Progress in bioethanol production
“There are some exciting developments in the expansion of bioenergy though there are some problems associated with this development. The ongoing discussion on how the production of food can be secured is a clear example of this,” said the Baden-Württemberg Minister for Nutrition and Rural Areas, Peter Hauk, speaking at the conference “Progress in Bioethanol Production – Energy-, Material- and Emission Balances”, which was held at the University of Hohenheim on the 22nd of April 2008.
“In view of the political objectives in terms of climate protection and the expansion of renewable energy production, bioenergy is gaining in importance. In addition, given rising energy prices, the use and production of bioenergy will become increasingly popular, even without tax incentives and regulatory policies. However, it should not be forgotten that food production is also a necessity. This is only possible with a system that has a high degree of efficiency and the extensive use of waste materials,” said Hauk. “Fossil fuels are finite and therefore biomass is, in the medium to long term, the only regenerative carbon source that is available for material and energy applications.”
As biomass is a renewable, albeit limited, raw material, Hauk expressed the importance of concentrating research on this issue and closely monitoring the strategies involved in exploiting biomass most effectively. That is what has led to the Baden-Württemberg Bioenergy Research Platform, where scientists dealing with technology development, system analysis and waste, agriculture and forestry will work together.
University of Hohenheim is looking for new sources for bioethanol production
University of Hohenheim (Photo: University of Hohenheim)
“Recently, the interest in biofuel has increased considerably. At the same time, there are growing concerns about potential problems in balancing this with providing enough food,” explained the Rector of the University of Hohenheim, Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Liebig. “As a result, the University of Hohenheim is making a valuable contribution to the useful co-existence of food and bioethanol production. Through the interdisciplinary cooperation of researchers from biotechnology and fermentation technology, we are able to tackle problems such as how materials that were previously not used for bioethanol production can now be effectively included in this process, thereby considerably broadening the spectrum of useable raw materials.”
The conference highlighted the results gained in the “Improving the Energy-, Material and Emission Balances in Bioethanol Production from Renewable Raw Materials” research project at the University of Heidelberg, which was funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Nutrition and Rural Areas within the Zukunftsoffensive III funding programme with funds from the Landesstiftung Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
Source: Ministry for Nutrition and Rural Areas (P) - 22.04.08