This document discusses various biochemical process options for biofuel production in Sri Lanka, including biomass, biogas, and bioethanol. It notes that municipal solid waste and sugar cane molasses are potential feedstocks for biogas and bioethanol production, respectively. Rubber seed oil and waste cooking oil are also identified as possible resources for biodiesel. The document recommends developing sugarcane varieties with improved yields and traits and exploring microalgae farming using wastewater to further develop biofuel opportunities in Sri Lanka.

1. Biochemical Process Options for
Biofuel Production
Sanja Gunawardena

2. Energy Balance 2014
Total Energy Demand 2014 (PJ)
Fuel wood
Bagasse
Imported petroleum
products
Fuel wood

3. Biomass
• Energy Plantations - Short Rotation Coppicing
– Gliricidia Sepium (20- 30 tons/ Ha/yr)

4. Biogas
Municipal solid wastes in to biogas
• Daily generation 6400 tonnes
• 3400 tonnes are collected by LA’s
• High organic content in MSW
• High moisture content (70–80% on a wet mass basis)
• Low calorific value (about 600– 1000 kcal/kg)

5. Biogas
Digesters

6. Bioethanol
 Feedstock - molasses
 Bioethanol production is well established
 In 2014, only 9.2% of the sugar demand was locally
produced
 More than 90% of sugar is imported
(2014 - 520 000 MT)

7. Way forward…..
Development of sugarcane varieties with
• high cane and sugar yields
• drought resistant
• tolerant/resistant to pests and diseases
• desirable features for cultivation in different
sugarcane-growing areas

8. Different Biomass feed stocks into Bioethanol
Sugar platform
Sugar
Fermentable sugar juice ethanol
Starch
starch enzyme sugar ethanol
Lignocellulose
Cellulose cellulase sugar ethanol

9. Lignocellulosic bioethanol
Simultaneous
Saccharification and
Fermentation (SSF)

10. Recent biotech advances in enzyme technology:
Significant cost reductions

11. Biodiesel potential in Sri Lanka ??
Rubber seed oil
Jatropha oil
Waste Cooking oil
Animal fat

12. Rubber seed oil potential in Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka has 119,500 ha of rubber plantation
• Seeds from 400 ha is sufficient for nurseries
If
• 75% of the Rubber seeds is collected
• extracted (with a 20% efficiency)
• and converted into biodiesel (with a 65 % efficiency)
around 5000 tons of biodiesel can be produced annually
• This is an equivalent of 4500 tons of petroleum diesel
• Which is 0.2% of the total diesel consumption in the country or
• 12% of the fuel consumption in the railway sector alone.

13. Jatropha potential in Sri Lanka
• Many entrepreneurs started growing Jatropha in
the country
• No recorded information on the extent

18. UK’s first large-scale biodiesel plant in Scotland started production of
biodiesel way back in March 2005
• Biodiesel from tallow and used cooking oil
• The plant is capable of using a wide variety of raw materials including
virgin oils such as rapeseed oil.
Waste cooking oil
Animal fat

19. Algae for Biodiesel Production
• Micro algal Farming Using Wastewater
• Marine micro algae

20. Household Commercial and other
• Biomass
• Biogas
Industry
• Biomass
• Biogas
• Liquid biofuels (biodiesel)
Transport
• Biogas
• Bioethanol
• Biodiesel