Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars
Technology for Ethanol
Production
Business Plan
Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars Technology
for Ethanol Production
Aybar Ecotechnologies Page 2 8/13/2007
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I. Table of Contents
I. Table of Contents 2
II. Executive Summary 3
III. General Company Description 5
IV. Ethanol for Transportation. Background 6
V. Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars Technology for Ethanol Production. Description 8
VI Advantages over other Technologies 12
VII. CS-Ethanol Technology. Business Proposal 15
VIII. CS-ethanol Technology Deployment Opportunities 16
List of Figures
I. Figure 1 a). Research Strategy used by AE to Develop CS-Ethanol Technology
(Pretreatment Stage)
9
II. Figure 1 b). Research Strategy used by AE to Develop CS-Ethanol Technology
(Hydrolysis Stage)
10
III. Figure 2. CS-Ethanol Process Technology Description 11
List of Tables
I. Table 1. CS-Ethanol Yield from the cellulosic content of Corncob and Sugar Cane
Bagasse
14
II.
Table 2. C-Ethanol yield from the hemicellulose of Corncob and Sugar Cane
14
III. Table 3. AE Total Ethanol Yield per Dry Ton of Corncob and Sugar Cane
Bagasse
14
IV. Table 4. CS-Ethanol Technology Lignin Energy Production 15
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II. Executive Summary
Aybar Ecotechnologies (AE), a technology company located in Santo Domingo, Dominican
Republic, has developed a technology that can make profitable the production of ethanol from
lignocellulosic materials using Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars Technology for Ethanol
Production (CS-Ethanol); a technology based on the enzymatic hydrolysis of the sugar
polymers of the raw material. This breakthrough process decomposes the structure of
lignocellulosic materials such as corncob, corn stover, rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, and other
cellulosic agricultural wastes, extracts the lignin (a high energy fuel), and converts cellulose and
the hemicelluloses into fermentable sugars with practically no detrimental by-products. CSEthanol technology represents a very simple technology in terms of the operations and
apparata involved, but with a sound and profound scientific foundation, which makes it both
technically sound and economically feasible.
AE is seeking a partner for the installation of a demonstration plant to complete the
development process of the CS-Ethanol technology (U.S. patent pending).
CS-Ethanol Technology Advantages. The benefits of CS-Ethanol Technology include the
following:
• High yield. This technology accomplishes the successful bioconversion of cellulosic
biomass with a very high cellulose conversion percentage, which assures a high-yield of
fermentable sugars.
• Fast reaction time. The process controls the speed of the hydrolysis reaction, thus
reducing the residence time in the reactor to a few hours (less than four), instead of
days.
• High concentration sugar liquors. The process allows controlling the final glucose
concentration in the glucose liquor produced without additional consumption of energy,
and at the same time yields a high concentration of the pentose liquor. With this feature
the process allows the production of sugar liquors of the right concentration for the
fermentation stage.
• Energy production. The energy-rich lignin has a relatively high calorific value (22,000
Btu/Kg). Lignin can be burned for heat, converted to electricity in the ethanol-production
pathway, or gasified and converted to fuels.
• Low capital and operational cost. This process features the recovery and recycling of
solvent and the cellulolytic enzymes. Furthermore, the process requires low energy
consumption and low investment in machinery and equipment.
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Process Yield. Laboratory-scale process data for CS-Ethanol Technology shows the following
unprecedented results:
• Corncob. The percent of conversion of the cellulose present in corncob to glucose is
above 95%, producing a conversion yield of glucose from cellulose of more than
105.5%. The percent of conversion of the hemicellulose present in corncob is about
99%, producing a conversion yield of pentoses from hemicellulose of about 113%. The
overall yield from one dry ton of corncob is more than 0.51 ton of glucose, and about
0.50 ton of pentoses (mainly xylose). About 150 lb of lignin is produced from one ton of
dry corncob, and 138 gallons of ethanol (523 L).
