Standardization News

ASTM International’s bioenergy and industrial chemicals from biomass committee (E48) has developed a new standard test method to measure the cellulosic content in pre- and post-conversion samples from bioethanol production.

Approximately 17 billion gallons of bioethanol are produced annually by the U.S. biofuel industry. In-situ corn kernel fiber (CKF)(1.5G) conversion processes that simultaneously convert starch and cellulosic content in corn biomass have become increasingly prevalent. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required a standardized analytical methodology to assign the portion of the ethanol produced in these 1.5G processes as cellulosic for its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.

“ASTM has provided this method, and E3417 has now been successfully used by a large number of bioethanol producers,” said David Mangan, PhD, Research Director at Neogen Corporation and an E48 committee member working on this standard. “As of March, the EPA approved the first D3 RIN credits generated by 1.5G processes since 2017.”

According to Mangan, E3417 also could also indirectly contribute to the decarbonization of air travel through the increased production of cellulosic bioethanol, which has a lower carbon footprint, as cellulosic ethanol can potentially be used to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) conversion technology.

E3417 corresponds with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy.