In my first Green energy diary, I focused on the overall need to accelerate the conversion to alternative & green energy solutions here in the U.S., you can read it here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
By the end of researching that diary, It was staggering to me how many innovations had been discovered, and put to use elsewhere in the world, but through lack of funding, lack of leadership, or just plain lack of caring, not as much had been done to implement these solutions here at home. It seems there are infinite reams of information available on the subject. I thought I might take a stab at bringing some of the voluminous material to Dkos, in bite size pieces, so that we may all understand what potentials lie ahead in our energy future. The "feature dish" on the green & renewable menu today: BIOMASS
As this nice synopsis points out, biomass is the process of releasing the stored energy in plants and other materials and converting it into a useable form.
http://www.peachcart.com/...
One of the oldest and most well-established energy sources in the world. Biomass is simply the conversion of stored energy in plants into energy that we can use. Thus, burning wood is a method of producing biomass energy. If the burning of wood were the only biomass application, then that field of study would not be nearly as interesting as it is. In fact, biomass has many possibilities as a renewable energy source. High energy crops grown specifically to be used as fuel are being developed, and scientists are beginning to consider agricultural and animal waste products as possible fuel sources.
There are several methods of converting this stored energy for use, some are better than others. Burning contributes to air pollution and can increase greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere. Thus this is just one of many obstacles to be overcome.
Another method is Alcohol Fermentation. This results in the formation of ethanol. The ethanol is then mixed with other fuels to create gasohol. The big drawback here is that huge amounts of energy need to go into the creation of the ethanol, and is considered inefficient. The article goes on to list two other types of methods for converting Biomass to energy:
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion converts biomass, especially waste products, into methane (a major component of natural gas) and carbon dioxide. The biomass is mixed with water and stored in an airtight tank. This form of biomass energy conversion is attractive because it converts human, animal, and agricultural waste into a gas that is readily used as an energy source. Although the process is quite costly, it is relatively efficient.
Pyrolysis
Pyrolyisis involves the heating of biomass in the absence of oxygen. Biomass such as wood or agricultural waste is heated to around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and allowed to decompose into gas and charcoal (carbon). A major advantage of pyrolysis is that carbon dioxide, one of the main drawbacks to most biomass energy conversion processes, is not produced. A disadvantage, however, is that the biomass must be heated to relatively high temperatures, a process that in and of itself requires significant amounts of energy.
Although there have been drawbacks to use of Biomass in the past, with new research, scientists have been working on solutions to traditional problems associated with inefficiency & pollution. Biofuels such as ethanol or biodiesel are starting to catch on around the country. Here is a little background.
http://www.ncsc.ncsu.edu/...
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.
A promising solution was recently featured in an article in the DesMoines Register that talked about biodiesel (or biofuels). The Title: A better way to build biodeisel?
http://desmoinesregister.com/...
Ames, Ia. -- Victor Lin and two fellow Iowa State University chemists believe they have devised a better, safer way to make biodiesel.
The research scientists have developed recyclable catalysts that can be used to convert soybean oil, animal fat and other oils to fuel, instead of toxic catalysts that are difficult to remove from the finished product and that cannot be reused.
The article goes on to say that ISU has a Catalysis center on the Ames campus dedicated to providing "real world" solutions by establishing a partnership with West Central Cooperative in Ralston (a farmer co-op). They want to try to test the discovery on a large scale. Universities are increasingly central in trying to bring academic discoveries to market by establishing links with the local and national community.
Often, universities such as ISU hold patents to their researchers' discoveries. Such collaboration enables academic and industry researchers to speed developments that can improve productivity and potential profits in sectors such as biofuels. The partnerships also create opportunities for cash-strapped universities to generate new sources of revenue.
This type of cooperation is what is needed in our country to enable us to push ahead in alternatives, and at the same time, it seems to also financially help our university system. If more and more discoveries are made profitable for industry and universities, we all benefit.
In Seattle, it looks like biodiesel is getting a second look.
http://heraldnet.com/...
A $40 million biodiesel refinery, perhaps the nation's biggest, will be built in Grays Harbor County. Seattle-based Imperium Renewables hopes to open the facility by the end of next year and produce as much as 100 million gallons of the plant-based fuel annually - an enormous boost for the fledgling industry.
