Simple Process Turns Raw Plant Material into Fuel
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come up with a straightforward two-step process to convert cellulose — the ubiquitous energy-rich molecules found in all plant material — into a furfural biofuel.
To make this simple process reality, Ron Raines and his graduate student, Joseph Binder, developed a special mix of solvents and additives with an extraordinary capacity to dissolve cellulose.
“This solvent system can dissolve cotton balls, which are pure cellulose,” says Raines. “And it’s a simple system—not corrosive, dangerous, expensive or stinky.”
- » See also: Biofuels Breakthrough: Making Fuel From Air With Engineered Microbes
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The first step in the process converts the plant cellulose into what’s called HMF — a “platform” chemical that can be subsequently turned a wide variety of commodities. In step two, the HMF is turned into the biofuel DMF. Reportedly, the overall yield for of the conversion is 9%, meaning that 9% of the cellulose in their corn stover samples was converted into DMF.
“The yield of DMF isn’t fabulous yet, but that second step hasn’t been optimized,” says Raines. “Our process is so general I think we can make DMF or HMF out of any type of biomass.”
DMF isn’t yet a well-known biofuel, but, as Raines notes, it has the same energy content as gasoline, doesn’t mix with water and is compatible with the existing liquid transportation fuel infrastructure. In fact, It has already been used as a gasoline additive
Read more: Journal of the American Chemical Society (subs. req’d): J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2009, 131 (5), pp 1979–1985
DOI: 10.1021/ja808537j
Source: EurekAlert
Image Credit: Original Journal Paper
We really don’t need a replacement for gasoline. We need a much better fuel than gasoline that puts out a lot less pollution than gas, gets better mileage than gas and is renewable. That fuel is ethanol.
Engines built for ethanol have already tested at 22% better mileage than even diesel engines and have shown up to 90% less pollution than gas.
In Brazil right now they are operating a 4.6 million gallon per year pilot plant making ehtanol from cellulose left after juicing the sugar cane using a weak acid hydrolysis process that has been proven for over 100 years. They then burn what is left, generating electricity, cpaturing the smoke and particulate emissions and the burt plant matter and making a high quality fertilizer out ot it. They make so much excess electricity that on average they sell 77% of what they generate back to the grid for an additional profit.
I don’t know where CNCMike got his information, but I haven’t seen any reputable information on ethanol being more efficient than gasoline. We do however, have a good comparison in the speeds and fuel mileages of USAC cars at Indianapolis, when they were running near 150 mph and getting just about 2 mpg on methanol, and the NASCAR cars now running at higher speeds at Indianapolis and getting over 4 mpg on gasoline.
The NASCAR cars have 3 to 4 times the frontal area and this requires much more power for the same speed. Sorry Mike, but until I have seen a real test showing real fuel mileage comparisons, with imilarly sized vehicles, I won’t buy any arguments about ethanol providing better mileage than gasoline.
BTU/pound of fuel
Drag
Mass
speed
ethanol is somewhat lower BTU/pound than gasoline
check the facts CNCMike.
BTU is a heating value measurement. We are not interested in making heat in an engine. Heat is a wasted byproduct. The lower BTU count in ethantol simply means that the engine will run cooler which means it will last considerably longer.
The test that proved that ethanol is a more efficient fuel than gas or diesel was contracted by our own EPA to test the feasibility of an ethanol/electric hybrid. They converted a volkswagen TDI engine to run on ethanol using a spark ignition at idle and low RPM and compression ignition at speed and cruising under load. They achieved 43% percemt thermal efficiency and 22% better mileage than the same engine on diesel. If heating value is your only concern why don’t you try running your engine on candle wax which has a much higher BTU value than gasoline.
CNCMike, Thanks for the info. Can you provide some links to the EPA info? Thanks again.
Bob, Here is one SAE tech paper. There is another one that has become hard to find since it became popular. Go figure.
http://www.eri.ucr.edu/ISAFXVCD/ISAFXVAF/SuTCAF.pdf
Ethanol is more efficient if it is used in an engine that’s been designed to burn only ethanol. It’s less efficient than gasoline in a flex fuel vehicle because that engine is built to be able to burn both fuels so it can’t take advantage of ethanol’s higher compressability or something like that.
That being said I think ethanol is better off being drunk than burned
I’m also glad that this new process isn’t stinky! And there’s nothing wrong with replacing gasoline if it can be done renewably.
Canada, your social-democratic (as opposed to your current, vulture capitalist Multi national corp. infected democracy) neighbor to the north, complete with Universal medical care, metric system in place, multi-lingual television shows, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, communities that love, enjoy, support and respect one another, and peace on the streets, has taken the ultimate, threatening , unhegimonious, step and legalized Hemp farming, while still forbidding growing dope - it seems that superior higher tech Canadian labs offer a cheap fast service to distinguish and provide proof for quick convictions by the best police force in the world, for those who tempt the law, making Hemp farming a very profitable and viable proposition! SEE:
Hemp – The Last Word
Last word on Hemp in Canada, Canadian government site for the truth!
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2008/0803hemp_e.html
Canadians will be watching your process very closely, snce Hemp provides cellulose fiber galore! and we need a use for all of it and making fuel doesn’t sound half-bad, here at the end of the “Cheap Oil Era” and a whole country full of empty gas tanks south of the border!
Just recently an American firm developed an injected V-6 that gets efficiencies approaching diesels, using ethanol, and blends Rotor? sound familiar?