The Next Generation Of Fuel Is Here - Cellulosis Ethanol
Traditionally Ethanol was made from Corn Starch
It came as no surprise to me to learn that Ethanol is not a new fuel, but wait till you see the new technology and production methods that the New Generation of Ethanol will be produced from in our immediate future! ... But first, a little history on the fascinating journey of Ethanol…
HISTORY OF ETHANOL…
Apparently, in the 1850s, ethanol was a major lighting fuel, which was outpriced for domestic purposes during the Civil War in US by an outrageous liquor tax imposed to raise money for the war. Production declined sharply and did not begin to recover until the tax was repealed in 1906.
Henry with the Model T
In the 1970s, interest in ethanol as a transportation fuel was revived when embargoes by major oil producing countries cut gasoline supplies. Since that time ethanol use has been encouraged by offering tax benefits for producing ethanol and for blending ethanol into gasoline. In 1988, ethanol began to be added to gasoline for the purpose of reducing carbon monoxide emissions.
NOW – A SHRINKING WORLD
As an alternative fuel made from grains and other plant materials, Ethanol has long been considered one of the most promising alternatives to gasoline because crops were at first considered renewable, but with the population set to top 12 billion over the next 50 years... well, corn may well be better served up as a meal with butter perhaps, than running the car … and if large areas of land need to be cleared to grow the crops needed to produce the Ethanol in the first place, is Ethanol as environmentally friendly as promoters first thought … how can it remain cost-effective in a world of shrinking land and water resources?
Another consideration is that although Ethanol reduces CO2 emissions, it does not get rid of it completely. Again, if more land is cleared to grow the crops to create ethanol, less forest remains to absorb the CO2 that it creates in its life cycle, when burnt in the combustion engines of over 600 million cars on the planet today.
THE FUTURE OF ETHANOL PRODUCTION
Just like the DeLorean in Back to the Future folks, it has become clear that the future of fuel
The DeLorean
• straws, corn stalks and cobs, bagasse, cotton gin trash, palm oil wastes, etc.,
• paper (recycled newspaper, paper mill sludge’s, and sorted municipal solid
waste, etc.,
• wood wastes – pruning’s, wood chips and sawdust, and
• green wastes - ;eaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit wastes, etc.
Using well known conversion technology including concentrated acid hydrolysis the new technology is unique in that, for the first time, it enables widely available cellulosic materials, or more commonly, green waste biomass, to be converted into sugar in an economically and environmentally friendly way…
The company estimates that one BlueFire Ethanol bio-refinery will provide 8.97 million tons of CO2 less emissions over the project life than compared to the production of gasoline. In addition BlueFire claims that one bio-refinery utilising 450 tons per day of biomass will use, on an annual basis, feedstock equivalent to a building over 60 stories high, avoiding methane gas emissions of 34,217 tons per year.
Other benefits include:
- New uses for agricultural and forest waste materials
- Preservation of natural resources through a process designed for near zero discharge
- Bio-based chemicals with low toxicity and biodegrade rapidly as alternatives to
petrochemicals
- A sustainable development promoting the new carbohydrate economy.
VIEW THE BLUEFIRE PROMOTIONAL ETHANOL VIDEO HERE
Sources: http://www.bluefireethanol.com/index.htm, images: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/746291, http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.shadetreemechanic.com/images/
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How does this compare with solar energy other than that a car can go further, whereas solar energy becomes somewhat depleted, or its storage does, but I may be wrong about that and I perhaps am getting it mixed up with the electric car?
I think I like the short pictorial type presentation better.
I'm not too good at all this, but nowadays do not drive a car, which has to put me somewhere up the top of the list.
Do you want to give a short, sharp, snappy reply for people like me with selective ADHD. [like lazy]
Mrs. M.'s love and stuff,
katyzzz
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
okay I'll give it a try...no not going to be possible, sorry...
...how about a car that runs on gravity when it's going downhill, uses solar power to get up the hills and when it starts raining, switches to cellulosis ethanol made cleanly from green waste, to finish the trip...? It would suit me fine if it never travelled more than 80kph.
