I have already talked about how bad ethanol and biodiesel are and how attractive biomethanol might be. Tomorrow, I will suggest a commercial pathway for this biofuel. The following is extracted from SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Planet Earth (http://simplesolutionsbook1.com/):
There are, of course, other esoteric (biofuel) options to consider. In personal conversation with Michael Antal, who is the Coral Industries Distinguished Professor at the University of Hawaii, and, possibly, the only university researcher today who has a chair in biofuels production, he continues to believe that supercritical water technology he developed has the best chance for producing hydrogen or methanol. He has also used the process in collaboration with Lee Lynd of Dartmouth to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. Several of Professor Antal’s post-doctoral students from Japan have fashioned careers in supercritical water gasification. General Atomics Corporation at one time attempted to advance the concept, but the VERENA pilot plant in Germany conducted the most advanced work in the gasification of biomass in supercritical water. Cost factors, however, ended this effort.
If, because of scientific developments, such as the successful application of the genome table, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation can be significantly improved, there is also the potential for microbial conversion of biomass to methanol. There are bacteria known as methanotrophs capable of converting cellulose to this alcohol. Considerable R&D, however, still needs to be undertaken. As marine biomass has far too much moisture for gasification, this genetic engineering development could also be an ideal means to produce methanol by fermentation.
There is yet another fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), the simplest ether, obtained by dehydrating methanol, for possible transport use, as DME is more calorific than methanol and already used today as a replacement of CFCs in spray cans. DME has a higher cetane rating (55-60) than diesel fuel (40-55), but is a gas at room temperature and pressure.
The most promising future biomass is marine algae. We will re-visit this option in Chapter 4 on the Blue Revolution, but to quote a colleague, Jaw Kai Wang, from personal notes (gallons oil / year / acre):
o Corn 18
o Soybean 48
o Sunflower 102
o Palm oil 635
o Marine algae 10,000
Thus, the most productive biomass is algae. Efficiencies of greater than 10% have been shown in the laboratory, and one way to help the environment while making a profit is to bubble fossil fuel power plant stack gases into an algae raceway so that carbon, sulfur and nitrogen oxides can be reduced, while producing a marketable product. I was involved with several such projects beginning in the 70’s, and the prospects are now improved with genetic engineering and the future possibility of a carbon tax.
There are, of course, other esoteric (biofuel) options to consider. In personal conversation with Michael Antal, who is the Coral Industries Distinguished Professor at the University of Hawaii, and, possibly, the only university researcher today who has a chair in biofuels production, he continues to believe that supercritical water technology he developed has the best chance for producing hydrogen or methanol. He has also used the process in collaboration with Lee Lynd of Dartmouth to produce ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass. Several of Professor Antal’s post-doctoral students from Japan have fashioned careers in supercritical water gasification. General Atomics Corporation at one time attempted to advance the concept, but the VERENA pilot plant in Germany conducted the most advanced work in the gasification of biomass in supercritical water. Cost factors, however, ended this effort.
If, because of scientific developments, such as the successful application of the genome table, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation can be significantly improved, there is also the potential for microbial conversion of biomass to methanol. There are bacteria known as methanotrophs capable of converting cellulose to this alcohol. Considerable R&D, however, still needs to be undertaken. As marine biomass has far too much moisture for gasification, this genetic engineering development could also be an ideal means to produce methanol by fermentation.
There is yet another fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), the simplest ether, obtained by dehydrating methanol, for possible transport use, as DME is more calorific than methanol and already used today as a replacement of CFCs in spray cans. DME has a higher cetane rating (55-60) than diesel fuel (40-55), but is a gas at room temperature and pressure.
The most promising future biomass is marine algae. We will re-visit this option in Chapter 4 on the Blue Revolution, but to quote a colleague, Jaw Kai Wang, from personal notes (gallons oil / year / acre):
o Corn 18
o Soybean 48
o Sunflower 102
o Palm oil 635
o Marine algae 10,000
Thus, the most productive biomass is algae. Efficiencies of greater than 10% have been shown in the laboratory, and one way to help the environment while making a profit is to bubble fossil fuel power plant stack gases into an algae raceway so that carbon, sulfur and nitrogen oxides can be reduced, while producing a marketable product. I was involved with several such projects beginning in the 70’s, and the prospects are now improved with genetic engineering and the future possibility of a carbon tax.
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Then, there is the open ocean. Chapter 4 on the Blue Revolution will detail this potential, but, to summarize the promise: the ocean is essentially free, there is no need to irrigate, OTEC upwelling can provide free fertilizer and the total cycle can be free of fossil fuel.
Finally, J. Craig Venter remarked to me that he could cut fermentative biofuel costs by a third or more through his efforts. The field welcomes the use of the genome table, although he will need to contend with the range of biomass controversies.
Finally, J. Craig Venter remarked to me that he could cut fermentative biofuel costs by a third or more through his efforts. The field welcomes the use of the genome table, although he will need to contend with the range of biomass controversies.
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Oil dropped just below $135/barrel today. Saudi Arabia is considering expanding production, but there continue to be rumours that the confirmed resource base in the Middle East is perhaps only 50% of the supposed known amount.
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