34 Journal on Processing and Energy in Agriculture 22 (2018) 1 Biblid: 1821-4487 (2018) 22; 1; p 34-39 Review paper UDK: 582.661 Pregledni rad CHALLENGES IN BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION FROM INTERMEDIATE AND BY-PRODUCTS OF THE SUGAR BEET PROCESSING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IZAZOVI PROIZVODNJE BIOETANOLA IZ MEĐU- I NUSPROIZVODA PRERADE ŠEĆERNE REPE U REPUBLICI SRBIJI Jelena DODIĆ*, Jovana GRAHOVAC*, Zorana RONČEVIĆ*, Radmila PAJOVIĆ-ŠĆEPANOVIĆ**, Siniša DODIĆ*, Bojana BAJIĆ*, Damjan VUČUROVIĆ* *University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technology Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Bul. cara Lazara 1, Serbia **University of Montenegro, Biotechnical Faculty, 81000 Podgorica, Mihajla Lalića 1, Montenegro e-mail: ron@uns.ac.rs ABSTRACT The bioethanol market is large and has a constant upward trend, which requires the improvement of its production. In the Republic of Serbia, bioethanol is produced using sugar beet molasses-based media. Taking into account a few disadvantages of molasses as raw material, as well as a decreasing trend in its use in Serbia, it is necessary to consider other possibilities provided by the sugar beet processing technology. Therefore, the cogeneration of sugar and bioethanol may serve as an alternative and viable solution. In this paper, the data on the characteristics of intermediate and by-products of sugar beet processing, used as raw materials for bioethanol production, are summarized. The criteria for their selection are given, and the locations of their generation are mapped. Furthermore, the current bioethanol production capacities in the Republic of Serbia are presented, and the possibility of the cogeneration of sugar and bioethanol in domestic factories is considered. Key words: bioethanol, sugar beet processing, alternative raw materials, sustainable development. REZIME Tržište bioetanola je veliko i ima konstantan trend porasta što zahteva unapređenje njegove proizvodnje. Bioetanol se proizvodi fermentacijom izvora ugljenika primenom kvasaca ili bakterija. Kako nisu svi izvori ugljenika odgovarajući za različite mikroorganizme, izbor sirovina, koje sadrže fermentabilne šećere ili konstituente koji se mogu ekonomski isplativim postupcima prevesti u takve, zavisi od primenjenog proizvodnog soja. Ove, alternativne, sirovine često su istovremeno izvor vode i različitih nutrijenata i jedinjenja koja mogu, a ne moraju biti koristan sastojak medijuma. U tom smislu, primeni potencijalnih sirovina u proizvodnji bioetanola moraju predhoditi sveobuhvatna razmatranja vezana za biološku dostupnost i koncentraciju izvora ugljenika, konzistenciju sirovine, lokaciju na kojoj se generiše, sezonsku dostupnost, alternativnu primenu, kao i njen lokalni tehnološki potencijal. U Republici Srbiji se za proizvodnju bioetanola koriste medijumi na bazi melase šećerne repe. Imajući u vidu nekoliko osnovnih nedostataka melase kao sirovine, kao i činjenicu da će je na našoj teritoriji biti sve manje zbog usavršavanja tehnologije šećera u smislu generisanja manjih količina efluenata i zbog smanjenja proizvodnih kapaciteta šećerana, očigledno je da je potrebno razmotriti i druge mogućnosti koje nudi tehnologija prerade šećerne repe, a kao alternativno i veoma atraktivno rešenje nameće se koproizvodnja šećera i bioetanola. U ovom radu objedinjeni su podaci koji se odnose na karakteristike među- i nusproizvoda prerade šećerne repe kao sirovina za proizvodnju bioetanola, dati su kriterijumi njihovog izbora i mapirane su lokacije na kojima se generišu. Takođe, prikazani su trenutni proizvodni kapaciteti bioetanola u Republici Srbiji i razmotrena je mogućnost koproizvodnje šećera i bioetanola u domaćim šećeranama. Ključne reči: bioetanol, prerada šećerne repe, alternativne sirovine, održivi razvoj. INTRODUCTION Bioethanol, i.e. ethanol produced from biomass resources, has been known from ancient times. However, nowadays it is possible to claim that bioethanol represents an extraordinary and important raw material that is abundantly used in all strategic fields of development. Large amounts of bioethanol are traditionally used in everyday life in the form of beverages, antiseptic and disinfectants, whereas modern trends have intensified its use as an environmentally friendly and renewable energy source, i.e. as an additive or supplement to gasoline. The food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and chemical industries use bioethanol as a solvent, extragent, preservative, additive or initial raw material. Since the fields of bioethanol usage are very diverse, its market, both locally and globally, is large and has a constant upward trend (Baras et al., 2002). Therefore, the improvement of bioethanol technology is a priority for many research centers, universities, private companies, and even governments, both for economic and environmental reasons. It is known that bioethanol is produced in distilleries by alcoholic fermentation of carbon sources using suitable biocatalysts, yeasts or bacteria. Considering that not all carbon sources are appropriate for different microorganisms, the selection of raw materials, which contain fermentable sugars or constituents usable in bioethanol production, depends on the applied producing strain (Lin and Tanaka, 2006). Hence, one of the major problems with bioethanol production is the availability of convenient raw materials. The quality and quantity of selected raw materials can considerably vary from season to season and depend on geographic locations. The price of raw materials is also very volatile, which can highly affect the costs of bioethanol production. Because raw materials typically account for more than one-third of the production costs, the usage of cheap substrates has been suggested as an efficient manner of