Biofuel: From Wood Chips?

[rhoenix]

A new, green fuel

A team of UGA researchers has developed a new biofuel derived from wood chips. Unlike previous fuels derived from wood, the new and still unnamed fuel can be blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel to power conventional engines.

“The exciting thing about our method is that it is very easy to do,” said Tom Adams, director of the UGA Faculty of Engineering outreach service. “We expect to reduce the price of producing fuels from biomass dramatically with this technique.”

Adams, whose findings are detailed in a recent edition of the American Chemical Society journal Energy and Fuels, explained that scientists have long been able to derive oils from wood, but they had been unable to process it effectively or inexpensively so that it can be used in conventional engines. The researchers have developed a new chemical process, which they are working to patent, that inexpensively treats the oil so that it can be used in unmodified diesel engines or blended with biodiesel and petroleum diesel.

Here’s how the process works: Wood chips and pellets – roughly a quarter inch in diameter and six-tenths of an inch long – are heated in the absence of oxygen at a high temperature, a process known as pyrolysis. Up to a third of the dry weight of the wood becomes charcoal, while the rest becomes a gas. Most of this gas is condensed into a liquid bio-oil and chemically treated. When the process is complete, about 34 percent of the bio-oil (or 15 to 17 percent of the dry weight of the wood) can be used to power engines. The researchers are currently working to improve the process to derive even more oil from the wood.

Adams pointed out that the new biofuel also offers environmental benefits. The fuel is nearly carbon neutral, meaning that it does not significantly increase heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as long as new trees are planted to replace the ones used to create the fuel.

The researchers have also set up test plots in Tifton, Ga., to explore whether the charcoal that is produced when the fuel is made can be used as a fertilizer. Adams said that if the economics work for the charcoal fertilizer, the biofuel would actually be carbon negative.

“You’re taking carbon out of the atmosphere when you grow a plant, and if you don’t use all of that carbon and return some of it to the soil in an inert form, you’re actually decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Adams explained. “We’re optimistic because in most types of soil, carbon char has very beneficial effects on the ecology of the soil, its productivity and its ability to maintain fertility.”

Although the new biofuel has performed well, Adams said further tests are needed to assess its long-term impact on engines, its emissions characteristics and the best way to transport and store it.

Maximizing Research Opportunities

Critical to the success of the research program at UGA is the construction of badly needed facilities in this area of institutional strength. The $40 million Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical Health Sciences, which was completed in 2005, includes two floors of biomedical research laboratories, a state-of-the-art bioimaging research center, a 20,000-square-foot rodent-barrier facility and program offices for BHSI and the College of Public Health. Also, the College of Veterinary Medicine opened the Animal Health Research Center in 2006. AHRC houses scientists who study infectious diseases and toxicity problems that affect human and animal populations. Additionally, the College of Pharmacy’s capital campaign has raised $7 million of the $10 million it committed to build new facilities that will “bridge UGA and Medical College of Georgia,” while the state has promised to fund $36.5 million of the project. The new 140,000-square-foot Complex Carbohydrate Research Center was dedicated in February 2004, and its 900 MHz NMR spectrometer became operational in January 2005.

Not a long-term solution, maybe, but still a good short-term one until we manage to stably switch away from oil.

[Sea Skimmer]

Its not a short term solution at all, its more like a drop in the bucket. Actually cutting down trees to make fuel is not an acceptable situation given the state of US forests. Even collecting up all the waste from every sawmill in the country isn’t going to yield that much.

Anyway used to be able to buy cars that could run on M85, 85% methanol, but IIRC most of the fuel supply was actually made from natural gas, with only a fraction actually coming from wood. I do wonder if this fuel will eat up engine seals like M85 did, just being able to mix with other fuels doesn’t tell us anything about that.

[rhoenix]

Its not a short term solution at all, its more like a drop in the bucket. Actually cutting down trees to make fuel is not an acceptable situation given the state of US forests. Even collecting up all the waste from every sawmill in the country isn’t going to yield that much.

A good point - at the time I posted this article, I hadn't properly thought about scale, of which this would not comprise much.

Anyway used to be able to buy cars that could run on M85, 85% methanol, but IIRC most of the fuel supply was actually made from natural gas, with only a fraction actually coming from wood. I do wonder if this fuel will eat up engine seals like M85 did, just being able to mix with other fuels doesn’t tell us anything about that.[/quote]

Also true.

Even with those two points though, the fact that research is still proceeding apace still interests me. Who knows, perhaps it'll be useful in an area nobody's thought of yet.

[rhoenix]

Pseudo edit: Messed up a quote tag from text by Sea Skimmer in the post above. If a wandering mod feels so inclined to fix the typo, I'd appreciate it.

[Erik von Nein]

There's been some attempt to make kudzu vine into ethanol. I'm not sure how successful that would be, but if it means lots of people harvesting that pest species I say go for it.

[Elaro]

Since biofuels still produce greenhouse gases, I cannot understand everybody's interest for it. So, extract hydrocarbons from plants instead of rocks (to simplify things); big difference.

Sorry, returning to the original thread now.

So, trees for fuel. I guess people like their deforested deserts.

[rhoenix]

Since biofuels still produce greenhouse gases, I cannot understand everybody's interest for it. So, extract hydrocarbons from plants instead of rocks (to simplify things); big difference.

Adams pointed out that the new biofuel also offers environmental benefits. The fuel is nearly carbon neutral, meaning that it does not significantly increase heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as long as new trees are planted to replace the ones used to create the fuel.

So, trees for fuel. I guess people like their deforested deserts.

Yeah, that's the downside. Interesting research for a carbon-neutral fuel, though.