Page 247 - Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment

Prospects and technological 8

advancement of cellulosic
bioethanol ecofuel production

§
‡
Pobitra Halder * ,† , Kalam Azad , Shaheen Shah , Eity Sarker ¶
*Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University,
†
Melbourne, VIC, Australia, Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Jessore
‡
University of Science and Technology, Jessore, Bangladesh, School of Engineering and
§
Technology, Central Queensland University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, Department of
Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Jessore,
¶
Bangladesh, School of Software and Electrical Engineering, Swinburne University of
Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

8.1 Introduction

Energy, the economy, and the environment are the key drivers for the advancement of
modern technologies for the community [1, 2]. The nonrenewable fossil fuels, for
example petrol, diesel, crude oil, natural gas, etc., are the main sources of energy
in the world. The global energy consumption of fossil fuels is increasing significantly
due to rapid global industrialization and motorization [3]. In 2017, global primary
energy consumption reached 13,511.2 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe), of which
oil shares were about 34.21% (4621.9 Mtoe) of the total consumption [4]. Fossil fuel
accounts for nearly 85.18% of the total global energy consumption, approximately
half of which is used by the transport sector.
Considering the current consumption rate of fossil fuels, the reserve of fossil fuels
is expected to be diminished in the next 40–50years [5]. The high cost of fossil fuels
and environmental pollution are also limiting the use of fossil fuels and forcing us to
harness alternative solutions. The utilization of fossil fuels in vehicles is responsible
for more than 70% of the world’s total carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, 40% of all
nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions, 19% of all carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and 14%
of all greenhouse gas emissions [6]. One gallon of gasoline emits approximately 8kg
of CO 2 . In 2011, global CO 2 emissions reached about 34 billion tons, causing a global
carbon emission cost of more than $1.2 trillion per year [7]. Therefore, the emphasis is
on the production of environmentally sustainable and low-cost fuels as alternatives to
gasoline.
Bioethanol is a nonpetroleum-based renewable and sustainable liquid fuel that is
considered a promising option to meet the increasing energy crisis. Although ethanol

Advances in Eco-Fuels for a Sustainable Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102728-8.00008-5
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