It is possible to convert agricultural waste from wood and other potential energy crops into ethanol using enzymatic hydrolysis, without affecting the ecological balance or the food chain. Second generation biofuels also have strong potential for reducing emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replace.

Traditional processes based on cereals use the starch content. However, ethanol production from agricultural waste uses an intensive process to release the polymeric sugar structures present in the cellulose and hemicellulose, which account for 30% to 50% and from 20% to 35% of the plant material, respectively. The enzymatic hydrolysis process fractions the biomass into its most important components and hydrolyses the carbohydrates into simple sugars for the fermentation of the ethanol.

Abengoa has two production facilities at R&D scale that are world leaders in enzymatic hydrolysis technology. One pilot plant is in York (United States) and has been operational since 2007, while the other 5 Ml pilot plant is in Salamanca (Spain) and has been operational since 2009.

We have had invaluable support from the US Department of Energy (DoE), which has contributed $75 million, and from the European Commission in developing our ambitious R&D program in this field.

As a result of the knowledge generated by the pilot plants, Abengoa is developing a second generation ethanol plant using enzymatic hydrolysis technology on a commercial scale in Kansas (USA)

To date Abengoa has 7 patent applications in this field.

Data as at 31 December 2010.