An integrated systems approach to reducing energy inputs while maximizing conversion to ethanol from alternative feedstocks

Alternative fuel production is of increasing interest throughout the US and the world as cost and demand increase while fossil fuel supplies decrease on a global scale. The state of Arizona presents a unique situation as this state has an abundance of sunny days which provide an ideal environment for the growth of plants that could be utilized as feedstocks for production of fuels. A system is designed to primarily produce ethanol from biorenewable feedstocks in a sustainable manner that requires low inputs of nutrients, energy, and water. The optimization of ethanol production from sweet sorghum and/or algae was studied. Fermentation results and a preliminary optimization strategy for balancing production costs were presented. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting (Salt Lake, UT 11/4-9/2007).