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NexPlan Recycling & Renewable Energy
Biofuels | Biorganic Fuels | Alternative Fuels | Biodeisel | Cellulose Ethanol
Biofuels, also known as, biorganic fuels are a scientific name for any plant or animal substance that can burn. Biofuels are an alternative considered to take place of petroleum gas. Wood and its byproducts can now be converted into biofuels such as methanol or ethanol fuel. Biofuels are used all over the world. Global production of biofuels is booming, as higher oil prices and technological breakthroughs have made it a more profitable business. One of the most common uses for biofuels is for automobiles.
There are a few categories of biofuels. Ethanol is an alcohol produced through fermentation of sugar sources, such as plants. It can be used as is, or blended with regular gasoline. Biodiesel is a biofuel produced from fats processed to obtain chemical compounds that are used as is, or blended with diesel fuel. The fats can come from a variety of sources, such as used cooking oils, animal fats and plant extracts. Butanol is an alcohol that can be produced by fermentation of the same types of sugar sources that are used for ethanol. It can also be produced from fossil fuels. Algae are a promising source of biofuels. They are easy to grow and handle, Algae also produce hydrogen, which is another fuel.
There are however some questions and debate relating to the use of biofuels. Biofuels are considered by some as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy security by providing an alternative to oil and gasoline. There is however, a downside to this type of energy. A major criticism against biomass, particularly against large-scale fuel production, is that it could divert agricultural production away from food crops, especially in developing countries. Therefore there is considerable debate on the use of biofuels and their place in our society. Rainforests are now being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations, a rich source for biodiesel fuels. Also if we divert fields normally used to feed the planet to be used to grow plants for biofuels we are creating a huge problem. We need to balance the use of biofuels without doing more harm to the planet and to animals as well as the human race. There are different types of biofuels as well as good and bad reasons for using them.
Ethanol:
Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel that is made by fermenting and distilling crops such as corn, barley or wheat. Ethanol has a long history as a fuel, including as a fuel for internal combustion engines. Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or grain alcohol, is a flammable, colorless chemical compound, and is best known as the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. The largest single use of ethanol is as a motor fuel and fuel additive. The largest national fuel ethanol industries exist in Brazil. Compared to gasoline, ethanol cuts poisonous gas emissions (carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide) and produces fewer greenhouse gases that cause global climate change and global warming. Added to gasoline, ethanol also reduces ground-level ozone formation by lowering volatile organic compound and hydrocarbon emissions, decreasing carcinogenic benzene, and butadiene, emissions, and particulate matter emissions from gasoline combustion. In North America, ethanol is presently made principally from corn and wheat. Ethanol can be produced for different applications, for example, industrial ethanol or fuel grade ethanol. Research into technology to produce ethanol from non-food sources is advancing rapidly and is close to commercialization.
On a volumetric basis, ethanol and biodiesel have lower energy contents than do gasoline and distillate fuel oil, respectively. The lower energy content of ethanol and biodiesel generally results in a commensurate reduction in miles per gallon when they are used in engines designed to run on gasoline or diesel. In the future, increased use of ethanol as a transportation fuel will raise the issue of fuel volume versus energy content. Ethanol contains less energy per gallon than does conventional gasoline. A gallon of ethanol has only two-thirds the energy of a gallon of conventional gasoline, and the number of miles traveled by a given vehicle per gallon of fuel is directly proportional to the energy contained in the fuel.
The price of ethanol is closely tied to the price of oil. Ethanol composes a tiny fraction of total fuel consumption, and as an alternative to oil, it must therefore be sold at a price that competes with oil. As the price of oil rises, the price at which ethanol producers can sell their ethanol also rises. When the government announces new initiatives to support renewable energy, ethanol, or cellulosic ethanol, stocks in the sector tend to benefit. Oil companies and car manufacturers don't want to invest in new technologies to distribute and utilize ethanol until there is widespread supply, but ethanol producers don't want to invest in more production until they are sure it is feasible for use by vehicles on the road and the gas stations that fuel them. Cellulosic ethanol in particular, which requires investment in research and development before it can achieve cost-parity with grain-based ethanol, will be supported by the widespread adoption of new distribution systems and automotive technologies. In the transportation sector, ethanol is the most widely used liquid biofuel in the world.