• Sugar cane bagasse. Similarly, the percent of conversion of the cellulose present in
sugar cane bagasse to glucose is above 90%, producing a conversion yield of glucose
from cellulose near 100%. The percent of conversion of the hemicellulose present in
sugar cane bagasse is about 99%, producing a conversion yield of pentoses from
hemicellulose of about 113%. The overall yield from one dry ton of sugar cane bagasse
is more than 0.48 ton of glucose, and about 0.37 ton of pentoses (mainly xylose). About
400 lb of lignin is produced from one ton of dry sugar cane bagasse. The overall yield of
ethanol from a dry ton of sugar cane bagasse is 117 gallons (443 L).
• Energy. The electric energy production potential using lignin as fuel is 271 KWH from
corncob and 696 KWH from sugarcane bagasse, assuming an efficiency of 60 percent
for thermal energy conversion.
Proposed Technology Deployment Plan.
AE welcomes the opportunity to participate in technical discussion, explanations, presentations,
and demonstrations to any viable potential partner, providing AE’s intellectual property is
protected. AE is willing to do a preliminary presentation to demonstrate the validity and merits of
the technology and answer pertinent questions. We are also amenable to conduct the tests in a
laboratory setting at a location of your preference, provided the potential partner pays for all
expenses incurred.
After the presentation, if the potential partner expresses interest in pursuing the completion of
the development of the technology, AE will work with the interested party to establish a final
agreement which would include a time table for the tasks to be completed and establish the
responsibility of each party in the development, under a prior agreed manner for share benefits
arising therefrom.
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III. General Company Description
Aybar Ecotechnologies (AE) is a company with its headquarters in the Dominican Republic. AE
was founded with the purpose of generating new biotechnologies and products to respond to
global issues and demands, in a clean, simple and environmentally friendly fashion. AE was
officially founded in 1994, but the persons involved in it (scientists and technicians) have been
dedicated to scientific and technologic research since 1977.
In this period of time AE has put forward various biotechnologies and products associated with
these technologies. The technologies being developed by AE include but are not limited to the
following:
a) Biotechnology for the production of ethyl alcohol from lignocellulosic materials.
b) Biotechnology for the extraction of plants products (leaves, stems and roots).
c) Biotechnology for homogenizing fruit juices.
d) Biotechnology for the production of homogeneous disaggregates from plant tissues
(leaves, stems and roots).
e) Biotechnology for the extraction and purification of alginic acid.
f) Biotechnology for the purification of proteins and polypeptides with applications to
medicine and scientific research.
Diogenes Aybar, Ph.D., president and CEO of AE, has been distinguished as an award-winning
accomplished engineer, scientist, economist and professor through two continents. From the
very beginning of his career, Dr. Aybar has been involved in research concerning the proper
exploitation of the potentials of lignocellulosic materials. In attaining the Engineering Degree in
1977, his thesis dissertation was “Biochemical Treatment of Cellulosic Wastes for Food
and Fuel Development.” Thereafter, his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Enzymology at the
Moscow State University in 1982 was obtained with the dissertation was titled, “Mechanism for
the Enzymatic Degradation of Microcrystalline Cellulose and its Relation to the
Physicochemical Properties of the Cellulose Fiber.” During his years as assistant professor
at the City University of New York, NY, USA, Dr. Aybar deepened his understanding of the
biological processes implied in the design and functioning of enzymes. In this pursuit, he
attained a second Ph.D. degree from the City University of New York, this time in Biochemistry,
in 1990 with his dissertation titled, “Kinetic Studies of Hypoxanthine/Guanine
Phosphoribosyltransferase from Yeast.” In 1992, he returned to Dominican Republic and
founded AE, a company committed to develop new environmental friendly technologies.
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IV. Ethanol for Transportation. Background.
