Viable feedstock options and technological challenges for ethanol production in India

Though improvements in processing and technology are important, the fluctuating price of inputs such as molasses, corn, sugar beet, sugarcane, sweet sorghum, starch, etc. and their seasonal availability play an important role in ethanol industry. As a matter of fact, the ethanol industry based on conventional resources has reached its saturation point. Technologies for ethanol production from lignocellulosics are being developed by scientists world over with the objective of exploiting the potential of a resource, which is otherwise considered a waste, to generate energy. The focus has been to produce ethanol in a cost-effective manner, besides aiming to find use of its by-products as food supplements for cattles, etc. Recent developments like adoption of technologies such as dry grind fractionation, which is now commercially viable, would reduce the cost of milling; wet milling being costintensive and dry milling requiring smaller plants.