Biobutanol: One Among Many Energy Alternatives

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"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a
mosquito."
- the Dalai Lama
http://journeytoforever.org/at.html
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Biobutanol: One Among Many Energy Alternatives

Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels involves discussion of so many
alternative strategies - from increasing efficiency to lowering demand to
wind to solar to geothermal to tidal to renewables - that I couldn't begin
to even properly summarize the areas of work in the energy transition we
are going through. I only want to add one more type of biofuel being
researched for application, and list some of the other biofuels I have
been reading about to show that we do have alternatives to increasing
worldwide competition over fossil fuels.

Butanol right now is mostly made from oil, but biobutanol - made via a
fermentation process - is being talked about to make energy from
cellulosic biomass. It may be one way entrepreneurs can compete at the
gas pump, and from local materials.
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Websites having to do with biobutanol:
http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/archives/cbx/log0606/0090.html
http://www.butanol.com
http://www.answers.com/topic/butanol
http://butanol.getfast.info/biobutanol
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A definition of biofuel:
http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=biofuel&action=Search+OMD
gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel that is rendered from raw biological
material (plants, sewage, dry waste, cane sugar or wood pulp) through
combustion or fermentation.
There are a variety of ways to convert these bulky materials into fuels
useful for industry and transport. The major biofuels produced
biologically are biogas generated by anaerobic digestion (biomethanation)
and fuel ethanol generated by a yeast-based fermentation of molasses,
sugar cane juice, or hydrolysed seed .
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Some interesting websites related to biofuels:
http://goyellowlivegreen.com
http://byodiesel.com
http://www.biopellet.net
http://www.ezbiodiesel.com
http://www.dogwoodenergy.com
http://www.gm.com/company/onlygm/energy_flexfuel.html
http://www.ems.org
http://www.ethanolrfa.org
http://pittsburghvoyager.org
http://www.gasp-pgh.org
http://www.drydipstick.com/peakoil-prepare.html
http://www.energyfarms.net/node/85
http://postcarbon.org
http://www.climateark.org/links/Renewable_Energy/Biofuels/welcome.asp
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The End of Petroleum Man
by Mike Stout
http://www.mikestoutmusic.com
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http://www.butanol.com
...'92 Buick Park Avenue got 24 miles per gallon on butanol with no
modifications - normally gas is 22 mpg...In ten states Butanol reduced
Hydrocarbons by 95%, Carbon monoxide to 0.01%, Oxides of Nitrogen by
37%... ...can be blended in any percentage with gasoline seamlessly with
increase in performance....can be used in Biodiesel applications can be
made from anything that grows on the planet not just corn. We are scaling
up and developing our "Pilot Plant"...
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http://www.answers.com/topic/butanol
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http://goyellowlivegreen.com
...What is cellulosic ethanol? Though the majority of ethanol produced in
the U.S. is made from corn, new technology has been developed to make
ethanol from a wider variety of "cellulosic" sources. These cellulosic
sources for ethanol include corn stover (the stalks and residue left over
after harvest), grain straw, switchgrass, quick-growing tree varieties
(such as poplar or willow), or even municipal waste...
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http://butanol.getfast.info/biobutanol
Biobutanol has low vapor pressure and tolerance to water contamination in
gasoline blends, facilitating its use in existing gasoline supply and
distribution channels. It has the potential to be blended into gasoline at
higher concentrations than existing biofuels without the need to retrofit
vehicles and it offers better fuel economy than gasoline-ethanol blends,
improving a car's fuel efficiency and mileage. Biobutanol also enhances
the performance of ethanol blends in gasoline... ...will provide
significant environmental benefits over petroleum-derived transportation
fuels...
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Novozymes enters development cooperation on biomass for biofuel in
China...
http://www.novozymes.com/cgi-bin/bvisapi.dll/search/get_article.jsp?id=35968&lang=en&subsite=8883
+ China Resources Alcohol Corporation
http://peakoil.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16510> +
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/06/sunopta_novozym.html#more
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/06/sunopta_novozym.html> +
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Food and Bioprocess Engineering Group
http://www.pre.wur.nl
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http://www.nature.com - search "biofuel"
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From: Towards a green energy pact between Europe an Africa Biobutanol and
Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells...
http://biopact.com/2006/06/biobutanol-and-direct-alcohol-fuel.html
Now that biobutanol is in the spotlight because of BP and Dupont's
announcement, we can look back at the work that's being done on Direct
Alcohol Fuel Cells (DAFC's)...these cells, for which platinum-free
catalysts have been developed, operate on hydrogen, methanol, ethanol and
more complex hydrocarbons (such as ethylene glycol). Biobutanol can be
added to that list. This is another argument for the development of the
alcohol economy - as opposed to the problematic hydrogen economy.
Biobutanol gets the most out of a sugar or starch rich biomass feedstock
stream. Combined with the high efficiency (50%) and low production cost of
the DAFC's, we might soon see our laptops, our motorcyles and our cars
making use of a 'bio-fuelcell' power system running on biobutanol, ethanol
or any blend with gasoline...
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It's Corn vs. Soybeans in a Biofuels Debate
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/business/13ethanol.html?ex=1310443200&en=18940dcb5e7837a3&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Published: July 13, 2006
CHICAGO, July 12 — Biodiesel produced from soybeans produces more usable
energy and reduces greenhouse gases more than corn-based ethanol, making
it more deserving of subsidies, according to a study being published this
month in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/proceedings_of_the_national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-org>.
The study, done by researchers at the University of Minnesota