Cellulose to Ethanol Overview
The high cost of petroleum-based fuels and geopolitical reasons have driven some nations to
search for alternative fuels for transportation. In this search for fuels, renewable bio-fuels are
taking a leading role in the global scene. Bio-fuels, especially ethanol, constitute the only
renewable liquid transportation fuel option that can be integrated readily with petroleum-based
fuels and existing infrastructure. Brazil and the USA are the leading nations in the integration of
ethanol to gasoline; Brazil is utilizing primarily sugar cane juice to produce ethanol to mix with
gasoline and the USA is using ethanol derived from corn to reduce its dependence on imported
oil. Brazil has more than 25 years in this path, and the USA only recently has adopted this
policy as a national security priority. Last year, the USA produced more than six billion gallons
of ethanol and the market is growing at a high rate of speed after the commitment of President
Bush for the USA to produce sixty billion gallons of ethanol in the next 25 years.
The main problem with this approach is that they are using food raw material, sugar cane or
corn to produce ethanol. Due to this, the price of corn has risen dramatically in the last year,
from US$2.30 per bushel (48 pounds) to US$3.80 now (62% increase in price). In the USA, corn
production has taken fields (15% in the actual harvest) from the production of soy, raising soy’s
prices by 32% in the last six months. Increasing the percentage of the USA corn harvested to
produce ethanol will turn into new increases in the international price of soy and corn, because
the USA produces 40% of the soy and corn of the world, and 60% of the corn export. As a
result, the prices of many foodstuffs essential to the world population, like poultry, pork, and in a
lesser degree beef and powdered milk, have undergone a noticeable rise. This situation was
aggravated by the explosive growth of China, India and the rest of Asia, which in twenty-two
years has increased the number of consumers in the world to 800 million. Another disturbing
fact is that in the last ten years the number of consumers in the world has grown 5.5 times faster
than grain production, creating a food crisis in the world. At present, there is no surplus of soy
or corn in the world. The risk of starvation of segments of the world population if there is a
drought in the USA, Brazil or Argentina, is becoming evident. With sugar cane, the problem is
less dramatic, but if the profitability of growing sugar cane is better than growing humankind’s
basic foodstuff, the production of these foods will diminish because of their lesser profitability.
Very soon the use of ethanol derived from food will see a global resistance, because of the risk
of human starvation, mainly in African countries. Right now there are voices claiming to stop
the conversion in production from food to ethanol. We can say with confidence that the only
real future for using ethanol for transportation resides in the ethanol derived from lignocellulosic
materials. Ethanol from lignocellulosic materials holds great potential due to the widespread
availability, abundance, and relatively low cost of lignocellulosic materials. However, although
several CS-ethanol processes are technically feasible, only recently have cost-effective
cellulose ethanol technologies begun to emerge. To produce ethanol from lignocellulosic
biomass is necessary to develop a profitable process to convert the cellulosic and
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hemicellulosic components of the biomass into fermentable sugars. A precondition to achieve
this goal is to understand the structural architecture and chemical complexity of the primary
components that make up biomass, and the way we can break down this structure into their
components in an economical way, in order to ferment them to ethanol. We claim to have this
understanding of the structure of cellulose, the mechanism of operation of the cellulolytic
enzymes, and the technology to achieve the low cost decomposition of this cellulose to
fermentable sugars.
A breakthrough in the process of cellulose conversion processes will not only have an
enormous impact on the world in the field of fuels for transportation, but it will affect greatly the
world’s food supply, economy, and geopolitical balance of power.
Cellulose to Ethanol Technologies
The main processes used to disrupt lignocellulosic materials and convert them to glucose and
other monomeric fermentable sugars are Acid Hydrolysis and Enzymatic Hydrolysis:
- Acid Hydrolysis Technologies
In the acid hydrolysis process, the deconstruction of the cellulose and hemicellulose complex to
convert them to glucose and pentoses is made under an acid milieu. Dedini, from Brazil, the
only company that claims to have reached a profitable acid hydrolysis, pre-treats the
lignocellulosic materials with a strong solvent to dissolve lignin liberating cellulose and
hemicelluloses; then, they apply a diluted acid hydrolysis.
