Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 28
Building a Sustainable
Regional Eco System for
Green Technologies:
Case of Cellulosic Ethanol in Oregon
Bob Greenlee
Cascade Microtech, USA
Tugrul Daim
Portland State University, USA
ABSTRACT
Increasing gasoline prices, concerns about energy security, and the effect of greenhouse gases on global
warming are driving demand for alternative fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. In the United States,
corn is the major source of fuel ethanol, but there are disadvantages to using crops for fuel, including
increasing costs and competition with food sources. Cellulosic biomass, including agricultural waste,
forestry residues, and municipal waste, offers several potential advantages as a source of ethanol, and
a great deal of effort is going into the development of processes capable of converting these feedstocks
into fuel.
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the environmental and policy drivers for cellulosic ethanol,
and a description of the basic technology behind it. It then outlines a simple methodology for selecting
the three primary components of a sustainable supply chain in the Pacific Northwest: feedstock, pro-
cess, and distribution method. Using a weighted rating scale, the authors evaluate the alternatives for
feedstocks, conversion processes, and distribution methods, and make some recommendations for an
Oregon-based facility. These results are compared with the approach chosen by a new cellulosic ethanol
startup, Pacific Ethanol, currently under construction in Boardman, Oregon. Although Pacific Ethanol's
choices help confirm the model, the model also provides valuable information for other potential ethanol
production companies based in the Pacific Northwest.
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