A NSTDA-UNIDO proposal on “Overcoming Policy, Market and Technological Barriers to Support Technological Innovation and South-South Technology Transfer: the Pilot Case of Ethanol Production from Cassava” submitted by was approved for funding from the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund.
This project aims to address and overcome technology, market and policy barriers to help Thailand realize its ethanol goals and to share its experience, its know-how and “success” with other developing countries through a full package South-South technology transfer and demonstration sites. NSTDA and the Cassava and Starch Technology Research Unit, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Kasetsart Univeristy have developed a full package of new technologies, including improved cultural techniques, raw material preparation, and the fermentation technology, called Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF), which short-cut the fermentation processes, together with options for net energy reduction throughout the project cycle. The project also aims to further increase the fermentation efficiency, presently at 85%, during the project lifetime, and tosubsequently, transfer these technologies to other receipient countries, especially those in Southeast Asia. The design of the project will therefore be based on UNFCCC’s modified technology transfer framework, which defines the need for five key elements for successful technology transfer: (1) technology need and technology assessment; (2) technology information; (3) enabling policy level environmnet, (4) capacity building; (5) mechanism to faciliate institutional and financial support to technology cooperation, development and transfer.
With the support of the project, it is estimated that around 575,000 tonnes of CO2 emission will be avoided per year from ethanol consumption in replacement of gasoline. Detailed analysis of cost-effectiveness will be conducted during the PPG phase. A larger increase in avoided CO2 emissions is anticipated, after the new technologies are successfully transferred.