Ethanol used for gasoline comes in various types. E85 is a blend of gasoline and ethanol that is 85% ethanol by volume. E10 is, similarly, a blend that is 10% ethanol by volume. It is becoming common practice in North America to blend ethanol with gasoline at concentrations of 7 to 10 percent by volume. All cars built since the 1970s are fully compatible with up to 10 percent ethanol (E10) in the fuel mixture. All manufacturers approve the use of E10 blends and warrant their vehicles for this fuel. From a vehicle performance and fuel consumption perspective, low-level ethanol fuel blends are indistinguishable from gasoline. Ethanol can be used in much higher proportions - up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline (E-85), however many cars in North America are not equipped to use this.
Newer technology converts biomass forestry by-products, such as wood chips and non-compostable trash such as municipal waste into ethanol. This type of cellostic ethanol is a promising development, as our food supplies are not used as fuel. Ethanol will likely be widely used in one form or another as an energy source in the near future.
E85 Ethanol:
E85 is simply a blend of gasoline and ethanol that is 85% ethanol by volume E-85 ethanol is used in engines modified to accept higher concentrations of ethanol. Such flexable fuel vehicles (FFVs) are designed to run on any mixture of gasoline or ethanol with up to 85% ethanol by volume E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon (HC) by volume. E85 as a fuel is widely used in countries like Sweden and Brazil and is becoming increasingly common in North America especially in areas where corn is a major crop and is the primary source material for ethanol fuel production. Most of the vehicles on the road today are not equipped to handle E85 ethanol and there are not many stations that currently have it but this will change as long of the price of gasoline rises and we become more environmentally conscious.
E10 Ethanol:
E10 is a blend that is 10% ethanol by volume. E10 is 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline. Today, this fuel blend is covered under warranty by every U.S. automobile manufacturer, for every make and every model, and is recommended by many because of its high octane and superior performance characteristics. E10 is the blend in the majority of the more than 4.8 billion gallons of ethanol used annually in the U.S. Blends of 5.7% or 7.7% are used in a few areas of the United States.
M85 Methanol:
M85 is Methanol typically made from natural gas; though it is possible to produce it by fermenting biomass, however, this is not economically competitive yet. Because it is easier to transport natural gas to a distant market by converting it to methanol, which is a liquid at ordinary temperatures and pressures, than by chilling and liquefying it or by building a long pipeline, some petroleum-exporting countries are looking at exporting their "waste" natural gas by converting it to methanol, however, most of the natural gas that goes into methanol in the United States is still domestically produced. Most fuel methanol in this country is sold as a blend of 85% methanol with 15% unleaded premium gasoline, called "M85". In the not-too-distant future, "neat" (100%) methanol may be the preferred means of storing hydrogen for fuel-cell electric vehicles, but this technology is still in the research and development stage stage.
Cellulose Ethanol:
Traditionally, we've used corn as the primary ingredient in the production of ethanol. The next frontier is cellulosic ethanol - ethanol made from plant materials like corn stalks, switch grass, wood chips and even refuse. Traditionally, we've used corn as the primary ingredient in the production of ethanol. Unlike today's ethanol, in which sugars and starches are the main materials, or "feedstock," used in production, cellulosic ethanol's raw material is cellulose from other plant sources. Ethanol is also a form of renewable energy, which means that it is not derived from finite fossil fuels. The vast majority of ethanol produced today - "grain ethanol" - comes from sugar from corn, sugar cane, or sugar beets. Cellulosic ethanol is produced from more widely available plant-based materials, such as wood and grass, and can even be made from urban and animal waste. Also some municipal waste can be converted into cellulose ethanol.