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The beauty part is, biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines.
There's plenty to like about biodiesel: It's a renewable, cleaner-burning energy source that boosts domestic agriculture and lessens our dependence on foreign oil. Still, it wasn't price-competitive with petroleum-based fuels until recently. Now that it is, every effort to expand its production and use should be encouraged.
In the short term, federal tax incentives for biodiesel should be expanded. To make them revenue-neutral, the feds could reduce the millions they pumped into oil-exploration incentives last year, incentives that are hardly needed given that oil companies already are swimming in more profits than they know how to spend.
(emphasis mine)
One more example from here in my home state of North Carolina.
http://www.newsobserver.com/... (emphasis mine)
Researchers view canola as an alternative to soybeans as a stock for biodiesel fuel because the plants produce two to three times as much oil as soybeans, and canola oil doesn't turn to gel in cold temperatures as quickly as soybean oil. Canola is widely used in Europe to make biodiesel. But the industry is just getting started in the United States and Canada. Most of the million acres of canola grown in the northwestern United States goes for cooking oil, said David Thorenson, assistant director of the U.S. Canola Association.
North Carolina has no commercial-scale biodiesel production plants. But Piedmont Biofuels, a cooperative based in Moncure, is ramping up to produce a million gallons a year at a former chemical plant in Pittsboro, starting in late summer. It will use waste vegetable oil from the fry pits at restaurants.
A farmer in NC planted a test crop of canola on land gleaned from former tobacco farming. What a super way for tobacco farmers to transition to an alternative crop, one that can help with the energy needs of the country. A chicken and the egg scenario exists though. Who wants to plant the crop if no processing facility exists, and what company wants to build a processing facility with no current crop to process. They are slowly getting the process started, as mentioned above.
Literally hundreds of examples exist that detail the fledgling industries around the country and around the globe. A British company has just measured the amount of Carbon Dioxide emissions that are not being spewed into the atmosphere by the recent up tick in use of biofuels by their company.
http://news.mongabay.com/... (emphasis mine)
Greenergy Fuels Ltd, which supplies biofuels retailed through supermarket forecourts, said it supplied 17.1 million liters of bioethanol and biodiesel, saving more than 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during the first quarter of 2006. The firm compared this savings to taking more than 50,000 average family cars off the road for three months.
snip
High oil prices fuel bioenergy push High oil prices and growing concerns over climate change are driving investment and innovation in the biofuels sector as countries and industry increasingly look towards renewable bioenergy to replace fossil fuels. Bill Gates, the world's richest man, has recently invested $84 million in an American ethanol company, while global energy gluttons ranging from the United States to China are setting long-term targets for the switch to such fuels potentially offering a secure domestic source of renewable energy and fewer environmental headaches.
On the ethanol front, some great things are happening, as detailed here.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
"It's the power of biotechnology," said James McMillan, a top scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. "We're very close to this stuff being a no-brainer."
The knock against ethanol has always been that without the billions in federal and state subsidies it receives annually it would never be competitive. As it stands, said David Bullock, an economist with the University of Illinois, federal ethanol policy deliberately distorts the marketplace to the benefit of rural communities in the Midwest.
But at a current price of more than $2.50 per gallon, double its level a year ago, the economics have become irresistible with or without subsidies. A bushel of corn costing barely more than two bucks can be brewed into almost three gallons of ethanol, providing an enormous profit margin for a commodity product. Uncle Sam further sweetens the pot with a tax break amounting to $1.50 or so per bushel. And once fermentation is complete, even the leftover grain byproducts can be sold for livestock feed.
With the recent skyrocketing of oil prices, it seems that interest and activity in the production and processing of biofuels has definitely been given an impetus to move forward. It can help us reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and will help to lower harmful emissions in our atmosphere.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Jerome a Paris, Meteor Blades, and Devilstower have been working on an Energize America 2020 strategic energy plan (along with the assistance of others). Great work guys. You can read it here.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
With my green energy diaries, I only hope to draw attention to, and educate those of us here, on some of the many ways in which we can start to understand and support our increased use of renewable and green energy solutions. Until next time, go green!