Bioethanol from poplar: a commercially viable alternative to fossil fuel in the European Union

Biotechnology for Biofuels

Jade Littlewood¹  Miao Guo¹  Wout Boerjan²  Richard J Murphy³ 

[1] Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK

[2] Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Gent, Belgium

[3] Centre for Environmental Strategy, Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK

关键词: Bioethanol;    Techno-economic;    European Union;    Short-rotation coppice poplar;    Cellulosic biofuels;   

Others  :  1084776
DOI  :  10.1186/1754-6834-7-113

 received in 2013-12-22, accepted in 2014-07-09,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The European Union has made it a strategic objective to develop its biofuels market in order to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to help mitigate climate change and to address energy insecurity within the transport sector. Despite targets set at national and supranational levels, lignocellulosic bioethanol production has yet to be widely commercialized in the European Union. Here, we use techno-economic modeling to compare the price of bioethanol produced from short rotation coppice (SRC) poplar feedstocks under two leading processing technologies in five European countries.

Results

Our evaluation shows that the type of processing technology and varying national costs between countries results in a wide range of bioethanol production prices (€0.275 to 0.727/l). The lowest production prices for bioethanol were found in countries that had cheap feedstock costs and high prices for renewable electricity. Taxes and other costs had a significant influence on fuel prices at the petrol station, and therefore the presence and amount of government support for bioethanol was a major factor determining the competitiveness of bioethanol with conventional fuel. In a forward-looking scenario, genetically engineering poplar with a reduced lignin content showed potential to enhance the competitiveness of bioethanol with conventional fuel by reducing overall costs by approximately 41% in four out of the five countries modeled. However, the possible wider phenotypic traits of advanced poplars needs to be fully investigated to ensure that these do not unintentionally negate the cost savings indicated.

Conclusions

Through these evaluations, we highlight the key bottlenecks within the bioethanol supply chain from the standpoint of various stakeholders. For producers, technologies that are best suited to the specific feedstock composition and national policies should be optimized. For policymakers, support schemes that benefit emerging bioethanol producers and allow renewable fuel to be economically competitive with petrol should be established. Finally, for researchers, better control over plant genetic engineering and advanced breeding and its consequential economic impact would bring valuable contributions towards developing an economically sustainable bioethanol market within the European Union.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Littlewood et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 1.