An outstanding problem with acid hydrolysis is that as soon as the saccharification starts, the
released glucose and pentose molecules are attacked by the acid and transformed into other
products; thus diminishing the yield of sugars and producing undesirable byproducts that inhibit
the fermentation. Dedini confronts this problem with a hydrolysis under a very diluted acid and
in as short as possible reaction time (a couple of minutes). If the acid is too diluted, or the
reaction time is too short, the hydrolysis may be incomplete; if the acid is too concentrated and
the reaction time is too long, destruction of the sugars, formation of inhibitors and the
subsequent reduction of the ethanol yield during fermentation are the consequences. The best
acid hydrolysis makes a compromise solution, trying to arrange all factors to maximize the
yields of sugars and ethanol, and minimize the loss of sugars and the formation of fermentation
inhibitors.
Another problem encountered with acid hydrolysis is the formation of acetic acid, furfural and
other organic compounds that inhibit the microorganisms that ferment sugars producing ethanol.
At its best, Dedini, using cane bagasse as raw material, has reached a yield of 82% of glucose
and pentoses in the saccharification stage and a yield of 90% in the fermentation stage.
Furthermore, this process has to use special equipment designed with anticorrosion features
that protect against the acids. This makes the capital cost a very important factor in the
production cost.
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- Enzymatic Hydrolysis Technologies.
To produce an enzymatic hydrolysis, a pretreatment is necessary in order to expose cellulose to
the actions of enzymes. The most successful enzymatic process known to date, simultaneous
saccharification and fermentation (SSF) developed by the NREL, pre-treats the cellulosic
material with a diluted acid for a limited time. The acid rapidly converts the hemicellulose to
pentoses that are ready to be fermented. Cellulose is then recovered and sent to the
saccharification tank.
The main, and the most intractable, problem in this process is the reaction time of the enzymatic
hydrolysis stage and the cost of the enzymes. Normally the time necessary to finish the
hydrolysis is of the order of days. The explanation invoked by researchers for this protracted
reaction time is product inhibition. It seems that after a certain concentration of glucose is
reached in the reaction tank, the conversion process is inhibited by the same glucose. The SSF
tries to circumvent this problem, joining the saccharification of cellulose and the fermentation of
glucose in one tank. In this way, glucose can no longer inhibit the conversion process, because
it is immediately fermented to ethanol. Moreover, the NREL is joining forces with the main
enzyme producers (Novozyme and Genencor) to lower the cost of cellulase enzymes.
Another of the inherent problems in this process is caused by the acid used in the pre-treatment
process. The reduction in the yield of pentoses by the transformation of part of the
hemicelluloses to other byproducts and the production of acetic acid, furfurals and other organic
compounds that inhibit the fermentation stage, are the main consequence of this acid pretreatment. The process parameters for this SSF are as follows: i) residence saccharification
time: 1.5 days; ii) residence fermentation time: 1.5 days; iii) cellulose to glucose yield: 90%; iv)
glucose to ethanol yield: 95%; v) hemicelluloses to pentoses yield: 90%; vi) pentoses to ethanol
yield: 85%. This process still requires a cellulase enzyme cost of US$ 0.10/gallon of ethanol to
become economically feasible. This cost of cellulase has not been determined yet.
V. Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars for Ethanol Production (CS-Ethanol).
Technology Description.
AE introduces the industrial world to a technology with a far-reaching impact: CS-Ethanol
Technology. CS-Ethanol Technology is able to accomplish the economical conversion of
lignocellulosic materials to fermentable sugars for the production of ethanol. AE’s bioconversion
technology is the culmination of more than thirty (30) years of cutting-edge research and
development in the field. The strategy leading to the breakthrough technology is based on
taking advantage of the results obtained by former researchers to design a low cost research
strategy for both the pre-treatment and the hydrolysis stages. As shown in Fig. 1 a), the best
way to get a low cost pre-treatment is using a solvent technology, because this feature opens
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the possibility for recovering and reusing the solvent and makes possible the use of low cost
equipment and machinery.
