Bioethanol is a renewable fuel. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline (petrol). When bioethanol is combusted (burnt), it effectively returns carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere, which had been taken out relatively recently as the biomass grew. Conversely burning traditional gasoline (petrol) releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from carbon that has been stored in the form of oil over a significantly longer time period.
There are three main approaches to producing bioethanol from biomass materials:
- Conventional fermentation of sugars obtained from sugar and starch crops
- Hydrolysis of cellulose to sugars using acid or enzymes followed by fermentation of the sugars
- Gasification of any biomass to syngas followed by conversion to bioethanol
The INEOS Bio process falls into the third category. It is an advanced thermochemical and biochemical bioethanol technology, which can convert cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin efficiently to clean bioethanol. It delivers more than 90% Greenhouse gas savings compared to gasoline (petrol), is cost-competitive and is independent of food production. The INEOS Bio bioethanol is expected to make a significant contribution to the growth in the European and North American bioethanol market.