Converting Biomass to Liquid Fuels

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Converting Biomass to Liquid Fuels
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Biomass

• Biomass - any amount of carbon-based matter
• Biomass -gt methanol (wood alcohol)
• Biomass -gt ethanol (grain alcohol)
• Anaerobic digestion with high sugar content

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Ethanol

• Farms
• ex grapes, wheat
• Regular Burning
• appliances
• Gasohol
• Ethanol gas gasohol
• About 10 ethanol
• Ethanol in gasoline raises octane ratings

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Ethanols Advantages and Disadvantages

• Farms
• advantages
• reproducible
• grain surplus
• disadvantages
• competition with food
• more energy
• Regular Burning
• advantages
• low toxins
• disadvantages
• more energy

• Gasohol
• advantages
• lead antiknock replaced
• reduces CO emissions
• high energy
• disadvantages
• more energy

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Methanol

• Dung and farms
• (2/3) methane and (1/3) sludge
• Motors
• lower temperature than gas

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Methanols Advantages and Disadvantages

• Dung and farms
• advantages
• manure disposal
• energy production
• fertilizer production
• disadvantages
• India

• Motors
• advantages
• radiator might be eliminated
• could be more energy efficient
• less toxins
• less heat energy wasted
• disadvantages
• perfecting engines

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Costs

• Twice as much energy is consumed than produced
• Biomass is hard to carry
• Raised cost because of wide variety of food in
  machines
• Fire risks with grain

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Land

• 60 of landmass in U.S. would be needed for U.S.
  consumption
• Com could not feed cars ((1/3) of U.S.
  consumption)
• U.S. needs agriculture before energy
• Biomass sites need rivers for steam

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