Comments on: 6 Signs Cellulosic Ethanol Is Making Progress

By: CS McPhee

CS McPhee — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:18:34 +0000

Energy for distillation can be generated from the ethanol being poduced. For the first run, you may need a little fossil fuel. After that the cycle would be self perpetuating. THat is how the Canadian ethanolic plant based on a fungal fermenetative entry step functions.

Saying ,"it[cellulosic fuel source] will ALWAYS be a problem" and shading it as not posible is a flawed argument in the fact that it is an absolutist statement, and it discounts future advances in the technology.

Currently, the biosphere generates at least 10 to the 10th tons of cellulose per year, so biomass is not that "prescious".

It is a solvable problem in the near term.

By: Gray Kinnie

Gray Kinnie — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:19:53 +0000

The last comment was 11 months ago, but to answer a few: The waste products from the process can be burned producing more power than is needed operate the total process. Excess electricity it available from the operation.
When the processes are perfected, almost any plant waste will be usable as feed stock. Examples: Straw, Yard leaves, old new papers, yard clippings, garbage (excluding metal, glass, plastics….). In other words, things we pay to put in garbage dumps.
The processes are CO2 neutral because all carbon coming out of the process comes from CO2 removed by the feedstock from the atmosphere.
This past year, DOE has increased their grants. Eleven US companies are receiving funds Other companies like Gulf Ethanol are also working on this in a big way.

By: DOE to Offer $33.8M in Funds for Cellulosic Ethanol « Earth2Tech

DOE to Offer $33.8M in Funds for Cellulosic Ethanol « Earth2Tech — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:11:06 +0000

[...] cellulosic ethanol — biofuel from plant waste and non-food crops — seems to be on everyone’s agenda this year. The Department of Energy (DOE) says that it will offer up to $33.8 million in funding to support [...]

By: Earth2Tech » Blog Archive Startup: SunEthanol CEO Jef Sharp Talks Funding «

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:39:46 +0000

[...] Attempts to commercialize cellulosic ethanol have been under way for years, but a recent influx of funding for the biofuel-generating process, from both the government and private sector, signifies the interest in getting the technology to [...]

By: Earth2Tech » Blog Archive Energy Policy Trends, 30 Years in the Making «

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:20:45 +0000

[...] biofuels are mostly derived from traditional feedstocks such as corn, but one day soon could be derived from cellulosic materials, an advancement that would fundamentally alter the geopolitics of energy. At the same time capital [...]

By: Earth2Tech » Blog Archive Earth2Tech Week in Review «

Earth2Tech » Blog Archive Earth2Tech Week in Review « — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 03:33:14 +0000

[...] six signs that cellulosic ethanol — made of plant waste and non-food crops — is finally making some [...]

By: GigaOM Web 2.0 Primer, Un-Network & Worldwide Biggies «

GigaOM Web 2.0 Primer, Un-Network & Worldwide Biggies « — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:25:35 +0000

[...] Written by Om Malik Monday, August 6, 2007 at 3:25 PM PT | No comments 6 Signs Cellulosic Ethanol is making progress. Continue Reading. [...]

By: Jim Beyer

Jim Beyer — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:59:29 +0000

Even if cellulosic ethanol can be made to work from the standpoint of the enzymes, etc., you still have the problem of the distillation, that is, separating the water from the alcohol. This takes ENERGY. If you use natural gas, you are wasting a precious resource. If you use coal, you are creating much more CO2. If you use biomass, you are wasting precious biomass. There is no way around this problem, which is why ethanol will always be highly problematic as a fuel source.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:45:04 +0000

I was wondering where switchgrass fell into the equation when I read your previous post about Ethanol. This clears it up some. Thanks!