Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE

LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY

Bioethanol Production from Seaweeds Taken from The Local Beaches of Sipalay City

Peter Andrew O. Lingamen

College of Engineering

University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
Introduction

Production of energy in the Philippines is not as sufficient as it may seem. Cost of fuels and

petroleum imported from other countries is formidable and an alternative source is one of the best

way to work out the ongoing issue in the country. Oil is a non-renewable form of this energy. Once

used up, it cannot be recycled back. 53% of our annual diesel fuel imports are used for

transportation at the very least, an unusually high and unique percentage to the Philippines

(Alvarez, n.d.). Also, carbon dioxide emitted from burning fossil fuels contribute massively to

global warming and an alternative energy source as biofuel would limit the production of fossil

fuels (Morello, 2013, para. 4).

Bioethanol, a renewable fuel that is derived from biological matters, are preferably less expensive

in the global market which is a product for masses. Bioethanol are made from plants including

vegetables, crops, and sometimes wood. Philippines being a sugar-producing country, uses

sugarcane as the most predominant source of ethanol feedstocks.

However, using agricultural feedstocks has drawn attention internationally due to high global price

increase of food (Aizawa, n.d.). Lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood, rice straw, and sugarcane

bagasse has been used as bioethanol feedstock. Considering that they are inedible, the presence of

lignin makes it resistant to hydrolysis, thus, various pretreatment methods are required for the

process (Saini, Saini, Tewari, 2014).

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
Seaweeds, on the other hand, have been proposed as one of the most potential raw materials for

efficient bioethanol production that would not compete with food. They contain low concentrations

of lignin or no lignin at all. Even so, delignification would not be necessary. Also, seaweed

cultivation would not invade agricultural landmass.

Statement of the Problem

Philippines spend a lot to energy in the form of oil as 53% of it is used on transport, yet oil is non-

renewable so it’s expensive. Biofuel, specifically bioethanol from seaweeds, would be a potential

alternative to aid the emission of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels. Bioethanol produced from

agricultural feedstocks has been in competition with food, due to rise in global food price. Also,

they satisfy only a relatively small amount of percentage to the annual oil consumption. Therefore,

this energy source is merely just a provisional one and an alternative method must be developed.

Using lignocellulosic biomass as a raw material would be very costly as various pretreatments are

required because the lignin present in the cellulose is hydrolysis-resistant. It would require

additional energy and expense.

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study is to find an alternative source of energy for the country of the Philippines

that is environmental-friendly, cheaper than the current fuel used by the Philippine citizens,

especially for transport, and would benefit the government. To aid the agricultural issue that a

significant percentage of farmland used is for crops and plants used for bioethanol production.

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
Review of Related Literature

Bioethanol Production in the Philippines

Due to economic expansion, fuel consumption continues to increase. Supposedly, the Biofuels

Act of 2006, the addition of ethanol in our gasoline, was to help our sugar farmers, decrease our

dependence on imported fuel and save foreign exchange but after all these years, none of the

above has happened. There has been little local investment in distilleries to process ethanol

(Chanco, 2017).

The production of local ethanol was expected to increase through 2017 due to a modest buildup in

capacity. Imports were expected to decline from 311 million liters in 2015 to 281 million liters in

2016, declining again to 278 in 2017. The goal is to meet the 10 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline

which is somehow problematic because of biodiesel price increase but meeting the two percent

mandate was no problem at all.

In 2015, there were eight ethanol plants operating, unchanged from the previous year’s level, with

a combined capacity of 222 MLi, according to DOE data. Production output, however, increased

46 percent reaching 168 MLi in 2015, compared to 115 MLi in 2014. Two additional plants with

an estimated combined capacity of 60 MLi started operations in the first semester of 2016. One of

these plants is a newly constructed facility, while the other, a potable alcohol producer which

underwent adjustments to produce fuel ethanol. The shift not only is cheaper compared to building

a new facility, the adjustments also take only two to three months. Ethanol production in 2016 is

expected to grow dramatically (58 percent) from the 2015 level and reach 266 MLi, based on

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
extrapolated industry estimates. At this level, capacity utilization would be 94 percent, up from

the 76 percent utilization in 2015, assuming adequate feedstock supply (Corpuz, 2017).

