Technological advances in ethanol production

The United States ethanol industry has historically received support, as the output is a domestic, renewable fuel that can displace imported petroleum. The reduction of US dependence on foreign petroleum has long been recognized as a primary benefit, which has underlined the fortification and growth of ethanol production and its use in the US as a renewable fuel. While production of fuel ethanol from grain has continued to expand at double-digit growth rates((1)), the use of energy in the process is a major cost component. A significant portion of the energy cost is associated with the cooking of the grain to aid in enzymatic digestion. The recent introduction to market of STARGEN (TM), a new enzyme technology, which is capable of directly hydrolyzing granular starch to fermentable glucose without the need for cooking the grain, promises to transform the fuel ethanol industry by increasing plant yield and throughput while reducing energy consumption, capital costs and overall process costs.