AE avoids the acid hydrolysis as a high cost strategy and the one-stage enzymatic hydrolysis
for the same reason. Acknowledging the cost producing factors of the process, AE adopted a
low cost strategy that combined devising an enzymatic hydrolysis process with a short and
controlled residence time (at most hours), high conversion and high yield, with few or no byproducts (Fig. 1 b).
Energy consumed,
non-reusable, non –
recoverable, high
cost of machinery
Keeping these objectives in mind, AE engaged in a research plan to solve these problems at the
basic science level before undertaking technological research. The final product of the research,
CS-Ethanol Technology, although it has a profound scientific foundation, presents a very
simple technology in terms of the operations and apparata involved, which makes it both
technically sound and economically feasible. These characteristics uniquely position the CSEthanol Technology as a low cost producer over all other competing processes.
PRE-TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGIES
ENERGY BASED
TECHNOLOGIES
SOLVENT BASED
TECHNOLOGIES
CHEMICAL
MODIFICATION
BASED
TECHNOLOGIES
Reusable many
times, low cost
recovery, simple
low cost equipment
Non-recyclable, high cost
recovery, mostly lost in
chemical reactions, low
recovery, high cost recovery,
chemical modification of
material leading to lowering
yield in the hydrolytic stage,
high cost equipment
High cost
strategy
Low cost
strategy
High cost
strategy
Fig. 1 a) Research strategy followed by Aybar Ecotechnologies
a) PRE-TREATMENT STAGE
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Lost in material in
side reactions,
production of
fermentation
inhibitors, low yield,
high equipment
costs
Process Description
The lignocellulosic biomass (corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, or any other biomass waste) is
coarse milled and fed to the Pre-treatment Reactor, where the physicochemical pre-treatment
and deconstruction of the lignocellulosic complex structure starts. The material is then
separated into two streams, a solid cellulose rich stream, which is sent to a re-suspension tank,
and a liquid solution stream, containing a high concentration of lignin and hemicelluloses which
comes out of the reactor and goes to a Solvent Recovery System. The solvent recovery stage
will produce a concentrated, solid, energy-rich lignin stream, which then provides the fuel
requirements for the entire process, and a concentrated liquid stream containing hemicellulose.
Subsequently, hemicellulose is converted to its monomer sugars (pentoses) by a cocktail of
enzymes in the hemicellulose hydrolysis reactor, before undergoing fermentation to ethanol;
while the solvent is completely recovered. Meanwhile, the cellulose-rich stream coming from the
pre-treatment stage goes from the re-suspension tank to the cellulose hydrolysis reactor, where
HYDROLYSIS
TECHNOLOGIES
Acid Hydrolysis
Technologies
Strong
Acid
Mild Acid
Hydrolysis
High Cost
Strategy
Long residence
time, low
conversion, low
yield
One Stage
Enzymatic
Hydrolysis
Enzymatic
Hydrolysis
Two Stage Enzymatic
Hydrolysis
Technologies:
Short and
controlled
residence time,
high
conversion,
high yield
•Stage 1: fast phase
reaction
•Stage 2: thermal
desorption of short
fragments
Low Cost
Strategy
High Cost
Strategy
Fig. 1 b) Research Strategy Followed by Aybar Ecotechnologies
b) HYDROLYSIS STAGE
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the material undergoes a novel enzymatic hydrolysis. This stage produces high-yield
saccharification to glucose, which is at the appropriate concentration for fermentation to ethanol.
The main characteristic of this hydrolysis process is the control of the enzymatic reaction rate so
the entire process is completed with a high percent of conversion in less than four hours,
yielding high concentration glucose liquors (Fig. 2).
