| Prospects for lignocellulosic ethanol industry from grasses and agricultural residues in Ontario were evaluated. The amount of land that could potentially be used for growing grasses was estimated, under various assumptions. The amount of agricultural residues that might be collected in the province was estimated. The maximum total amount of lignocellulosic ethanol that can be produced domestically in Ontario under the most optimistic long-term future scenario was found to be 2.61 Billion litres, which is about 20% of the demand for E85 ethanol blend in the province. The areas with the highest potential yield of biomass were identified and possible locations of ethanol conversion plants were proposed. A linear optimization model for the calculation of the total transportation cost of ethanol from the plants to the demand centers was developed, and the total cost of lignocellulosic ethanol production was estimated to range from {dollar}0.51 to {dollar}0.55 per litre. |
