Status and Comparative study: Cellulosic Bioethanol production in the US, EU and China
Jesmini Ambikapathy for EuropaBio
This paper has focused on the second generation, sugar platform technology for the production of ethanol from cellulose (‘the Technology’), in three regions: China, the European Union (‘EU’) and the United Stated of America (‘US’). Each region has approached the development of the Technology differently; engaging different groups, by different methods and at different stages. Despite these differences, each region is broadly equal when it comes to the state of the Technology, although it seems that the EU has a marginal lead. The focus in the EU seems to be refining the key technology steps (eg scaleup of fermentation technology and achieving cost reductions for cellulases), rather than developing them, as is the case in the US and China.