TECHNOLOGY SCHEME
Pretreatment
Reactor
EDMS
HHR
Resuspension
Tank
Centrif
uge
HRT
ERT
Lignin Mud (S14)
Pentoses
Liquor (S17)
Glucose
Liquor (S10)
Raw Material (S1)
Solvent
(S0)
Pretreatment
Liquor (S2)
Hemicellulose (S15) Hemicellulase
Complex (S19)
Recovered
Hemicellulase (S18)
Hydrolysate (S16)
Cellulosic
Mud (S3)
pH Water (S5)
Recovered
Cellulases (S11)
Cellulase
Complex (S6)
Unhydrolysed
Fraction (S8)
Hydrolysate Liquor (S9)
Solvent (S12)
Unhydrolysed Fraction (S8)
Hydrolysate (S7)
Cellulose
Hydrolysis
Reactor
Cellulose
Hydrolysis
Reactor MCC
Cent
rifug
e
(S4)
(S13)
Fig. 2. Cellulose to Fermentable Sugars for Ethanol Production AE Developed
Technology (CS-Ethanol)
Fermentation Stage
AE did no research on the fermentation stage. AE only claims to be able to produce glucose
and pentoses liquors free from acetic acid, furfural, or any fermentation inhibitor, in a simple and
efficient manner, ready to be fermented by the appropriate microorganisms.
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The fermentation of glucose is a very well-known process that is currently used in the world.
The fermentation of pentoses has been studied intensely by the NREL and by Purdue
University; they have patented microorganisms to produce the conversion of pentoses to
ethanol. For example, Zymomomas mobilis, a bacterium strain developed by NREL, can
produce ethanol from both hexoses and pentoses with a 95% yield for the hexoses and 85%
yield for pentoses. They continue working to improve these yields.
These reported yields were obtained using the process known as simultaneous saccharification
and fermentation, where they pre-treat the material with a diluted acid hydrolysis. This gives rise
to acetic acid, furfurals and other inorganic compounds that inhibit the fermentation of sugars.
As AE’s process does not produce any of those fermentation inhibitors, AE is confident the
ethanol yield from the pentoses, using the Z. mobilis, will be greater than the yield reported by
the NREL when its process is used to hydrolyze the lignocellulosic material. To calculate the
yields of ethanol found on Tables 2 and 3 of this paper, same yields obtained by the NREL with
their process (SSF) were used.
Since the real obstacle for a profitable process for the conversion of cellulose to fermentable
sugars for ethanol production is the high cost of cellulose and hemicellulose conversion, and the
separation of lignin, AE concentrated its efforts on this portion of the process until the
breakthrough was reached.
VI. Advantages over Other Technologies
Both the pre-treatment and the hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic materials have been improved in
relation to the most efficient competing process known until now. This new process has, among
others, many advantages over other processes presently known.
AE pre-treatment stage introduces, among others, the following advantages:
• Optimum process parameters. This process optimizes the concentration of solvent in
the extracting solution, and the pre-treatment temperature and timing.
• Low capital cost. The process requires no pressurized vessels, because it can be done
at atmospheric pressure. This advantage lowers the cost of energy consumption and
investment in machinery and equipment.
• Low operational cost. This process establishes a system for the optimum and
maximum utilization of the extracting solution, through the recovering, recycling and
continuous utilization of the extracting solution with only a minor loss. This advantage
dramatically lowers the operational cost of the pre-treatment.
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• High yield. The process produces a highly concentrated solution of hemicellulose and
lignin. Lignin is easily separated from the solution at low cost, thus producing a valuable
by-product. The solution of hemicelluloses obtained is of such a high concentration that
the process yield in fermentable carbohydrates is greatly increased.
• High value co-products. Energy-rich lignin has a relatively high calorific value (22,000
Btu/Kg), and it can be burned for heat, converted to electricity in the ethanol-production
pathway, or gasified and converted to fuels. Thus, the lignin extracted can produce all
the energy required by the process.
AE enzymatic hydrolysis stage introduces, among others, the following
advantages:
• Low capital cost. This process avoids extreme acidity and alkalinity, high temperature
and pressure, allowing for the use of simple equipments and open tanks, made of low
cost materials.
• Fast reaction (residence) time. This process allows control of the speed of the
reaction, maintaining the highest speed during the entire conversion time. Remarkably,
the residence time in the reactor is within the range of hours (less than 4), instead of
days.
