Development of bioethanol production - global trends
The most common use of bioethanol is as a fuel and fuel additive in the automobile and transport industries. It is mainly used together with regular motor fuels.
20.05.2025
Bioethanol use
Bioethanol production
Prospects in Ukraine
Details of technological processes
BIOETHANOL USE. The most common use of bioethanol is as a fuel and fuel additive in the automobile and transport industries. It is mainly used together with regular motor fuels. In the future, the development of bioethanol production and increasing biofuel consumption in the aviation industry are likely to create even more opportunities for this market. The overall increase in bioethanol consumption depends on the overall increase in the petrol fuel mix as a whole. Therefore, this theme remains very relevant! Many people consider alcohol petrol to be a still relatively new discovery, although in fact the USA, Brazil, and European countries have long been using petrol with added alcohol to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This is a normal global practice that has been in operation for tens of years. From 1 May 2025, all Ukrainian petrol stations will be required to add at least 5% bioethanol to petrol. As well as the price of bioethanol being tied to petroleum and many other factors suggest that further increases in bioethanol prices can be predicted.
BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION. Made from multi-purpose crops and agricultural waste, bioethanol is the result of close collaboration between farms and biorefineries. bioethanol is a biofuel produced sustainably from crops and agricultural waste and residues. The USA and Brazil dominate this market. Their combined share of production is 84 per cent of the total. Also major global bioethanol producers are China, India, Canada and EU countries, led by France, Germany and Hungary! In 2022 EU production has got up 3,4% already against a stagnant 2021 (2021 was unsuccessful due to Covid-19).
Most ethanol (about 63%) is made from maize through fermentation of plant material, and another 30% - from sugarcane. Sugarcane is used more in Brazil, but in the USA and European countries bioethanol is produced mainly from maize (corn). Maize prices have risen significantly since 2022 as the market for cereals, particularly maize, has fallen due to import restrictions from Ukraine and Russia. However, the demand for bioethanol is growing! According to analysis by financial consulting groups, the bioethanol market volume is estimated at 112,29 billion litres in 2024 and is expected to reach 144,34 billion litres by 2029, at a five-year growth rate of 5.15%.
PROSPECTS IN UKRAINE. Realising the potential of renewable ethanol biorefineries. Let's take in account the prospects of Ukraine in the nearest future. In spite of the war and the economic crisis, some companies are already exploiting the opportunity to establish bioethanol production from maize in new or current production facilities. Moreover, the EU also notes that Ukraine has significantly increased its bioethanol production in recent years, thereby responding quickly to the demand and relevance of this product on the international market. This step will also help to develop domestic agricultural production, particularly maize cultivation and alcohol production, preserve the environment by reducing gas emissions, and save money on the purchase of imported petroleum products.
As we have already mentioned earlier, maize is an ideal raw material for ethanol production and has significant advantages over other cereal crops for the distillery industry. If corn is used as a raw material for bioethanol, costs can be reduced by an order due to the starch content of the crop, which will increase the profitability of the alcohol production. More starchy raw materials reduce the consumption of thinning enzymes and increase the concentration of the fermentation product. Company «AGRO-SIMO-MASHBUD» ” is not left outside and since 2020 it has already projected and supplied basic equipment for three Ukrainian plants of corn processing for bioethanol and food alcohol. Productivity of plants for maize grain is from 150 tonnes/day of grain to 1000 tonnes/day. There have been supplied technological equipment for corn degermination lines to grind it to the required fractional composition for further fermentation.
Below we provide data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine on the dynamics of bioethanol production in Ukraine.
TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS: technology for bioethanol production from maize. Corn degermination lets effectively remove the germ, the content of which ranges from 8 to 14%, depending on the variety of maize, and let the germ-free maize groats be sent for grinding. This technological operation is caused by the fact that maize germ contains 24-28% of fat. And if this fat is not isolated together with the germ by dejermination, then it significantly reduces the efficiency of fermentation (‘sugarification’) of complex starch molecules of maize starch. And, this in itself will lead to a reduction in the percentage of bioethanol yields.
In the presented video we can see the process of separating the germ from the corn grits on the Gravity Table separator. In the leftmost tray the separated germ is directed, and in the remaining trays (3 pcs.) is directed ready groats for further crushing.
Don't put off that you have planned today, because things that are put off can stay “It's never done “. In turn, we are always in communication for consultations and proposals for production lines, modernisation of existing production facilities and for pre-orders for the supply of technological equipment.
