rich in essential nutrients such as protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals are recovered in a highly concentrated form as Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles or more commonly, DDGS.

Benefits of DDGS

As demand for animal stock increases, it becomes important to employ all possible and feasible options for DDGS production. Corn by-products which are considered waste in the ethanol industry can be used as one of the animal feed ingredients. There are many benefits of DDGS as explained below

l High Nutritional Value:

The DDGS obtained from different sources such as corn, rice, wheat, sorghum is highly nutritious for livestock and poultry, out of which corn DDGS is the most preferred for poultry. Corn DDGS has high nutritional consisting of protein, amino acids, phosphorus, and other nutrients.  Poultry fed with DDGS has a better feed intake, feed conversion ratio, body weight, and body weight gain. DDGS also improves the nutrient content of meat and egg by adding omega-3 fatty acids to it, which are good for heart patients. Also, since DDGS contains phosphorous, the consumption of phosphorous increases, in turn, decreasing the need to dump it into the earth, thus reducing pollution.

l Easy availability: 

Since ethanol is now produced on a large scale, the availability of DDGS is abundant throughout the cycle. Since it is a waste, it is cheaply and readily available. Besides, it is an effective replacement of soya and corn in the poultry diet as the price of soya is very high and often fluctuates. Plus, corn is available throughout the year.

l A healthier diet for chickens:

The use of high-quality corn DDGS in layer hens diets is an excellent partial replacement for corn, soybean meal and inorganic phosphate and encourages excellent layer performance and egg quality. When added to the diet of laying hens, it accounts for 30% of the egg protein content eliminating the need for synthetic supplements.  The high xanthophylls content in DDGS improves egg quality including the color of the egg yolk and regulates the oleic and linoleic acid content. For broilers, it provides them with better performance when added to their diet. Reportedly, the weight of broilers was increased by up to 5% after consuming small but regular quantities of DDGS.

A Few Constraints:

Ethanol byproducts are high in sulphate which risks toxicity when fed large amounts of DDGS. Also, the high concentration of sulfate may result in central nervous system disorders. However, chemical treatments can be performed to detoxify. Also, the DDGS procured from distilleries may contain copper. However, Copper is not an issue in the industrial ethanol production. The only challenge now is to prevent industrial contamination for safe usage of DDGS in poultry.