'Supercritical fluid' proposed for biomass-to-ethanol

November 1, 2003

Japan's Forestry & Forest Products Research Institute has developed a novel technique to derive ethanol from biomass, according to The Asia Pulse. The procedure requires water, which is converted into a supercritical fluid at 370 degrees Celsius and 22 megapascals of pressure. Supercritical fluid has properties of both a liquid and a gas. When mixed with biomass, the fluid is converted to glucose by hydrolysis. Then it is fermented with yeast to produce ethanol. The process also provides lignin, a component of plant cell walls, which can be used as a fuel to heat the boiler and power processing equipment. Currently the processing price is too high to become competitive with other fuels, but the institute hopes to build a pilot plant to conduct further tests, The Asia Pulse reported.

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