Ecuador is a very rich country in terms of biomass, produced by agricultural activities as well as biomass from natural forests. Nevertheless, this biomass is now misused and underestimated, because of the lack of mature technologies to take the best from it.

Ecuador has a high potential for the production of lignocellulosic ethanol, if we take a look of the amount of lignocellulosic waste materials that are being produced every year in crops such as bananas, palm oil, sugar cane, etc. Nevertheless it is to be understood that social and economic costumes are deeply rooted so it’s going to be a big task changing the current uses of several waste materials. The case of empty fruit bunches is a typical example where it is possible to analyze the behaviors and preferences of the farmers and industry people.

It is necessary to establish rules and laws to regulate the raising biomass markets, moreover if the biomass is going to be transformed in valuable and useful products such as xylitol, ethanol, foods and renewable chemicals.

The technologies are being improved to get better yields and lower production costs. A demonstrative scale biorefinery has recently sat up in Ecuador at the Neotropical Center for the Biomass Research, under the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador. This biorefinery was completely designed and constructed in Ecuador and is the very first in its genus in the country as well as one of the few in South America.

Author details

Enrique Javier Carvajal Barriga, Patricia Portero Barahona, Edgar Salas, Carolina Tufino and Bernardo Bastidas

Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, Centro Neotropical para la Investigation de la Biomasa, Quito-Ecuador

Cristina Guaman-Burneo

Departamento de Microbiologia, ICB, C. P. 486, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Acknowledgement

The authors want to acknowledge the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador and the SENESCYT (Secretariat of Science and Technology of Ecuador) for financing the RESETA project and scientific activities at the Neotropical Center for the Biomass Research.