Thermo-Chemical Ethanol Production from Agricultural Waste Through Polygeneration: Performance Assessment Through a Case Study

Substitution of fossil fuels by biofuels over a planned period is an imperative need to meet the energy demand in future with minimum possible environmental impact. Biofuels from food stuff may lead to conflict between energy and food security. However, producing biofuel (say, ethanol) from agricultural waste (say, rice straw) in thermo-chemical process may be a sustainable option through recycling of waste. But energy requirement for this process is significantly higher and independent production of ethanol may not be economically feasible. However, suitable integration of this ethanol production through an efficiently integrated multi-utility system called polygeneration may be economically feasible with low impact on the environment. This has been explored through a case study with thermodynamic, economic and environmental performance assessment. Results show sustainability of such a process with acceptable performance from multidimensional viewpoints.