The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is collaborating with industry to develop next-generation biofuels made from wastes, cellulosic biomass, and algae-based resources. BETO is focused on the production of hydrocarbon biofuels—also known as “drop-in” fuels—which can serve as petroleum substitutes in existing refineries, tanks, pipelines, pumps, vehicles, and smaller engines.
RENEWABLE HYDROCARBON "DROP-IN" FUELS
Petroleum fuels, such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, contain a complex mixture of hydrocarbons (molecules of hydrogen and carbon), which are burned to produce energy. Hydrocarbons can also be produced from biomass sources through a variety of biological and thermochemical processes. Biomass-based renewable hydrocarbon fuels are nearly identical to the petroleum-based fuels they are designed to replace—so they're compatible with today's engines, pumps, and other infrastructure.
Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is a renewable fuel that can be made from various plant materials, collectively known as “biomass.” Ethanol is an alcohol used as a blending agent with gasoline to increase octane and cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions.
The most common blend of ethanol is E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) and is approved for use in most conventional gasoline-powered vehicles up to E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline). Some vehicles, called flexible fuel vehicles, are designed to run on E85 (a gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51%–83% ethanol, depending on geography and season), an alternative fuel with much higher ethanol content than regular gasoline. Roughly 97% of gasoline in the United States contains some ethanol.
Most ethanol is made from plant starches and sugars—particularly corn starch in the United States—but scientists are continuing to develop technologies that would allow for the use of cellulose and hemicellulose, the non-edible fibrous material that constitutes the bulk of plant matter.
The common method for converting biomass into ethanol is called fermentation. During fermentation, microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and yeast) metabolize plant sugars and produce ethanol.
BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel produced from renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats and is a cleaner-burning replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel is nontoxic and biodegradable and is produced by combining alcohol with vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease.
Like petroleum-derived diesel, biodiesel is used to fuel compression-ignition (diesel) engines. Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel in any percentage, including B100 (pure biodiesel) and, the most common blend, B20 (a blend containing 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel).
Webmaster : Jaruvit Tongkok 5/5 23
Energy and the Environment
Biomass consists of any biological material derived from living, or recently lived, organisms. A definition used by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is relevant here: nonfossilized and biodegradable organic material originating from plants, animals, and microorganisms. This shall also include products, by-products, residues, and waste from agriculture, forestry, and related industries as well as the nonfossilized and biodegradable organic fractions of industrial and municipal wastes . Biomass also includes gases and liquids recovered from the decomposition of nonfossilized and biodegradable organic materials. The fuel produced by biomass through conversion process is called biofuel. Hence, biofuel is considered any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from organic matter living or once living material in a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months). Biofuels can be considered upon as a way of energy security which stands as a substitute of fossil fuels that are limited in availability, as well as environmental-friendly fuel, since biomass is considered a carbon-neutral or greenhouse gas neutral (GHG neutral) fuel .
