Insight Shift from Laboratory to Industrialization for Tail Gas-Based Ethanol Production

Abstract

Ethanol production from fermentation of CO-containing industrial off-gases as a promising technology instead of traditional ways has received much attention in the last few years. In this study, starting from the inherent process mechanism of the bio-fermentation, six technology paths with “low-carbon”, “zero carbon” and “negative carbon” preset attributes are designed and the superior, interior and feasibility of different technology paths are revealed through TEA and LCA methods. The assessment results demonstrate that the recommended optimal pathway shifts from SR6 to SR2 or SR3 when transitioning from laboratory to industrialization perspective. Under the industrialization evaluation scope, the carbon footprints are -14.3 tCO₂eq/t and -13.4 tCO₂eq/t for SR2 and SR3 routes, respectively, with corresponding production costs minimized to 0.32×10⁴-0.33×10⁴ CNY/t. Furthermore, prospective carbon tax incentives could reduce economic costs by 45%-77% and 47%-77% for SR2 and SR3 pathways, suggesting their application potential in the future. These findings emphasize the critical importance of systematic evaluation boundaries, pretreatment integration, and policy support in advancing sustainable industrialization of bioethanol.

Keywords: Bioethanol production industry, life cycle assessment, Techno-economic feasibility, Technological pathways.