Sweden Starts Up Largest Grain Bioethanol Plant in Northern Europe
10 December 2008
The largest bioethanol plant in northern Europe is currently being started up close to Norrköping in Sweden. Running at maximum capacity, it will be able to produce almost 500,000 liters (132,086 gallons US) of bioethanol a day from grain.
The plant operator—Swedish company Lantmännen Agroetanol—uses the Multipressure system from Vogelbusch GmbH in Austria to minimize energy consumption.
The Multipressure system recycles the steam used in the distillation process. The use of several distillation columns with different steam pressures combine to bring about a significant reduction in steam consumption—more than 50% less steam than conventional technologies. This generates equivalent savings in the energy required to produce it. In the Vogelbusch Multipressure system, the energy-saving properties are boosted further still by the optimum thermal integration of the distillation and dehydration processes.
A biomass power station nearby supplies the energy required for the process.
It would be interesting to know what feedstock grain they're using and where it comes from. Good for the Swedes - supporting the transitional liquid fuel to electrification.
Posted by: sulleny | 10 December 2008 at 11:22 AM
Multieffect distillation has been used in the sugar industry for a very long time. They could also investigate the Pursuitdynamics ethanol mash cooking process. It may not be justified to have Sweden burn grain when the Haitians are starving. It is not certain that Sweden produces even enough food to sustain its own population. Food biofuels do not solve the energy problem in any way. It is always more energy efficient to eat the food. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 11 December 2008 at 03:52 AM