Getting more ethanol from less corn
I'm pretty sure that by now most readers of this site can explain the difference between ethanol made from grains like corn and cellulosic ethanol. But, here is a nice article from What's Next Network that explains some of the differences and what it takes to get more ethanol from corn using a cellulosic process. The process described simply uses water to pretreat the biomass, corn in this instance.
Of course, this would not solve the perceived problem of using corn, a food source, for fuel production. What it would do, however, is extract more fuel from the corn that is currently being used to generate fuel, meaning that either the amount of corn being used for fuel could be reduced, or more likely, additional ethanol could be generated from the current amount of corn being used for fuel... 'cause there's lots of money to be made from selling the fuel. Make sense?
[Source: What's Next Network]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steve Shickles 11:58PM (4/27/2007)
Corn...does a car good. I wish all cars would go green.
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Rick 8:44AM (4/28/2007)
Well,
now that the public understands the difference between corn and cellulosic ethanol, it's time to complicate it again. There's two forms of cellulosic ethanol: 1)Enzyme, which you just mentioned and 2) Gasification, such as what the DOE just funded and you covered.
Gasification involves burning the biomass in the absence of oxygen, and taking the resulting "syngas" and converting it into liquid through the Fischer Tropsch process. Gasification will produce much more ethanol because it is more flexible. MIT claims they can convert Municipal Solid Waste into ethanolwith that process for $.10-.95/gallon. They further state that there is enough MSW to replace 25% of the gasoline we consume today. This is the technology that will truly take ethanol to the nest level.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18084/
http://www.energy.gov/news/4827.htm
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TG 12:31PM (4/28/2007)
Once an EV battery pack is made, it requires only charging for its 10 year life, or 12 year life. [ AltairNano Ca.]
Biofuel, on the other hand requires ...
Land and cultivation
Labour for processing
BTUs for processing
Trucking of crop
Trucking of waste
Trucking of finished fuel product
Blending and pumping of product
All this on a daily basis
Not to mention the required ICEngine and all the cooling, ignition and exhaust systems that requires.
Biofuels must be a short term stop gap measure. = TG
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TG 12:58PM (4/28/2007)
Corn derived biofuels are vastly more expensive than we may realize.
How practical is a fuel source that creates dietary and financial hardship for millions of Mexicans and South Americans who rely on the corn tortilla staple food?
What is the true price of corn based fuel when it pushes up the price of beef and hogs?
Fools rush in.. eh? = TG
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Rick 3:57PM (4/28/2007)
TG,
2 points.
I agree with your assessment of Altair. I am a stockholder and major advocat. And the nanosafe could displace 80% of the gasoline mileage today. I hope a major battery manufacturer buys them out soon, for, maybe $10/share. ;-) But there will be a need for ethanol for years because of heavy transport, trucks, etc even if all cars become electric only.
However, the jobs, labor, land, etc that you talk about for biofuels as a negative is actually a positive. Up until now, it has been impossible for small farms to compete with commercial farms in the production of food crops. Now, with prices at this level, farmers all over the world are back tilling the soil and growing much more food than they consume and the rest will be sold for fuel. Net effect? Jobs, jobs, and more jobs in countries all around the world for farms and all the products in that commercial chain such as tractors, fertilizer, etc, etc.
This is only the first crop year since prices have gone up. The Agriculture Dept released crop figures in late March and 16% more cropland went for corn than last year. Even more, the "setaside acreage", the land the govt has been paying farmers not to produce, is going back into production now, slowly. There were something like 30 million of those acreas last year. Fewer subsidies, more crops, more money flowing in the economy, everybody benefits.
Trust the free market system a little more. The laws of supply and demand really do work. We are just spoiled by cheap energy and food prices. In fact, the corn crop i mentioned, which was up 16%, only takes us back up to WWII levels of production. The gov't has been trying to slow down production of crops for decades because they were driving prices through the floor with excess production. Farmers are revving up and it is very good for the economy. Worldwide.
Do you really believe all those people in S America are going to starve when all they have to do is plant some corn, eat well and sell the excess for some extra jingle?
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TG 6:15PM (4/28/2007)
Rick,
There are always two sides to every debate and you filled out the picture in excellent form.
There are conditions in flux having to do with agra-corporations, and manipulative wholesalers, where some of the good things you outline may fade somewhat.
In any case the people in the stands here will make their own conclusions shaded by our input. = TG
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Rick 4:59PM (4/28/2007)
TG,
Go back to my original post and factor in 1)the MIT MSW-to-ethanol scenario along with the 2)AltairNanoSafe battery(or any other battery that will get the consumer 60miles/day of gasoline free driving) and:
1)The MIT proposal displaces 25% of gasoline consumed today with ethanol from garbage.
2) Since 80% of all drivers go less than 60 miles/day, the Nanosafe(or any other equal battery) would eliminate a corresponding amount of gasoline consumed.
If this country set out to implement ONLY THESE TWO EFFORTS, you could make a case for an American economy that eliminates the purchase of all offshore oil. And since we import about 20m bbls/day, that is a $1.2Billion/day impact on this economy!
The terrorists have a window of only about 5-7 years to disrupt our economy by taking out Saudi Arabian oil or other significant sources.
Now, we only replace about 6% of all automobiles each year so my outlook is optomistic, admittedly, but i believe it is an accurate prescription of what COULD BE DONE, it we set about it.
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TG 6:23PM (4/28/2007)
Our underlying motives are the same.
To make North America able to function without the need for very much ME oil.
To devalue oil to a more realistic level and deprive Acmahdinejad of the means to build a nuclear reserve. [ The Russians are annoyed with his *Slow pay* policy now]
To enable the good people of Iran to take back their country from extremest Islamofascists. [ unemployment is high - economy is rough.]
=========== That part so we live a bit longer.
To free ourselves from the gas pump and it*s uncertainties.
To free ourselves from the old fashioned ICEngine and all the attached energy wasting systems.
[No anti-freeze. Fewer animals will die.]
To free ourselves from the stench of gasoline, the exhaust poisons and the volatile risk.
To breath cleaner air. [ Clean coal tech for gen plants in China, India, Asia and North America would do vastly more, however.]
Full steam.. er. NanoSafe batteries ahead. I can*t wait. = TG
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Jimmy 12:27AM (4/29/2007)
#3
TG, you fail to mention that to charge the EV battery pack someone needs to mine coal, uranium or drill for natural gas. Also, recall that coal and nuclear power plants are far less efficient than combined cycle plants fueled by natural gas. Natural gas which is in short supply in North America.
While a handful of persons may charge an EV with solar power, that is far from economically viable or practical in large numbers. I think it will be far easier to have biofuels meet most of our transportation needs than to generate trillions of kWh from renewable sources.
#4
Ethanol production from yellow field corn does not impact tortilla production from white corn. This myth has been discussed extensively.
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TG 2:49AM (4/29/2007)
Even though some grid power is provided by coal plant generation, it is far more efficient to tap the grid rather than have millions of power plants scooting about on four wheels.
There is capacity in the NA grid to support the overnight charging of 180 million EVs without stressing the system.
Air conditioners are far more demanding. That*s why there can be brown-outs during a heat wave.
Check my blogsite for the links to verify this. = TG
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J Warren Richardson 2:14AM (5/03/2007)
All this yat tah tah about corn ethonal leaves me a bit puzzed. Am I the only one thta knows about Brazils green revolution using Sugar Cane which produces 8 times the ethonal than corn? What gives?
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