Biomass gasification for ethanol production

Abstract

For a sustainable future, it is essential for mankind to access the largely untapped solar resource by innovative bioenergy routes, an important way to overcome fossil fuel dependence and mitigate related environmental impacts. In this framework, as a good example of the potential to be exploited, among the several biomasses under scrutiny to be used for energy supply, sugarcane appears as one with the most interest and potential, with estimates that about 142 million hectares currently are available for such culture, taking into consideration rain feed areas in tropical countries and without significant impact on food production and the environment (Fischer et al.2008). © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.