The country is a major sugarcane producer and typically one of the largest U.S. sugar quota

recipients. Inadequate investments and climate change in recent years, however, have resulted in

flat sugarcane production and inefficient milling operations. In response, on March 27, 2015,

Republic Act 10659 (RA 10659) or the “Sugarcane Industry Development Act” was signed into

law. The Act provides the local sugar industry P2 billion ($43 million) for infrastructure support

programs, research and development, socialized credit, grants to block farms and scholarship

grants (Reyes, 2014).

Bioethanol Production in Negros Occidental

Right at the center of this green revolution is San Carlos City, where the first sugarcane to ethanol

plant not only Philippines but in Southeast Asia started operation in 2009. As the sugar capital of

the Philippines, Negros Occidental is the best location for the country’s first ethanol plant which

uses sugarcane as feedstock. The plant which is owned by San Carlos Bioenergy has the capacity

to crush 1,500 tons per day of sugarcane to produce 125,000 liters per day of bioethanol. The plant

is also a cogeneration plant producing 8MW of power from bagasse, the sugarcane waste after

juice extraction, which it uses to run the plant and supply around 2.4MW to the power grid. During

Typhoon Yolanda, the power lines of VRESCO were damaged causing power outage in the

Northern part of the province without electricity and intermittent power supply to the rest of the

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
province. In coordination with the local government of San Carlos City, San Carlos Bioenergy was

able to supply the city with 1,5 to 1,7 MW of electricity for one week (Reyes, 2014).

Effect of carbon dioxide emission from burning fossil fuels to global warming

Between 1906 and 2005, average global temperatures rose 1.0 to 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit in both

the Northern and Southern hemispheres, according to a 2010 report by the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA). It may not seem like a significant climate shift, but once the global

warming trend has started, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Some climate experts predict

that the polar ice caps will recede by 40 percent by 2050. As the ice melts, it creates a feedback

effect. Essentially, sunlight that would have been reflected by the ice is now absorbed by the

oceans, accelerating the warming process exponentially. As temperatures rise, more water vapor

will enter the atmosphere, trapping even more heat in the global greenhouse. Carbon dioxide, a

byproduct of burning fossil fuel, is a potent greenhouse gas that remains in the atmosphere

indefinitely (Roos, 2017).

Food vs Biofuel

Eager to promote nonpetroleum energy sources to reduce dependence on oil imports and slow

global warming due to fossil fuel emissions, the United States, Brazil, and the European Union

are promoting biofuels made from food crops. Ethanol production (mainly in the United States

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
and Brazil) tripled from 4.9 billion gallons to almost 15.9 billion gallons between 2001 and 2007,

according to C. Ford Runge, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of

Minnesota. During that same period, biodiesel production (mainly for sale in the European

Union) rose almost 10-fold, to about 2.4 billion gallons, although further expansion is now

uncertain. Biofuel production has been prodded by government initiatives such as subsidies and

tax incentives (Tenenbaum, n.d.).

Even as growing quantities of corn and other grains are being diverted for use as biofuel

feedstocks, newly affluent people—mainly in Asia—are eating more meat and dairy, which puts

a further demand on animal feed supplies. There are many signs of concern. On 14 April 2008, the

online African Energy News Review news service noted that food riots had killed five people in

Haiti, adding, “The diversion of food crops to biofuel production was a significant factor

contributing to global food prices rocketing by 83% in the last year, and causing violent conflicts

in Haiti and other parts of the world.”

Bioethanol from seaweeds

Bioethanol has attracted attention as an alternative to petroleum-derived fuel. Seaweeds have been

proposed as some of the most promising raw materials for bioethanol production because they

have several advantages over lignocellulosic biomass. However, because seaweeds contain low

contents of glucans, i.e., polysaccharides composed of glucose, the conversion of only the glucans

from seaweed is not sufficient to produce high concentrations of ethanol. Therefore, it is also

necessary to produce ethanol from other specific carbohydrate components of seaweeds, including

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
sulfated polysaccharides, mannitol, alginate, agar and carrageenan. This review summarizes the

current state of research on the production of ethanol from seaweed carbohydrates for which the

conversion of carbohydrates to sugars is a key step and makes comparisons with the production of

ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. This review provides valuable information necessary for the

production of high concentrations of ethanol from seaweeds.

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Running head: BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM SEAWEEDS TAKEN FROM THE
LOCAL BEACHES OF SIPALAY CITY
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