Comments on: New Hope For Biomass Fuels

By: Gene R. Jackson

Gene R. Jackson — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:20:57 +0000

Mixed alcohol from all types of biomass, including the beetle kill trees. Anything that has a free carbon will work for our technology, of course some are better than others. The fuel we make will be the standard fuel immediately so why don’t we hear more about Ecalene(tm) the real replacement for all fuels.

By: Scott Collins

Scott Collins — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:59:02 +0000

Apparently, Don, you didn’t study the website I listed. The fellow in Ohio has apparently come up with a process that does make Butanol economically viable on par with if not better than Ethanol.

By: Don Jumpsuit

Don Jumpsuit — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:56:04 +0000

Butanol (and Butanediol and propanol to some extent) are achievable by biological organisms, but possible, and fitting for industrial microbiology are two differing concepts. The yeast strains we use to convert sugar to ethanol, have been optimized for centuries to produce high quantities of ethanol while developing the means to protect their membranes from the damage that ethanol can cause.

Now you try to crowbar butanol production in a yeast strain that isn’t optimized to deal its effects on its membranes, you would only be able to produce a minimal amount of butanol before it becomes harmful to the organism producing it.

Therefor possible, but not economically viable. (much like ethanol from biomass!)

By: Ibrahim Syaharuddin

Ibrahim Syaharuddin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:28:49 +0000

Among all renewable energy resources, biomass is the only resource that can be converted in a relatively direct way into fuels. It is not an option of energy development! It is a must; there is no other choice.
South-East Asia, in particular Indonesia, has a large potential to become one of the world’s biofuel centers.

By: Francisco A Roque

Francisco A Roque — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:15:24 +0000

I go for hydrogen from non food sources, look at corn, because it was used to produce ethanol, it become more expensive, and the world is paying for it, wrong. Hydrogen on the other hand will not hurt anybody, and will clean up the planet, and we will never run out of it, so please push for it.

Francisco

By: Scott Collins

Scott Collins — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:21:35 +0000

I don’t understand why I don’t hear more about Butanol instead of Ethanol. The former is a 1-to-1 replacement for gasoline and doesn’t require the special infrastructure that Ethanol does (which can typically be used in quantities of 15% or less mixed with gas). Check out http://butanol.com/.