Figure 4.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Schroten A, van Essen H, Warringa G, Bolech M, Smokers R, Fraga F: Cost effectiveness of policies and options for decarbonising transport. In EU Transport GHG: Routes to 2050?. Edited by European Commission. Brussels: European Commission; 2011.
• [2]Pelkmans L, Govaerts L, Kessels K: Inventory of biofuel policy measures and their impact on the market. In Biofuel policies for dynamic markets. Edited by Elobio. Elobio; 2008.
• [3]Uslu A, Bole T, Londo M, Pelkmans L, Berndes G, Prieler S, Fischer G, Cabal HC: Reconciling biofuels, sustainability and commodities demand - Pitfalls and policy options. In Biofuel policies for dynamic markets. Edited by Elobio. Elobio; 2010.
• [4]Jung A, Dörrenberg P, Rauch A, Thöne M: Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in the European Union - 2010 Update. In Biofuels - At what cost?. Edited by International Institute for Sustainable Development. Geneva: International Institute for Sustainable Development;
• [5]Havlík P, Schneider UA, Schmid E, Böttcher H, Fritz S, Skalský R, Aoki K, Cara SD, Kindermann G, Kraxner F, Leduc S, McCallum I, Mosnier A, Sauer T, Obersteiner M: Global land-use implications of first and second generation biofuel targets. Energy Policy 2011, 39:5690-5702.
• [6]Sannigrahi P, Ragauskas AJ, Tuskan GA: Poplar as a feedstock for biofuels: a review of compositional characteristics. Biofuels, Bioprod Bioref 2010, 4:209-226.
• [7]Joyce PJ: Using scenario-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the present and future environmental impact of bioethanol production from genetically improved Poplar wood in the EU. London: Imperial College London, Faculty of Natural Sciences; 2010.
• [8]Coaloa D, Nervo G: Poplar wood production in Europe on account of market criticalities and agricultural, forestry and energy policy. In Tercer Congreso Internacional de Salicáceas en Argentina. Argentina; 2010.
• [9]Wyman CE, Dale BE, Elander RT, Holtzapple M, Ladisch MR, Lee YY, Mitchinson C, Saddler JN: Comparative sugar recovery and fermentation data following pretreatment of poplar wood by leading technologies. Am Inst Chem Eng 2009, 25:333-339.
• [10]Wyman CE, Dale BE, Elander RT, Holtzapple M, Ladisch MR, Lee YY: Coordinated development of leading biomass pretreatment technologies. Bioresour Technol 2005, 96:1959-1966.
• [11]Schütt F, Jürgen P, Saake B: Optimization of steam pretreatment conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis of poplar wood. Holzforschung 2011, 65:453-459.
• [12]Negro M, Manzanares P, Ballesteros I, Oliva J, Cabañas A, Ballesteros M: Hydrothermal pretreatment conditions to enhance ethanol production from poplar biomass. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2003, 105:87-100.
• [13]Kim Y, Mosier NS, Ladisch MR: Enzymatic digestion of liquid hot water pretreated hybrid poplar. Biotechnol Prog 2009, 25:340-348.
• [14]Chen F, Dixon RA: Lignin modification improves fermentable sugar yields for biofuel production. Nat Biotechnol 2007, 252:759-761.
• [15]Simmons BA, Loque D, Blanch HW: Next-generation biomass feedstocks for biofuel production. Genome Biol 2008, 9:242.
• [16]Leplé J-C, Dauwe R, Morreel K, Storme V, Lapierre C, Pollet B, Naumann A, Kang K-Y, Kim H, Ruel K, Lefèbvre A, Joseleau J-P, Grima-Pettenati J, De Rycke R, Andersson-Gunnerås S, Erban A, Fehrle I, Petit-Conil M, Kopka J, Polle A, Messens E, Sundberg B, Mansfield SD, Ralph R, Pilate G, Boerjan W: Downregulation of cinnamoyl-coenzyme A reductase in Poplar: multiple-level phenotyping reveals effects on cell wall polymer metabolism and structure. Plant Cell 2007, 19:3669-3691.
• [17]Vanholme R, Storme V, Vanholme B, Sundin L, Christensen JH, Goeminne G, Halpin C, Rohde A, Morreel K, Boerjan W: A systems biology view of the plant’s response to lignin perturbations. Plant Cell 2012, 24:3506-3529.
• [18]Bjurhager I, Olsson A-M, Zhang B, Gerber L, Kumar M, Berglund LA, Burgert I, Sundberg B, Salmén L: Ultrastructure and mechanical properties of Populus wood with reduced lignin content caused by transgenic down-regulation of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase. Biomacromolecules 2010, 11:2359-2365.
• [19]Van Acker R, Vanholme R, Storme V, Mortimer JC, Dupree P, Boerjan W: Lignin biosynthesis perturbations affect secondary cell wall composition and saccharification yield in Arabidopsis thaliana. Biotechnol Biofuels 2013, 6:46.
• [20]Hisano H, Nandakumar R, Wang Z-Y: Genetic modification of lignin biosynthesis for improved biofuel production. Vitro Cell Dev Biol - Plant 2009, 45:306-313.
• [21]Vanholme R, Morreel K, Darrah C, Oyarce P, Grabber JH, Ralph J, Boerjan W: Metabolic engineering of novel lignin in biomass crops. New Phytol 2012, 196:978-1000.
• [22]Wilkerson CG, Mansfield SD, Lu F, Withers S, Park J-Y, Karlen SD, Gonzales-Vigil E, Padmakshan D, Unda F, Rencoret J, Ralph J: Monolignol ferulate transferase introduces chemically labile linkages into the lignin backbone. Science 2014, 344:90-93.
• [23]Mansfield SD, Kang K-Y, Chapple C: Designed for deconstruction - poplar trees altered in cell wall lignification improve the efficacy of bioethanol production. New Phytol 2012, 194:91-101.
• [24]Dinus RJ, Payne P, Sewell MM, Chiang VL, Tuskan GA: Genetic modification of short rotation popular wood: properties for ethanol fuel and fiber productions. Crit Rev Plant Sci 2001, 201:51-69.
• [25]Vanholme R, Van Acker R, Boerjan W: Potential of Arabidopsis systems biology to advance the biofuel field. Trends Biotechnol 2010, 28:543-547.