I'm hoping the fourth wave of humanity will be slower than the third... (see Tofflers Third Wave...) but I don't think tat can happen in an expanding universe as current understanding of (western) physics dictates that it speeds up...(?) don't quote me on that will you...
hope you didn't mean that the promotional presentation was better than my article...? *lolo* well okay, it is pretty good, I must admit...te he....
thanks for stopping by..
Lilla...
Flashes of memories
Great post! I am surprised that Ethanol has not been introduced sooner - I come from Zimbabwe and we used blends there in our cars from as far back as I can remember.
I also saw a programme on TV the other night about Cloud Seeding which is a fairly new idea here too, bascially man-made rain. I remember as a child watching the planes at home seeding the clouds to bring the rain and was also amazed that it is something most people don`t know about here.
Perhaps going back to some developing countries will bring about a whole range of ideas that can be used in the fight to save our environment. This is no slag on developed countries just that in places around the world where money is limited and modern technology is unheard of people still have to make things work and so will normally resort to natural or more efficient resources.
Fight on fair Warrior
Ash
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
yes, you are so right... I think we make Ethanol in Australia too from cane pulp, but I'm not sure we only use the waste material..(?)... as I said, so much of this environmental information is almost like a taboo subject... since when?
I have heard of cloud seeding and am so pleased you have too... so few have... maybe a good subject for a post... soon... thanks I had forgotten about it. What fascinated me about this subject was that CO2 offers mother nature alternatives to making rain where she would otherwise have had none... the salt they add to the sky simply removes those choises and trick her into thinking that there is no CO2.. I have a theory if you have an ear...? the cost of war is where all the seeding money has gone along with much other stuff... perhaps...(?) *grimace*
I thank you for your support and know I can soldier on becuase I am in such 'fair' company...
Lilla...
...Ash, your background sounds varied and interesting ...a bit like mine... we really should organise a Christmas bash for Brisbane for next year...there are a few of us up here....what do you think (?)
Flashes of memories
Yeah they spend so much money on fighting against one another instead of using it for the good of everyone. I look at Zimbabwe and we have so much to offer the world in the way of natural beauty, friendly faces and enriching experiences, yet one money hungry person has taken that all away from everyone. As we don`t have much to offer in the way of making governments around the world rich they allow these things to happen by turning a blind eye. So countries like ours continue to cloud seed and drive around with blended fuel in our cars (well we used to anyways!) and the world at large struggles for these little pearls of wisdom and, as you say, take all their money and pour it into senseless wars.
I think the world needs to just take a breather, stand back and look at themselves and learn to shake a hand in friendship rather than in a deal of destruction. We all have so much to offer one another that falls by the way side of the dollar sign.
WHEW! There you go I had my moan for the day! Thanks for the outlet!
I love the idea of an Orble Christmas party in Brizzy next year. I live on the Sunshine Coast at the moment but would make the trip down for that one for sure. We could all sit in a room with our drinks tapping away on our computers and have a chat! ha ha! Isn`t it sad that that is the way the world is heading? oooooh let me not get started there........
Great post!
Ash
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
that was a great rave too...makes perfect sense to me...
we will organise something for next year for sure... although this year's virtual bash at Tracy's wasn't half bad, although I had to leave early to re-watch a fav. movie... Last night was Peter Sellers and Goldie Horne -There's a Girl in My Soup... I havn't seen it for ages... it was still good! "God, but Peter Sellers was lovely!"
Cheerio for now...
Lilla...
Yeah that virtual hangover has really kicked in now from all those pina`s, but it was a great night!
Will have to keep an eye out for that movie
Have a good one
ash
Learning Something Everyday
I was just wondering, to create Ethenol, which needs concentrated acid hydrolysis technology, would it create another kind of waste that is toxic?
I haven't truly read throug habout concentrated acid hydrolysis, but I hope that there would be a good article that says both the pros and cons of this breakthrough.