Mesquite to Ethanol Machine
Mesquite is a deciduous tree, commonly found in Northern Mexico and the United States. Because of its long roots and ability to flourish in dry climates, mesquite trees can be quite a frustrating nuisance for farmers and ranchers alike. Mesquite trees can use up a lot of water because their roots grow deep in order to tap into local water tables. This limits the growth of other important plant forms like grasslands for cattle grazing. A new technology promises to help solve this ongoing problem by harvesting and converting mesquite into ethanol fuel, which can then be used to power farm equipment and vehicles.
YouTube: Ethanol Videos
Dr. Jim Ansley is a Rangleland Ecologist at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in College Station, Texas. He says the station has been conducting research into ethanol fuel technology and has developed a prototype mesquite harvester machine. Last month the machine was showcased as a part of the Texas Agricultural Research Center’s 2006 Range and Wildlife Field Day. Ansley says the mesquite harvesting machine will be ready for commercial production soon.
Dr. Ansley does not think that we will see mesquite to ethanol technology being used in big urban refineries. The transportation costs of delivering the mesquite make the process too expensive. He hopes the machine will help rural Texans meet their energy needs on a small scale, but would like to see widespread use make a positive impact on the economy.
According to Ansley, one ton of mesquite wood chips have the potential to produce 200 gallons of ethanol. By these calculations, an acre of dense mesquite trees could yield up to 2,000 gallons of fuel. A Commercial Ethanol Refinery has the potential of producing five million gallons of ethanol every year. Ansley would like to see the construction of 400 to 1,000 new ethanol refineries built in rural areas across the state of Texas. To protect the local ecosystem and remain sustainable, farmers would have to harvest only 10 percent of their mesquite trees. Mesquite has a ten year re-growth rate.
A prototype ethanol plant in Mississippi is currently using a patented process to test the conversion of wood to ethanol. Researchers are currently studying mesquite size and density properties. In order to predict costs and earnings, they are factoring in the harvesting time and fuel needs associated. The cost of building an ethanol refinery is expected to be about 8 million dollars, and will have an estimated 2 million dollars in profits every year.
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February 16th, 2007
how can i get ahold of this technology??
and for how much??
May 16th, 2007
Will this machine produce Biodiesel or mesquite? Who produces a plant to manufacture and how big? Who do you contact about grants? Please send any information you can. THANKS, ED
March 11th, 2008
When researching the possibility of using mesquite to produce ethanol, everyone keeps talking about breaking down the lining to help in release of the sugars. Have any new, cheaper ways been achieved? If anyone wanted to produce their own mesquite for their own fuel they would still have this battle to fight. It seems that if we in West Texas want ethanol we must produce our own.
Thankzs
March 11th, 2008
Looking forward to any info anyone will share.
Thanks
June 18th, 2008
Dr Jim,
At the site of Pride Refinery - Abilene, Texas (now owned by DELEK) there is a sour water stripper that could easily be converted into an ethanol plant.
I’d be glad to help operate it and could get others that know the unit as well.
Mark Thomson