Fuel from Waste

Is there a way to avoid wasting waste? The answer is yes: biomass. Biomass is organic plant and animal materials that can be utilized to produce a renewable energy source, otherwise known as bioenergy. It seems science is learning how to pull energy from just about everything.

Biomass can be derived from plants, feedstock or a variety of different organic waste. Some additional sources are agricultural waste products including harvests of corn, hemp, sugarcane, poplar, and willow as well as waste matter from animals. Residue materials are also utilized include wood chips, dead trees, bark, leaves, yard clippings, and other forest residues.

With the growing popularity of biomass energy, other sources have been developed from land and water crops grown specifically to fulfill the purpose of providing energy. Corn and algae are two such sources.

Ethanol

In addition to the creation of bioenergy, biomass can also be liquefied into fuel for vehicles. Ethanol is the most popular biofuel, created when plant materials, usually corn, is taken to a biorefinery to be converted to biofuel.

Ethanol production facilities convert feedstock into a renewable fuel. Once ethanol is produced, it gets distributed to different terminal racks to be blended with gasoline. The new fuel is then transferred to fueling stations. One example is E85. This fuel is comprised of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85-capable flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) can use this good alternative fuel. It does, however, contain 27% less energy than pure gasoline. Another ethanol choice would be the E10, which only has 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline.

You can find more than 1,950 fuel stations offering E85 fuel, mostly in the Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois area. This is not a surprise since the Midwest is abundant in corn, which results in plentiful biofuel production.

Biomass Program

The US Department of Energy (DOE) through its Biomass Program helps to transform the abundant biomass resources in the country into affordable and cost competitive bioproducts. Some bioproducts that can be derived from converting biomass are plastics, artificial sweeteners, and gels.

Benefits of Biomass

There are so many advantages of renewable energy. One is that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the production of other energy sources as well as from the factory and auto emissions that utilize polluting energy sources. A reduction in our fossil fuel usage helps in minimizing our dependency on oil. At present, 60% of the oil consumption in the US is imported. Biomass energy is one way of supporting the agricultural sector. More renewable energy research is being conducted to maximize our utilization of biomass since this energy sector could be one that propels our country towards energy independence.