The potential for sustainable bioethanol production in Serbia: available biomass and new production approaches

Abstract

Bioethanol has become one of the most promising biofuels today in response to uncertain fuel supplies and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The biofuels are easily available from common biomass sources, biodegradable and contribute to sustainability. In Serbia, the industrial production of bioethanol still relies on conventional energy crops containing starch and sugar such as corn, wheat and triticale, which are the most suitable and available agricultural raw materials. The preview of bioethanol production possibilities and available feedstocks in Serbia are presented in this study. Several production approaches based on crop selection, process integration and waste utilization were also considered in order to increase production efficiency and to avoid the competition of the feedstock utilization for food and energy. Utilization of corn, wheat and triticale (plant resistant to severe climate and soil conditions) were investigated for bioethanol production as well as utilization of damaged crops (e.g. wheat) that are not appropriate for food consumption. Also, utilization of the stillage for the production of lactic acid could also improve the bioethanol production. The economy of bioethanol production was analyzed in order to decrease the production costs and make this biofuel competitive with fossil fuels. The analysis has compared the cost of bioethanol produced from three crops that can be cultivated in Serbia: corn, wheat, and triticale, and the triticale has shown as the most favourable.