Lowering the cost of ethanol production is the goal of Syngas International, a Canadian alternative energy technology corporation. The company hopes to do that by by replacing corn with less-expensive cellulose-based feed stocks and using its “M2 gasifier and PyStR system,” with is catalytic conversion as opposed to fermentation. According to a news release, “cellulosic feed stocks include agricultural wastes, …
A-peeling Fuel Research
Now here’s an a-peeling idea for a cellulosic fuel source. Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven have been looking at the possibility of using citrus peels to make ethanol. According to this ARS story, citrus waste materials are rich in pectin, cellulose and hemicellusic polysaccharides, which can be hydrolyzed into sugars and …
Gator Ethanol Research
This story is appropriate this week in honor of the Florida Gators basketball championship – especially since my husband and I are both UF alumni. Research at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is on the cutting edge of converting biomass to ethanol. IFAS sent out this release last May, prior to the existence of Domestic …
Making Ethanol from Cheese? No Whey!
Add cheese to the list of commodities that could be used to make ethanol. This AP story is about research into “using a cheese-making byproduct to make ethanol.” That would be whey – as in what Little Miss Muffet ate on her tuffet with curds. According to the article, whey can be made into lactose sugar, which can then be …
USDA Researching Bio-Membrane for Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Doesn’t look like much to me, but according to USDA’s Agricultural Research Service this is a picture of a prototype membrane that could be used to conduct ions in a hydrogen fuel cell. In an effort to reduce “American dependence on petroleum-based fuels,” researchers at ARS’ Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., have conducted preliminary studies which …
Laid Off NREL Workers Get Jobs Back
It was awkward, to say the least, that in the midst of President Bush promoting the need for more research into finding alternative fuels, funding was cut for the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO.
Wham-EBAMM, Thank You, M’am
The model used in the ethanol study out this week from UC Berkeley has a nice catchy anacronym (of course) EBAMM – which stands for Energy and Resources Group Biofuels Meta Model
New Study Supports Ethanol Claims
A new study finds that producing ethanol is energy efficient after all
Adding More Value to Ethanol
New ethanol plant technology will be tested in Iowa
Somebody’s Doing Something Right
Here’s some good news out of Detroit on consumer awareness and acceptance of ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles