Madison (WI) - Alternative energy sources used in automobiles today generally come in two forms. Those which work with or in place of gasoline, like ethanol E85, and more exotic forms, like compressed hydrogen, that can be dangerous. A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor is looking to change that. His proposal converts non-edible "waste plant material" directly into green gasoline through a simple, yet economical chemical process.
The idea involves a fundamental shift in the way bio-matter is converted into fuel today. For ethanol, sugars are fermented into alcohol which must then be distilled into a purer form. Ethanol plants can only achieve about 16% efficiency today because the yeast dies at higher concentrations of alcohol. When purified and distilled, the result is the very reason gasoline companies don't sell E100 (which would be 100% ethanol). While that is theoretically true and possible, the reality is ethanol absorbs water very fast.
Ethanol's desire to absorb water is actually so strong that it will literally pull water vapor right out of the air. This typically reduces the ethanol proof to something around 180. Still, were gasoline not added to the mix, it would be theoretically possible to go down to the local gas station and buy a gallon of E100 for about $7 (using today's prices). That would be very enconomical compared to the price of a quart of whiskey from the local liquor store. Suddenly $3.50 per gallon doesn't seem quite so expensive!
Green gasoline, diesel and jet fuel
James Dumesic's solution represents a fundamental shift away from ethanol and into green fuels which are exactly like those we use today. His idea uses the cellulose from plant matter, first converted into sugar (similar to the ethanol process). But, instead of being broken down and converted to alcohol through fermentation (a process yielding a very small amount of alcohol from the sugar), he proposes adding a solid catalyst to the aqueous solution. The catalyst produces a type of organic oily solution which floats on top of the water. The oil layer contains molecules of acids, alcohols, ketones and cyclics which are called "functional intermediates," and are easily extracted.
According to Dumesic, "Unlike petroleum, plant sugars contain equal numbers of carbon and oxygen atoms, making it difficult to create high-octane or cetane fuels. The solution is to remove almost all the oxygen atoms, leaving only a few to keep the molecules reactive. The reactive molecules then can then be 'upgraded' into different forms of fuel." Dumesic's team has already demonstrated three different upgrading processes proving the technology can work.
Once this oily mix is obtained and the oxygen is removed, one of the three upgrade processes convert the remaining mix into green gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. According to Dumesic, "This is the same fuel we're currently using, just from a different source."
The idea involves a fundamental shift in the way bio-matter is converted into fuel today. For ethanol, sugars are fermented into alcohol which must then be distilled into a purer form. Ethanol plants can only achieve about 16% efficiency today because the yeast dies at higher concentrations of alcohol. When purified and distilled, the result is the very reason gasoline companies don't sell E100 (which would be 100% ethanol). While that is theoretically true and possible, the reality is ethanol absorbs water very fast.
Ethanol's desire to absorb water is actually so strong that it will literally pull water vapor right out of the air. This typically reduces the ethanol proof to something around 180. Still, were gasoline not added to the mix, it would be theoretically possible to go down to the local gas station and buy a gallon of E100 for about $7 (using today's prices). That would be very enconomical compared to the price of a quart of whiskey from the local liquor store. Suddenly $3.50 per gallon doesn't seem quite so expensive!
Green gasoline, diesel and jet fuel
James Dumesic's solution represents a fundamental shift away from ethanol and into green fuels which are exactly like those we use today. His idea uses the cellulose from plant matter, first converted into sugar (similar to the ethanol process). But, instead of being broken down and converted to alcohol through fermentation (a process yielding a very small amount of alcohol from the sugar), he proposes adding a solid catalyst to the aqueous solution. The catalyst produces a type of organic oily solution which floats on top of the water. The oil layer contains molecules of acids, alcohols, ketones and cyclics which are called "functional intermediates," and are easily extracted.
According to Dumesic, "Unlike petroleum, plant sugars contain equal numbers of carbon and oxygen atoms, making it difficult to create high-octane or cetane fuels. The solution is to remove almost all the oxygen atoms, leaving only a few to keep the molecules reactive. The reactive molecules then can then be 'upgraded' into different forms of fuel." Dumesic's team has already demonstrated three different upgrading processes proving the technology can work.
Once this oily mix is obtained and the oxygen is removed, one of the three upgrade processes convert the remaining mix into green gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. According to Dumesic, "This is the same fuel we're currently using, just from a different source."