and at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., points to the environmental
benefits of the biodiesel over ethanol made from corn, stating that
ethanol provides 25 percent more energy a gallon than is required for its
production, while soybean biodiesel generates 93 percent more energy.
The study's authors also found that ethanol, in its production and
consumption, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent, compared with
fossil fuels. Biodiesel, they said, reduces such emissions 41 percent,
compared with fossil fuels.
The study concludes that the future of replacing oil and gas lies with
cellulosic ethanol produced from low-cost materials like switch grass or
wheat straw, if it is grown on agriculturally marginal land or from waste
plant material.
Indeed, the study published by the National Academy of Sciences
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-org>
found that neither ethanol nor biodiesel can replace much petroleum
without having an impact on food supply. If all American corn and soybean
production were dedicated to biofuels, that fuel would replace only 12
percent of gas demand and 6 percent of diesel demand, the study notes.
Researchers at universities and at the United States Agriculture
Department
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/agriculture_department/index.html?inline=nyt-org>
have debated ethanol's benefits as policy makers continue to struggle with
how to respond to high gasoline prices and how to reduce America’s
dependence on foreign oil.
Some lawmakers have urged an end to federal subsidies of 51 cents a gallon
for ethanol refiners. The subsidies have helped create a boom in ethanol
production and have made ethanol more profitable than ever.
The researchers in the latest study question ethanol’s environmental
benefits, noting that despite the 12 percent reduction in greenhouse
gases, ethanol has “greater environmental and human health impacts because
of increased release of five air pollutants and nitrate, nitrite and
pesticides.”
Neither biofuel was cost-competitive in 2005 without subsidies. Biodiesel
cost 55 cents a liter to produce, or 20 percent more than ethanol.
Wholesale gasoline prices in 2005 averaged 44 cents a liter, or 4 percent
less a liter to produce than ethanol, the study said. Still, biodiesel
receives a subsidy that is 45 percent greater a liter than ethanol.
Analysts agreed with the study’s conclusion that biodiesel compares
favorably with ethanol from an environmental standpoint. “Biodiesel is
much cleaner-burning fuel and much less harmful to the environment,”
Daniel W. Basse, president of AgResource in Chicago, an economic
forecasting firm, said Wednesday.
But Mr. Basse said ethanol production is far more efficient, with some 420
gallons of ethanol produced per acre of corn versus only 60 gallons of
biodiesel per acre of soybeans. If biodiesel use ever increased greatly,
Mr. Basse said, the cost of soybean oil would rise significantly.
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry
Organization, based in Washington, agreed that biodiesel’s potential was
limited. “If you look at the amount of biodiesel you can produce, it is a
drop in the bucket compared to the amount of cellulosic ethanol that could
be produced one day,” he said.
The Minnesota researchers write that with a projected doubling of global
demand for food within 50 years and an even greater expected increase in
demand for transportation fuels, “there is a great need for renewable
energy supplies that do not cause significant harm and do not compete with
food supply.”
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