User:Milton Beychok/Sandbox: Difference between revisions
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The [[fossil fuels]] ([[coal]], [[petroleum crude oil]] and [[natural gas]]) are currently thought to have been formed from prehistoric, ancient biomass buried deeply underground over millions of years of [[geological time]]. Therefore, they are not considered to be renewable sources of energy | The [[fossil fuels]] ([[coal]], [[petroleum crude oil]] and [[natural gas]]) are currently thought to have been formed from prehistoric, ancient biomass buried deeply underground over millions of years of [[geological time]]. Therefore, they are not considered to be renewable sources of energy | ||
== | ==Production of fuels and other products from Biomass== | ||
===Biomass fuel for electric power production=== | ===Biomass fuel for electric power production=== | ||
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In 2009, the worldwide production of biodiesel was 17,900,000,000 litres. The three countries with the largest annual biodiesel production were [[Germany]] (16%), [[France]] (12%) and the United States (11%). | In 2009, the worldwide production of biodiesel was 17,900,000,000 litres. The three countries with the largest annual biodiesel production were [[Germany]] (16%), [[France]] (12%) and the United States (11%). | ||
===Biomas gasification=== | ===Biomas gasification to produce syngas=== | ||
=== Fischer-Tropsch synthesis === | === Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce liquid hydrocarbons=== | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 22:24, 1 April 2011
Biomass, a source of renewable energy, is biological material such as wood, wood waste, municipal solid waste, straw, sugar cane, algae, and many other byproducts derived from agricultural and forestry production as well as other sources. Since biomass derives from plants generated by solar energy in the photosynthesis process, it can also be defined as the biological material on Earth that has stored solar energy in the chemical bonds of the organic material.
The fossil fuels (coal, petroleum crude oil and natural gas) are currently thought to have been formed from prehistoric, ancient biomass buried deeply underground over millions of years of geological time. Therefore, they are not considered to be renewable sources of energy
Production of fuels and other products from Biomass
Biomass fuel for electric power production
The direct combustion of biomass for producing heat and electric power provides a ready disposal mechanism for municipal, agricultural, and industrial organic wastes. In 2009, about 11,350 megawatts (MW) of electric power, amounting to 1.1% of the summertime electrical supply in the United States was generated by burning biomass that included: wood, wood waste, municipal solid waste (MSW), landfill gas, and agricultural byproducts and waste.[1]
The New Hope Power Partnership in Florida is the largest biomass power plant in North America. It generates 140 MW of power using uses sugar cane fiber (bagasse) and recycled wood as fuel.[2] It has been in operation for more than 10 years.
Production of ethanol and biodiesel as liquid transport fuels
There are several processes available for converting the chemical energy contained in biomass into liquid automotive transport fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol.
Ethanol fuel:
Ethanol fuel is ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and it is most often used as an automotive motor fuel, mainly as an additive for gasoline. Ethanol can be produced by fermentation of sugar cane, bagasse, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, corn and many other grains as well as many agricultural byproducts and wastes.
The worldwide production of ethanol for automotive fuel in 2007 was 52,000,000,000 litres. From 2007 to 2008, the share of ethanol in global gasoline use increased from 3.7% to 5.4%.[3] In 2009, worldwide ethanol fuel production reached 73,900,000,000 litres (19,500,000,000 gallons) and was expected to reach 85,900,000,000 litres in 2010.[4]
Ethanol fuel is widely used in Brazil and in the United States, and together both countries were responsible for about 86 percent of the world's ethanol fuel production in 2009.[5]
Biodiesel fuel:
Biodiesel refers to a diesel fuel produced by chemically reacting lipids such as vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol such as methyl alcohol. The resulting biodiesel consists of esters of long-chain fatty acids. The process is known as "transesterification" and it may be carried out by several methods: the common batch process, supercritical processes and ultrasonic methods.
In 2009, the worldwide production of biodiesel was 17,900,000,000 litres. The three countries with the largest annual biodiesel production were Germany (16%), France (12%) and the United States (11%).
Biomas gasification to produce syngas
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce liquid hydrocarbons
References
- ↑ U.S. Electric Net Summer Capacity U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy
- ↑ Agriculture & Renewable Energy: The Partnership for a New Frontier Florida Power Service Commission (FPSC) Workshop, July 26, 2007.
- ↑ Assessing Biofuels (2009) From the website of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- ↑ Global ethanol production to reach 85.9 billion litres (22.7 billion gallons) in 2010 March 22, 2010. From the website of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).
- ↑ VSEP Filtration in Ethanol Production Based on data from the U.S. Department of Energy.