• Cellulase enzyme recovery. In this process, the cellulolytic enzyme is recovered and
recycled, resulting in dramatic reduction of enzyme usage, which is a decisive factor in
production costs.
• High yield. This process allows for the complete degradation of cellulose to glucose,
which theoretically yields 111 percent. In the laboratory, we have reached results close
to this theoretical value.
• High concentration sugar liquor. In this process, a liquor of glucose, as concentrated
as desired, is obtained without the need of evaporation (20 brix degrees). This feature
facilitates the production of glucose solutions at adequate concentration for fermentation.
This, in turn, also lowers the production costs.
• High ethanol production. During this process, practically all of the hemicellulose
present in the lignocellulosic material is converted into fermentable pentose monomers.
With an appropriate microorganism, these monomers can also be fermented into
ethanol, thus greatly augmenting the ethanol yield of the raw material.
• Hemicellulose enzyme recovery. The enzymes used for hydrolyzing the hemicellulose
are recovered and reused, indefinitely.
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CS-Ethanol Technology Performance Parameters
AE laboratory-scale data shows that from a dry ton of corncob with a composition of 49% of
cellulose and 44% of hemicelluloses, the yield of glucose is of 517 Kg. or 105.5%. The yield of
pentoses from the same material is 497 Kg or 113%. The overall amount of ethanol that can be
obtained by fermentation of both glucose and the pentoses using corncobs is 138 gallons.
Similarly, from a dry ton of sugar cane bagasse, with a composition of 48.2% of cellulose and
33% of hemicelluloses, the yield of glucose is 482 Kg. or 100%. The yield of pentoses from the
same material is 372 Kg or 113%. The overall amount of ethanol that can be obtained by
fermentation of both glucose and the pentoses in the bagasse is 117 gallons (see Tables 1 and
2). To calculate the amount of ethanol that could be obtained from glucose and pentoses, a
yield of 95% for glucose to ethanol conversion and 85% for pentoses to ethanol conversion
were used (the numbers reported by the NREL were used as reference).
Table 1. C-Ethanol Yield From the Cellulosic Content of Corncob and Sugar Cane
Bagasse
Feedstock Total Cellulose
Content
Cellulose
Hydrolysis
Conversion
Theoretical
Cellulose
Glucose Yield
Glucose
Ethanol
Yield
Ethanol
Production
Corncob 1Ton/hr
(Dry) 49.0 % 95.0 % 111.0 % 47.0 % 243 Kg = 280
L (74 Gallons)
Bagasse
1Ton/hr
(Dry) 48.2 % 90.0 % 111.0 % 47.0 % 226 Kg = 261
L (69 Gallons)
Table 2. C-Ethanol Yield From the Hemicelluloses of Corncob and Sugar Cane Bagasse
Feedstock Total Hemicellulose
Content
Hemicellulose
Conversion
Hemicellulose
Yield to Xylose
Xylose Yield to
Ethanol
Ethanol
Production
Corncob 1 Ton/hr
(Dry) 44.0 % 99.0 % 114.0 % 42.5.0 % 211 Kg = 243
L (64 Gallons)
Bagasse
1 Ton/hr
(Dry) 33.0 % 99.0 % 114.0 % 42.5.0 % 158 Kg = 182
L (48 Gallons)
Table 3. AE Total Ethanol Yield Per Dry Ton of Corncob and Sugar Cane Bagasse
Feedstock Cellulose Hemicellulose Total, L Or Cellulose Hemicellulose Total,
Gallons
Corncob 243.0 L 280.0 L 523.0 L 74.0 Gal 64.0 Gal 138.0 Gal
Bagasse 261.0 L 182.0 L 443.0 L 69.0 Gal 48.0 Gal 117.0 Gal
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The electrical energy production potential using lignin as fuel is 271 KWH per ton of dry corncob
and 696 KWH per ton of dry sugarcane bagasse, assuming an efficiency of 60 percent for
thermal energy conversion (Table 4).
