Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels - biofuels - for our transportation needs (cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, and trains).
The two most common types of biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel.
Ethanol is an alcohol, the same found in beer and wine. It is made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates (starches, sugars, or celluloses) through a process similar to brewing beer. Ethanol is mostly used as a fuel additive to cut down a vehicle's carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions. But flexible-fuel vehicles, which run on mixtures of gasoline and up to 85% ethanol, are now available.
Biodiesel is made by combining alcohol (usually methanol) with vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking greases. It can be used as an additive to reduce vehicle emissions (typically 20%) or in its pure form as a renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines.
Other biofuels include methanol and reformulated gasoline components. Methanol, commonly called wood alcohol, is currently produced from natural gas, but could also be produced from biomass. There are a number of ways to convert biomass to methanol, but the most likely approach is gasification. Gasification involves vaporizing the biomass at high temperatures, then removing impurities from the hot gas and passing it through a catalyst, which converts it into methanol.
Most reformulated gasoline components produced from biomass are pollution-reducing fuel additives, such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE).
Information collected from the US Department of Energy & the National Renewable Energy Lab (Golden, Colorado).
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Comments: 6
-It would keep one type from becoming the next vested interest that drives politics, power, and money.
-It would provide back-up energy down the road if we discover one of the avenues we take has some unexpected downside or if one is for some reason wiped out. Eg, one source of biomass is hit by a destructive fungus.
-It would reflect the diverse resources available to people who live in different climates and ecosystems. Eg, sunny climes.
A concern I have about biomass is that it often takes a lot of space to grow and may become like lumber. Lumbering interests have destroyed old growth forests and wildlife habitat. Biomass production as The Solution could conceivably hijack land that is better left for other purposes.
- Northeast and Midwest - E85 from corn, switchgrass, miscanthus, biodiesel from soybeans, etc.
- Southeast: Biofuel from downed pines and prairie grasses
- Southwest: Domestic oil from Texas and Louisiana
- Northwest: Biofuel from prairie grasses
- Hawaii - E85 from sugarcane
- Alaska - Oil
OK, enough from me...your thoughts?
I think that biofuels should be only an interim solution until infrastructure is in place for cleaner and more efficient energy source.
I believe that eventually the majority of energy will be provided by the sun.
John, You mention the process in your article, so I just wanted to add another source for making biodiesel which elaborate a bit more for biodiesel.