• [26]Van Acker R, Leplé J-C, Aerts D, Storme V, Goeminne G, Ivens B, Légée F, Lapierre C, Piens K, Van Montagu MCE, Santoro N, Foster CE, Ralph J, Soetaert W, Pilate G, Boerjan W: Improved saccharification and ethanol yield from field-grown transgenic poplar deficient in cinnamoyl-CoA reductase. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2013, 111:845-850.
• [27]Gnansounou E, Dauriat A: Techno-economic analysis of lignocellulosic ethanol: a review. Bioresour Technol 2010, 101:4980-4991.
• [28]Huang H-J, Ramaswamy S, Al-Dajani W, Tschirner U, Cairncross RA: Effect of biomass species and plant size on cellulosic ethanol: a comparative process and economic analysis. Biomass Bioenergy 2009, 33:234-246.
• [29]Hamelinck CN, Hooijdonk G, Faaij APC: Ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass: techno-economic performance in short-, middle- and long-term. Biomass Bioenergy 2005, 28:384-410.
• [30]Ragwitz M, Winkler J, Klessmann C, Gephart M, Resch G: Recent developments of feed-in systems in the EU - A research paper for the International Feed-In Cooperation. Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Bonn: Ministry for the Environment; 2012.
• [31]Ericson K: Electricity Certificate Market. Harmonized Market for Sweden and Norway. Edited by Invest Sweden. Sweden: Agency for Foreign Investment; 2010.
• [32]European Commission Oil Bulletin [http://ec.europa.eu/energy/observatory/oil/bulletin_en.htm webcite]
• [33]Baldi S: Italian biofuels. In Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) Report. Edited by Dever J. Rome: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service; 2011.
• [34]Coleman HD, Park J-Y, Nair R, Chapple C, Mansfield SD: RNAi-mediated suppression of p-coumaroyl-CoA 3'-hydroxylase in hybrid poplar impacts lignin deposition and soluble secondary metabolism. PNAS 2008, 105:4501-4506.
• [35]Bonawitz ND, Kim JI, Tobimatsu Y, Ciesielski PN, Anderson NA, Ximenes E, Maeda J, Ralph J, Donohoe BS, Ladisch M, Chapple C: Disruption of Mediator rescues the stunted growth of a lignin-deficient Arabidopsis mutant. Nature 2014, 509:376-380.
• [36]Bonawitz N, Chapple C: Can genetic engineering of lignin deposition be accomplished without an unacceptable yield penalty? Curr Opin Biotechnol 2013, 24:336-343.
• [37]Kitin P, Voelker SL, Meinzer FC, Beeckman H, Strauss SH, Lachenbruch B: Tyloses and phenolic deposits in xylem vessels impede water transport in low-lignin transgenic poplars: a study by cryo-fluorescence microscopy. Plant Physiol 2010, 154:887-898.
• [38]Studer MH, DeMartini JD, Davis MF, Sykes RW, Davison B, Keller M, Tuskan GA, Wyman CE: Lignin content in natural Populus variants affects sugar release. PNAS 2011, 108:6300-6305.
• [39]US Department of Energy: Biomass feedstock composition and property database. Washington DC: US Department of Energy; 2004. [14th May 2004 edition]
• [40]Humbird D, David R, Tao L, Kinchin C, Hsu D, Aden A, Schoen P, Lukas J, Olthof B, Worley M, Sexton D, Dudgeon D: Process design and economics for biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Colorado; 2011.
• [41]Sulphuric acid expected to remain tight on high demand [http://www.icis.com/Articles/2011/01/03/9422596/outlook-11-sulphuric-acid-expected-to-remain-tight-on-high-demand.html webcite]
• [42]DAP fertilizer monthly price [http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=dap-fertilizer&months=60 webcite]
• [43]Kazi FK, Fortman J, Anex R, Kothandaraman G, Hsu D, Aden A, Dutta A: Techno-economic analysis of biochemical scenarios for production of cellulosic ethanol. National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL: Colorado; 2010.
• [44]US chlor-alkali is benefiting from natural gas as more cost-competitive US PVC enters the export market [http://www.icis.com/Articles/2011/06/20/9470803/us-chlor-alkali-to-benefit-from-shale-gas.html webcite]
• [45]Wang L, Sharifzadeh M, Templer R, Murphy RJ: Technology performance and economic feasibility of bioethanol production from various waste papers. Energy Environ Sci 2012, 5:5717-5730.
• [46]Eurostat: Labor costs in the EU27 in 2011. In Eurostat news release. Luxembourg: Eurostat; 2012.
• [47]Spinelli R, Nati C, Magagnotti N: Harvesting short-rotation Poplar plantations for biomass production. Croat J for Eng 2008, 29:129-139.
• [48]Petráš R: Cost of Poplar wood in Slovakia. Personal Communication; 2012.
• [49]Vega-Nieva DJ, Dopazo R, Ortiz L: Forest residues and energy crops for bioenergy production: recent studies in cost analysis and modelling of biomass production in dense Eucalyptus stands in Spain.
• [50]Christersson L: Wood production potential in poplar plantations in Sweden. Biomass Bioenergy 2010, 34:1289-1299.
• [51]Landfill Taxes and Bans [http://www.cewep.eu/information/data/landfill/index.html webcite]
• [52]Fuel Prices [http://www.energy.eu/fuelprices/ webcite]
• [53]OECD Tax Database [http://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/tax-database.htm webcite]
• [54]Bacovsky D, Barclay J, Bockey D, Saez R, Edye L, Foust T, Grabowski P, Kujanpaa L, de Lang D, Larsen P, Mabee WE, Makinen T, McMillan J, Munack A, Murphy J, Øyaas K, Paelkmans L, Pouet JC, Prior BA, Saka S, Samejima M, Sandquist J, Sidwell T, Werling K, Wrobel A, van Zyl WH: Update on implementation agendas 2009. In IEA Task 39 Report T39-P5. Edited by Mabee W, Neeft J, Van Keulen B. United States: IEA Bioenergy; 2009.
• [55]Neuvonen S: Spatial analysis in assessing bioenergy potentials. Masters’ Thesis 2010. [Aalto University, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture]