Friday, July 04, 2008

New technology nets clean water byproduct from sugar cane ethanol production

Biorefineries using this new design will be able to capture water from the sugar cane rather than losing it to evaporation. This will make cane ethanol biorefineries into net producers of relatively clean water, reversing one of the concerns about biofuel production (water use). This process would not work for drier feedstocks such as corn kernels, but my guess is that it could be modified for feedstocks such as cane sorghum, sugar beets, and Jerusalem artichoke tops -- crops than can be grown across much of North America. This would be especially welcome in areas with lower rainfall.  

Dedini launches ethanol mill that produces water | Environment | Reuters

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