KPMG Sees Potential for Biomass-Based Ethanol in Southeast Asia

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June 30, 2016

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by Toh Wei Zheng (Platts) Southeast Asia could see a significant boost to its ethanol supply by using biomass as an alternative feedstock, an industry veteran said during the annual Wiz Ethanol and Biofuels Conference held in Singapore Wednesday.

Chris de Lavigne, principal consultant at KPMG, pointed out that by-products currently being discarded after crop cultivation could be used to produce ethanol instead. These include biomass left over from rice, sugarcane and palm oil, which are commonly grown across the region.

In particular, de Lavigne noted that only 10% of an oil palm tree was being extracted for further use, with most of the remainder being left in the field while a small amount was being sold as animal feed.

Feedstock could be extracted from tree trunks and empty fruit bunches through second-generation technologies, he said, while conventional methods would be able to convert palm kernal cake into ethanol.

While the resulting product would be most suitable for food and pharmaceutical applications, it can also be used as a component for gasoline blending.

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However, the lack of affordable technology appear to pose a major barrier against widespread biomass usage in the short-term.

Speaking in the same conference, Rosemarie Gumera from the Philippines’ Sugar Regulatory Administration said that her agency had also embarked on a pilot program to use biomass as a feedstock for ethanol production, but that “costs is an issue” right now.

De Lavigne also conceded that logistical issues were “making it difficult” to employ biomass on a large-scale basis for now. READ MORE

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