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Ethanol from Wood

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Red Oak and yellow poplar are the most abundant species. Wang et ... Chart courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Lab .Renewable Fuels Association website. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Ethanol from Wood


1
Ethanol from Wood A Challenging Process
2
Gasoline Trends in the US 1949-2006
Energy Information Administration
3
Gasoline Price Trends 1979-2007
Energy Information Administration
4
Wood in West Virginia
  • West Virginia is the third most heavily forested
    state in the U.S.A (USDA 2000).
  • Red Oak and yellow poplar are the most abundant
    species

Wang et al. 2006
5
Wood structure and chemistry
Cellulose 40-50 Hemicellulose 25-40 Lignin
20-25 Extractives 0-5
6
Making Ethanol
  • Present conversion technologies for
    cellulosic materials to liquid fuels are not
    economically feasible

Chart courtesy of the National Renewable Energy
Lab .Renewable Fuels Association website.
7
Ethanol Efficiencies
  • Because a gallon of ethanol contains less energy
    than a gallon of gasoline, the production cost of
    ethanol must be multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to
    make an energy-cost comparison with gasoline.
  • If ethanol costs 1.10 per gallon to produce,
    then the effective cost per gallon to equal the
    energy contained in a gallon of gasoline is
    1.65.
  • In contrast, the current wholesale price of
    gasoline is about 90 cents per gallon.

8
Energy Outputs from Ethanol
  • Using technologies available in 2005,
    David Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek (Cornell
    University) determined that
  • Ethanol production using corn grain required 29
    more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
    produced.
  • Ethanol production using switch grass required
    50 more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
    produced.
  • Ethanol production using wood biomass required
    57 more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
    produced.

9
But
  • The price of a bushel of corn rose by 70 between
    September 2006 and January 2007 to reach its
    highest level in a decade.
  • NREL researchers are confident that the cost of
    cellulosic based ethanol production will be cut
    in half and meet corn-ethanol costs within six
    years
  • The ethanol industry is growing by leaps and
    bounds, with 120 plants nationwide and 72 under
    construction.
  • Finally, West Virginia has a LOT of wood residue!
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