While the end result - ethanol - is the same whether it is produced from grain or from cellulose. Producing ethanol from cellulose has several advantages over producing ethanol from grain. Since it is produced from non-edible parts of plants, cellulosic ethanol does not compete with the production of food, competition that can cause significant price volatility. The production of cellulosic ethanol is also more energy efficient than the production of grain-based ethanol, which requires natural gas, resulting in greater decreases in the greenhouse gas emissions, which many claim, contribute to climate change. It is now widely accepted that the future of ethanol is cellulosic: Rather than distilling corn for ethanol to fuel our cars, accepted wisdom is now that we will be able to replace a large fraction of our current fuel consumption with ethanol distilled from agricultural and forestry waste, as well as dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass and hybrid poplar. Cellulosic ethanol also has the potential to alleviate the greatest stumbling block of corn ethanol as a potential replacement of gasoline: that there is simply not enough of it. Corn ethanol will only be able to displace a small percentage of total US gas consumption. Recently, cellulosic ethanol has been much in the news. FPL Energy LLC signed a deal with Citrus Energy to develop a bio refinery to make ethanol from citrus waste. Currently, Iogen Corporation in Ottawa, Canada produces just over a million gallons annually of cellulose ethanol from wheat, oat and barley straw in their demonstration facility Also, a Canadian company is one of the first companies in the world to take garbage from municipal waste in turn it into gas. Enerkem's facility in Quebec will use garbage and convert it into cellostic ethanol. The new technology converts biomass forestry by-products, such as wood chips and non-compostable trash into ethanol. This type of ethanol is produced from stuff that no one wants. This is the type of ethanol that is not produced from food crops. It is estimated that there is enough of this type of garbage in landfills that can power millions cars per year. With additional processing, plants and other biomass residues including urban wood waste, forestry residue, paper and pulp liquors, and agricultural residue can be processed into fermentable sugars. The main byproduct, lignin, can be burned for steam or power generation. Assuming the development of cost-effective production facilities, cellulosic biomass feedstocks like switchgrass, agricultural residues, and hybrid poplar trees could supply a growing ethanol industry with large quantities of less expensive raw materials. The underutilization of crop residue has driven decades of research into ethanol production from cellulose; however, several obstacles continue to prevent commercialization of the process, including how to accelerate the hydrolysis reaction that breaks down cellulose fibers and what to do with the lignin byproduct. The extent to which costs can be reduced through a combination of advances in the production process for cellulosic ethanol and learning as plants are constructed in series will be important to the future competitiveness of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulose ethanol currently is not cost-competitive with gasoline or corn-based ethanol, but considerable research and development by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and its partners has significantly reduced the estimated cost of enzyme production. Although technological breakthroughs are generally unpredictable, further significant successes in R&D could make cellulosic ethanol a viable economic option for expanded ethanol production in the future. Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to make ethanol a much more energy-efficient fuel, with yields that about double what the starch-based processes yield today. However, until very recently, the cost for producing cellulosic ethanol has been prohibitive, and the process has yet to hit mainstream ethanol production.
Biodeisel:
Biodiesel is a vegetable oil-based fuel that runs in unmodified diesel engines - cars, buses, trucks, construction equipment, boats, generators, and oil home heating units. Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel produced from a wide range of vegetable oils and animal fats. Pure biodiesel or biodiesel blended with petroleum diesel can be used to fuel diesel vehicles, providing energy security and emissions and safety benefits. For automobiles, the best alternative at present is clearly biodiesel, a fuel that can be used in existing diesel engines with no changes, and is made from vegetable oils or animal fats rather than petroleum.
