LOSONOCO’s proprietary acid hydrolysis process converts any form of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), which includes biodegradable municipal waste (BMW), into Fuel Ethanol and other saleable by-products. Although this is a biofuels manufacturing process, it is in fact a waste recycling technology as it uses waste streams as the feedstock.

The process has extremely low residuals of around 10% of the mass of the feedstock and is essentially energy self-sufficient in that it uses two by-products of the process (lignin and stillage) to provide the thermal and electrical energy to run the plant. Emissions to land, water and air are negligible and the process provides the following significant benefits:

• 100% diversion of BMW from landfill, converting a potential liability under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) allowances into a source of revenue
• 90% reduction in Green House Gas emissions (GHG’s) compared to refining an equivalent amount of petroleum
• The Fuel Ethanol itself provides 35% to 50% reductions in GHG’s and particulates compared to petroleum

LOSONOCO’s acid hydrolysis process has 7 main steps:

1. Feedstock preparation: chopping and shredding the biomass
2. Hydrolysis: using acid, temperature and pressure to break open the lignin and release the sugars
3. Neutralisation: removal of the acid by adding lime
4. Separation: separating the liquid sugars from the solid lignin
5. Fermentation: using yeast to convert the sugars into ‘beer’
6. Distillation: extracting the ethanol from the ‘beer’
7. Purification: Purifying the ethanol and carbon dioxide for sale