The “Twelve Five Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development†formulated by the National Development and Reform Commission and other government departments proposed that by 2015, China’s biofuel ethanol utilization will reach 4 million tons, but in 2011 China’s fuel ethanol production was only 1.69 million tons. Cellulose ethanol is still in the pilot phase. What are the problems in the current biofuel industry in China? In order to achieve the 2015 goal, which aspects should be achieved? At the Sino-U.S. Advanced Biofuels Symposium held last week, industry experts discussed after full discussion that China should focus its efforts on technological innovation, raw material guarantees, standards research, and related support policies to jointly promote biotechnology. The fuel industry breaks out.
Experts at the meeting proposed that among the 1.69 million tons of fuel ethanol produced in China in 2011, 1.54 million tons of corn ethanol and 150,000 tons of cassava ethanol were the first generation of fuel ethanol based on starch. With the food crisis highlighted, China has gradually halted its grain ethanol production project. The second generation of cellulosic ethanol is based on the most abundant lignocellulosic material on the earth. There is no problem of competing for grain with people, and it has become a competitive investment in the world today. However, due to factors such as raw material collection, pretreatment process, and enzyme technology, there are currently no commercially available products.
Technical problems are the primary obstacle to the development of cellulosic ethanol. Li Shizhong, a professor at Tsinghua University, explained that the structure of lignocellulose is complex, stable, and has anti-microbial degradation properties, so the cost of producing ethanol has increased dramatically. In addition, it is difficult to make breakthroughs in the efficient use of five-carbon sugar technology, and the commercial large-scale production of cellulosic ethanol is only conceived. Foreign companies have already achieved results in these areas. For example, an enzyme preparation owned by Novozymes is considered to be the best value-for-money product on the market, and to ensure the lowest cost of cellulosic ethanol production.
The lack of sufficient and stable supply of raw materials is also one of the bottlenecks in the development of biofuels. Some projects try to use agricultural waste such as straw as raw material. However, at present, China does not have a unified straw supplier. It mainly relies on biofuel companies to purchase from farmers and large farms themselves, which also increases straw acquisition, storage and transportation costs. Now, the world's major biochemical companies have set their sights on all plant species that are all possible, such as the development and utilization of algae.
Standard research and policy safeguards are also important for the development of biofuels. According to experts, the US Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan in April this year to further increase the proportion of ethanol in gasoline blending, from the previous 10% (E10) to 15% (E15) for cars produced in 2001 and beyond. Used with trucks, this means that nearly two-thirds of cars in the United States can use E15. However, China's current formulation of standards for biofuels lags behind, and the support policies for market promotion are insufficient. This has, to a certain degree, caused the delay in the pace of technological R&D. Industry insiders hope that laws can be used to ensure the proportion of bioethanol in transportation fuels.
In response to the views put forward by experts, Li Shousheng, executive vice president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, pointed out that in recent years, the Chinese government has attached great importance to the development of biofuels and has formulated the Medium and Long Term Development Plan for Renewable Energy, and the development of renewable energy. The 11th Five-Year Plan and other series of plans have given strong support in terms of capital and policies, and biofuels have achieved rapid development. Biomass solid forming fuels, non-food fuel ethanol, biodiesel and other biofuels have significantly increased production, and technology research and development. Great progress has also been made in the promotion and application.
He proposed that according to the national conditions, China's development of biofuels will insist on the principle of not competing with the people for food, not competing with the grain, and gradually expand the production scale of non-food fuel ethanol and biodiesel, focusing on the following aspects.
The first is to strengthen technological innovation and do a good job in engineering demonstration. Accelerate the research and development of ethanol production from crop stalks and lignin as raw materials. Organize industrialized demonstration projects such as biodiesel using rich oil forests as raw materials, improve raw material utilization efficiency, reduce production costs, and promote the diversified development of raw materials.
The second is to promote large-scale planting and management, and improve raw material supply support capabilities. It is necessary to study the use of non-agricultural land such as saline-alkali and sand-farm to plant oil-rich trees such as Jatropha and Tung oil trees, promote large-scale planting and management, increase the concentration of raw material sources, and gradually build biofuels that are processed from breeding and production products. Industrial chain, improve raw material protection capabilities.
The third is to do a good job in relevant standards research and improve technical support for the production and application of biofuels. Advanced economies such as the United States and Europe have provided technical basis for the large-scale production and use of biofuels through the formulation of standards. For example, since the United States implemented renewable energy standards, biofuel production has grown rapidly. We should actively learn from experience and do a good job in related work.
The fourth is to speed up the research and support policies and create a good environment for the development of the biofuel industry. At present, the biofuel industry is a strategic industry, and it is also a childish industry in its infancy. It urgently needs to introduce relevant policies to support technological R&D, raw material supply, market development, and industrialization.
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