One of the biggest advantages of biodiesel compared to many other alternative transportation fuels is that it can be used in existing diesel engines without modification, and can be blended in at any ratio with petroleum diesel. With biodiesel, since the same engines can run on conventional petroleum diesel, manufacturers can comfortably produce diesel vehicles before biodiesel is available on a wide scale - as some manufacturers already are the same can be said for flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on ethanol, gasoline, or any blend of the two. This makes biodiesel a much more feasible alternative than hydrogen, but also eliminates the huge cost of revamping the nationwide fuel distribution infrastructure. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that can be used straight in the fuel tank of any vehicle with an existing diesel engine Just about anyone can rig up a biodiesel fuel plant virtually anywhere, mostly using stuff you can find lying around, including the basic raw material - waste vegetable oil
Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that is relatively safe and easy to process when conscientiously approached. Biodiesel could be an excellent renewable fuel for diesel engines. These crops are all capable of producing several gallons of fuel per acre that can power an unmodified diesel engine. Vegetable oil is converted into biodiesel through a chemical process that produces methylor ethyl ester. Biodiesel can be used in the pure form, or blended in any amount with diesel fuel for use in compression ignition engines. Biodiesel has a viscosity much closer to diesel fuel than vegetable oil. Researchers in several states have run diesel engines in pickups, city buses, large trucks and tractors on various mixes of biodiesel/dieselfuel. North Dakota (US) farmers use a considerable amount of diesel fuel in their farming operations. As the name implies, it is similar to diesel fuel except that it is produced from crops, including canola, soybean, sunflower and safflower. The refining method uses an industrial alcohol ethanol or methanol and a catalyst substance that enables a chemical reaction to convert the oil into a fatty-acid methyl-ester fuel biodiesel With biodiesel, since the same engines can run on conventional petroleum diesel, manufacturers can comfortably produce diesel vehicles before biodiesel is available on a wide scale - as some manufacturers already are the same can be said for flex-fuel vehicles
Biomass:
Biomass refers to living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production. Most commonly, biomass refers to plant matter grown for use as biofuel, but it also includes plant or animal matter used for production of fibers, chemicals or heat. Biomass refers to any form of plant or animal tissue that can be used as energy. In the energy industry, biomass refers to wood, straw, biological waste products such as manure, and other natural materials that contain stored energy. The energy stored in biomass can be released by burning the material directly, or by feeding it to micro-organisms that use it to make biogas, a form of natural gas. Energy from biomass is still used around the world, for everything from cooking and heating to generating electricity. Biomass energy, or bioenergy, is the energy stored in non-fossil organic materials such as wood, straw, vegetable oils and wastes from the forest, agricultural and industrial sectors. Like the energy in fossil fuels, bioenergy is derived from solar energy that has been stored in plants. The main difference is that fossil fuels require thousands of years to be converted into usable forms, while properly managed biomass energy can be used in an ongoing, renewable fashion. Municipal solid waste and sewage sludge can also be considered as biomass. For example, the decomposition of organic wastes in landfill sites produces methane that can be converted into heat, electricity and possibly fuels. or by feeding it everything from cooking and heating to generating electricity.
There are huge advantages in biomass energy use. Biomass is very abundant. It can be found everywhere on the earth as seaweed, trees or dung. It is cheap in relation to the other energy sources. It is easy to convert to a high-energy portable fuel such as alcohol or gas. Biomass production can often mean the restoration of wasteland. Also, It is very low in sulphur reducing the production of acid rain and pollution.
However, there are a few disadvantages of biomass energy that must be noted. Biomass energy is still an expensive source, both in terms of producing the biomass and converting it to alcohols and fuels. As well, biomass energy contributes a great deal to global warming and unrefined pollution if directly burned.
Alternative Energy:
Hybrid cars and alternative fuels are becoming more popular everyday, with the price of gas escalating, global warming issue and consumers being demanding more environmentally friendly options. Fuel cell vehicles and electric hybrid vehicles that run by batteries are becoming more common. Fuel-cell vehicles run on electricity that is produced through an electrochemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to create an alternative fuel for vehicles that use certain types of internal combustion engines. Battery powered electric vehicles store power in batteries that are recharged by plugging the vehicle into a standard electrical source.
Since many alternative fuels are also renewable and can be produced in your specific country they could reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethanol and methanol, have been produced and used on a small scale for decades. Alternative fuels such as ethanol, natural gas, propane, electricity, hydrogen, biodiesel, methanol and P-Series fuels provide alternatives to fossil fuels that are better for the environment and often better for the economy and your budget. The growing interest in alternative fuels for cars and trucks is motivated by three important considerations: Alternative fuels generally produce fewer vehicle emissions that contribute to smog, air pollution and global warming. Most alternative fuels are not derived from finite fossil-fuel resources; and. Alternative fuels can help any nation become more energy independent.
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