Table 4. CS-Ethanol Technology Lignin Energy Production
Feedstock Total Lignin
Content
Lignin Calorific
Value, Btu/Kg
Thermal
Efficiency
Btu to KWH Unit
Conversion
Electric Power,
KWH
Corncob 1 Ton/hr (Dry) 7.0 % 22,000 60.0 % 0.0002931 271
Bagasse 1 Ton/hr (Dry) 18.0 % 22,000 60.0 % 0.0002931 696
VII. CS-Ethanol Technology Business Proposal
Technology Deployment
As laboratory-scale testing shows, CS-ethanol technology is technically sound and economically
feasible. To move the technology successfully from the research and development phase to the
commercialization phase, AE is willing to grant technology deployment rights to prospective
investors under the following stipulations:
• Partner is to sign a confidentiality agreement stipulating that information regarding AE’s
proprietary CS-Ethanol Technology that AE passes to said partner will remain
confidential. This confidentiality agreement must be signed before any demonstration
takes place.
• AE offers to demonstrate the CS-Ethanol Technology to the potential partner on a
laboratory-scale basis at a location convenient to the potential partner, as long as the
potential partner is willing to pay for the necessary expenses and to provide the
adequate laboratory facilities. AE is willing to do this to validate the technology’s
attributes and proprietary features we have put forward in this document.
• AE will make available to partner all proprietary information regarding CS-Ethanol
Technology, including formulas, processes, techniques, trade secrets, computer
modeling, inventions, innovations, patent applications, improvements, data, know-how,
formats, test results and other research information, as necessary for successful
implementation of the CS-ethanol technology
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• Partner is to finance, build and operate a demonstration CS-Ethanol Technology plant
based on AE proprietary technology.
• Partner is to sign a preliminary technology development and commercialization
agreement establishing the terms and conditions which will be applicable to the licensing
and sale of the technology (to be developed with input from partner).
• Partner will follow technology development protocol, processing and procedures
originally designed and prepared by AE for the successful implementation of CSEthanol Technology.
• EA, its associates, and Partner will establish a company for the exploitation and
commercialization of the CS-Ethanol Technology under a previously agreed shareholding distribution.
• AE will hold exclusive licensing rights only for the Hispaniola Island, which encompasses
the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the Caribbean Sea.
VIII. CS-Ethanol Technology Deployment Opportunities
The commercialization of AE novel CS-Ethanol Technology by a prospective partner will
define partner as a global leader in the emerging CS-ethanol industry. Additionally, partner will
be able to build a global enterprise as a leading producer of CS-ethanol and as a strategic
partner in bio-refineries around the world. Furthermore, the commercialization of AE cellulosic
technology will enable partner to accelerate commercialization of CS-ethanol by leveraging
skills and proprietary knowledge into large-scale biofuel project developments.
Using CS-Ethanol Technology for converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol will provide
partner breakthrough technology knowledge in two areas: Chemical preparation of the cellulosic
biomass (pre-treatment) and conversion of pre-treated cellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars
by combinations of enzymes (cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis). As actual laboratory
technology profiles indicate, in addition to tearing down the barriers to CS-ethanol, AE process
technology also constitutes a masterpiece in process cost-reducing strategies, thus providing for
possibly the lowest production cost ever for the CS-ethanol process. These characteristics could
indeed launch said partner to the forefront of new CS-ethanol frontiers. Partner is to expect
high-value products from the technology commercialization in a market of exciting potential.
Closing
If your company is interested in our CS-Ethanol Technology, please contact us within the next
two weeks by either calling me at 561-655-5114 or email me at william@wohlsifer.com
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for Ethanol Production
Aybar Ecotechnologies Page 17 8/13/2007
william@wohlsifer.com
AE appreciates this historic opportunity to serve your company in the development of CSEthanol Technology, as we are certain that the implementation of CS-Ethanol Technology
will escalate your company to that of a pioneer in the transformation of the world energy future.
Sincerely,
William R. Wohlsifer, Esquire
Legal Adviser
Aybar Ecotechnologies
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