Biomass 02: Renewable ethanol fuel production project
Renewable Energy Commercialisation in Australia, Australian Greenhouse Office, 2003
NOTE: The status of these projects will have changed since the time of publication, and project contacts may also have changed.
In addition to supplying high-quality industrial alcohols to the food, industrial and pharmaceutical industries since 1992, Manildra has pioneered the introduction of renewable fuel ethanol into the Australian transport fuel market.
In 1999-2000, the Manildra Group was successful in securing a grant of $1 million under the Renewable Energy Commercialisation Program for the commercial demonstration of two production technologies that offered the capacity to deliver major reductions in energy use and production cost efficiencies.
The two technologies were:
- continuous (as opposed to batch) fermentation, and
- the adaptation of molecular sieve dehydration technology to secure the removal of the 5 per cent residual water in hydrated ethanol to produce anhydrous ethanol (100 per cent) suitable for use as a transport fuel.
Manildra is the largest industrial user and processor of Australian wheat for industrial and food purposes. As part of its management of the high volumes of effluent starch waste streams associated with the production of starch, sugars and protein products, Manildra has successfully designed, developed and commissioned the most advanced starch-based ethanol distillery in the world. Manildra's distillery is located at Bomaderry (near Nowra) in New South Wales.
The employment, adaptation and development of new production technologies have been a feature of Manildra's efforts to increase the cost competitiveness of its fuel ethanol distillery operations. The accumulated energy savings delivered by the successful commercial integration of the continuous fermentation and molecular sieve dehydration technologies into Manildra's advanced technology fuel ethanol plant exceed 50 per cent. These technologies, together with other efficiencies, have helped Manildra reduce the cost of producing a litre of ethanol by approximately 26 per cent.
For more information please contact
Gilbert Bratby
Manildra Group
PO Box 123
Nowra NSW 2541
Tel (02) 9649 1444
Fax (02) 9646 4619
Email manildra@manildra.com.au
Internet www.manildra.com.au
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