Time for a refresher on cellulosic ethanol and the cellulosic biomass, i.e.,feedstock, that can be used to produce it.
Here are just some of the energy-efficient feedstocks that can be used (and are starting to be used) to produce cellulosic ethanol:
Fast-growing trees - sustainable poplar tree farms are one key source of biomass for cellulosic ethanol; short-rotation hybrid aspen (a cross between quaking aspen and European aspen; and short-rotation coppice (SRC) willow trees.
Corn stover - stalks, leaves, and husks of corn plants
Corn cobs - cobs that were typically left in the soil now can be put to better use (the cobs have minimal benefit to soil nutrient and offer the farmers yet another income source instead of being plowed into the soil)
Grain straw - cereal straws (e.g. wheat, barley, oats, rice)
These agricultural waste products are plowed back into the soil, composted, burned or disposed in landfills. Now they can become another revenue source for the farmers.
Switchgrass - these are crops grown specifically for fuel production (non-food based grasses that can be planted in soil and diverse locations less suitable for other plantings; these are perennial grasses/forage crops. They are crops that have low water & fertilizer requirements.
Miscanthus - this is a tall perennial grass whose stems can be used for cellulosic ethanol production
Sorghum - "milo" - this crop is a short rotation crop, allowing harvesting multiple times throughout the year. It requires little water
Forest product waste - included are wood chips, lumber mill sawdust, dead trees, and tree branches
Municipal waste - this includes household garbage and paper products
Industrial waste - black liquor which is a by-product of paper manufacturing; paper sludge
A major benefit of cellulosic ethanol is that it produces lower levels of greenhouse emissions.
Here's a pdf file with a tremendous amount of information - Title: Biofuels, bioenergy, and bioproducts from sustainable agricultural and forest crops: proceedings of the short rotation crops international conference - http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_nrs-p-31.pdf
Here's an excellent website & cellulosic information page to bookmark: http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_ethanol_cellulosic.htm
This posting and/or subsequent postings will focus more on each of the feedstocks, highlighting where and how they are being used to produce cellulosic ethanol.
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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An excellent resource to learn more about ethanol and other fuels is the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center.
As posted on this government site, "This Ethanol subsite represents a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass and Vehicle Technologies Programs and covers the entire production cycle of ethanol, from the field to the fuel tank. For information on other biofuels, go to the Fuels section." http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ethanol/index.html
As more focus is turning to cellulosic ethanol as an alternative fuel that does not impact our food supply, here's a section of their web site that discusses cellulosic feedstock: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ethanol/feedstocks_cellulosic.html
Another important information page covers "Ethanol Energy Balance" - where information is presented that looks at corn-based ethanol and cellulosic ethanol and more recent studies that point to a positive energy balance (not the negative energy balance as reported in earlier studies). Decide for yourself but please look at all the latest information so you have the facts - not the "facts" as reported in some online, TV, and newspaper reports. You decide.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ethanol/balance.html
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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Hydrous ethanol & anhydrous ethanol - what are they?
Interestingly, there has been a recent EPA approval for a company to test hydrous ethanol in vehicles on public roads.
Hydrous ethanol FAQs - here's a good site to help answer the question: HEBlends.com
Basically, hydrous ethanol is an end result of the ethanol production and the “beer” that is created from the fermentation process. Hydrous ethanol results from the distillation process and the separation of ethanol and water from the resulting stillage. The hydrous ethanol is a mixture of approximately 95% ethanol and 5% water.
A big advantage to being able to use hydrous ethanol versus "anhydrous ethanol" is the avoidance of the energy, time and expense to convert the hydrous ethanol to anhydrous ethanol. Anhydrous ethanol is the result of hydrous ethanol dehydration, removing the water; with the resulting anhydrous ethanol being used in low mixtures with gasoline. It has been note in the article by Green Car Congress that avoiding the hydrous ethanol -to-anhydrous ethanol process reduces energy up to 45% during processing, increases the volume of hydrous ethanol by 4%, and improves gas mileage.
There have already been tests in Europe and now a U.S. company Renergie Inc., Gainesville, Fl, will begin testing the use of hydrous ethanol in a fleet of 60 vehicles for a 15-month period. The test will include the blends of E10, E20, E30 & E85. Here's a link to an article on Ethanol Producer magazine's Web site, ethanolproducer.com, that will give you more background on the company and some of its efforts and direction in the hydrous ethanol blending with gasoline: http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article.jsp?article_id=4635
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) includes a write up in one of their recent postings: http://www.e85fuel.com/news/022009fyi.htm
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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Here's yet another excellent learning resource for ethanol, a colorful timeline showing the historical phases of ethanol production in the United States, dating back to the first recorded ethanol production in 1826.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/history/timelines/ethanol.html
And, here is a link to the Energy Kid's page with links to other educational sites and pages covering biomass, electricity, energy consumption & use, geothermal, hydropower/water, natural gas, nuclear & uranium, solar energy and more:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/onlineresources.html
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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Produced by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), here is an excellent, brief tutorial on ethanol for children (and adults): http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/ethanol.html ...definitely a site to add to your browser Favorities.
On this home page for the Energy Kid's Page - you find these topics:
- Ethanol Made from Crops
- History of Ethanol
- Ethanol as a Transportation Fuel
- Ethanol and the Environment
- Links to Biomass Materials
- Renewable Slide Show
And, to help your children and yourself learn more on the terminology used in the alternative energy industry, they have a glossary of terms (along with a search tool on the page): http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/glossary/index.html And, on this same page is a link to an Energy Conversion Calculator
For more on the Energy Information Administration (EIA) - visit our sister blogger site Alternative Energy Blogger where we have several posts related to the statistical reports published weekly by the EIA.
We also have other blogger sites that may be of interest, one being Biofuel Blogger - we hope you'll visit all of our blogger sites! FYI we also have BiomassBlogger.com , Biodiesel-blogger.com and BiobutanolBlogger.com which are presently is pointed to our Biofuelblogger.com blog. As we expand the time aloted to our blogging effort we will create specific blog sites for each of these topics that warrant more targeted postings. Thank you for visiting our blog sites.
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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Here's a new feed that we've created, it will pull info from our postings and information from around the globe related to ethanol, alternative fuel and more...
↑ Grab this Headline Animator
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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FYI... we will begin blogger efforts on alternative energy via our latest blogger Web site:
AlternativeEnergyBlogger.com
Please join us at our sister site to follow and comment on alternative energy, green energy, and of major importance, President Obama's alternative energy plans for the United States.
AlternativeEnergyBlogger.com
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| Posted by Ethanol Consultant Mike at | | | |
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