What does bioethanol have to do with a German embassy event in Washington?
It might sound strange but it fits perfectly considering that the embassy event was titled "The Garden of Ideas" and was all about sustainable energy in Germany. We talked to Dr. Lutz Guderjahn, CEO of CropEnergies which is currently the largest bioethanol plant in Europe. Listen to his response to the bioethanol critics...

CropEnergies is a pioneer in the production of bioethanol for the fuel sector. The group became successfully established as a producer of bioethanol in a growth market within just a few years. Currently the largest bioethanol plant in Europe, CropEnergies is located in Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt. “Crop” stands for “creative regeneration of power”. Energy in the form of bioethanol, utilized as fuel in gasoline motors, is extracted from renewable raw materials such as grain and sugar beets. In the fuel sector bioethanol is the world’s most copious bio-fuel and is characterized by many experts as the fuel of the future. We spoke with Dr. Lutz Guderjahn, CEO of CropEnergies, about his pioneering work and the perspectives of bioethanol as an energy source.
What constitutes the innovative pioneering character of bioethanol technology in your personal opinion? Bioethanol is not just a fuel of the future. It can be produced industrially in large amounts today and can be a significant contribution to the reduction of CO2 emission in the transport sector.
Furthermore, the continual enhancing of bioethanol gives new impetus to developments and innovations in the area of white biotechnology.
Bioethanol is extracted from biomass, in contrast to synthetically produced ethanol. What is so special about this production process?The extraordinary thing about bioethanol is primarily that it is a diversely tested fuel that has solidly proven its suitability for daily use for quite some time now.
The biomass from which bioethanol is produced – grain and sugar beets – abounds in Europe. And for these raw materials there are already well-functioning logistics supply chains. Thus, we use the existing infrastructure to build up a new branch of industry, to open up a new sales market for agriculture, and at the same time do something for climate protection.
What is so special about the production process on CropEnergies is its enormous efficiency: There are absolutely no waste products! The mash residuum is dried and made into pellets, which is a valuable protein animal feed used mainly for livestock.
What makes bioethanol so attractive in comparison to other sources of energy?There is a growing constantly need for energy around the world. Bioethanol is a sustainable energy source extracted from renewable raw materials. And we have these raw materials in sufficient amounts at our disposal. It is also a vital fact that bioethanol can be made from domestic raw materials. This is a huge benefit in lieu of the fact that other (fossil) fuel sources come from politically unstable regions.
What possible applications are there for bioethanol?Bioethanol can be used in many ways today. We produce bioethanol mainly for fuel. We differentiate among three areas of application:
• Production of the octane booster ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether) that can be contained in gasoline up to 15%.
• Low blends such as E5 (gasoline mixed with 5 percent bioethanol by volume) or E10 (10 percent bioethanol by volume). The European fuel norm DIN EN228 currently allows a blending of 5% by volume for conventional Otto engines. A 10% blending is now being tested.
• E85 – a blended fuel of 85% bioethanol and 15% gasoline – can be used in so-called “flexible fuel vehicles”. More and more automobile manufacturers are offering vehicles with this technology, as we observed at this year’s IAA.
What role could this fuel play as a complement or perhaps alternative to other biotechnologies, such as hydrogen, for example? Bioethanol cannot fully replace fossil fuels, but it can contribute significantly to our becoming less dependent on them. The major difference to other biotechnologies such as hydrogen or BTL is that bioethanol is not a futuristic dream but is available today.
However, we are researching other areas of application for bioethanol. Since the beginning of the year we’ve been working on a project about bioethanol fuel cells. The research and development department of Südzucker AG is working on our behalf with institutes of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft to develop fuel cells that are driven by bioethanol. Crop Energies bioethanol-producing plant in Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt
In your bioethanol production you attach value to being located in the new federal states. Why does ethanol production flourish in this part of Germany – and in contrast to foreign production?Our choice of Zeitz as an industrial location has various reasons. Above all it is important because it is situated in the center of one of Europe’s largest wheat producing regions. Logistics plays a big role when you are processing 700,00 tons of grain per year. Another source of raw material is right on our doorstep: a sugar factory of our parent company Südzucker AG from which we get the sugar beet syrup for bioethanol production. We have also gained the know-how for large-scale industrial processing and refining of agricultural products from our parent company Südzucker AG.
The bioethanol sector is state-aided, for example through tax reliefs. What general political conditions are you anticipating in order to establish bioethanol as an important fuel of the future? Above all, it is important that the general political conditions that are now in force should remain and be expanded if necessary, for example, compulsory fuel blending in Germany. Guidelines on the European level show promise and must of course be implemented now. The bioethanol industry in Europe is still young. Since it is still in the development phase, it needs particular protection.
How is the general acceptance of bioethanol as a source of fuel? Is there a need for better communication in this regard?The general acceptance of bioethanol is tremendous!
In Germany there is need for further communication. Many people think immediately of biodiesel when they hear the word biofuel because biodiesel has been available in Germany for many years. A lot has been accomplished in the last few years, however, as we could see at this year’s IAA: Numerous automobile manufacturers presented their own FFV’s (flexible fuel vehicles) – cars that can be filled up with either gasoline, or E85 (85% bioethanol and 15% gasoline) or any arbitrary blend of the two. We are certain that bioethanol as a fuel will become ingrained in people’s minds and have wide acceptance.
What is in your estimation the future potential of bioethanol? Bioethanol is already the biofuel used to the greatest extent throughout the world today. In a few years that will be the case in Europe, too.
To what extent are you planning to expand your bioethanol business?We are currently tripling our production capacity. The capacity of our plant in Zeitz – the largest bioethanol plant in Europe – is being enlarged from 260,000 m3 to 360,000 m3 annually. Another plant with a capacity of 300,000 m3 is under construction in Belgium. Also in planning is the integration of the French bioethanol activities of the Südzucker Group into the CropEnergies Group. Our goal is to be the market leader in Europe in a few years. Pictures: CropEnergies AG