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Production of biofuels from biomass materials - Coggle Diagram
Production of biofuels from biomass materials
Ethanol (EtOH)
Type
Synthetic
- acid catalyzed hydration of ethylene
Biologic
- conversion of starches to sugar followed by fermentation of sugar with yeast
Known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol
Blending
used as a additive to improve performance octane of gasoline
internal combustion engines must be designed to accommodate ethanol content >10%
Sources
Plants with high sugar or starch content, for example corn, beets, cane, potato
With more complex cellular structures for example wood, grass, stalk the require more effort to extract available sugar
Biodiesel or FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester)
Chemical composition
Similar to petroleum diesel fuel in structure and the number of carbon atoms.
Fuel characteristics will vary slightly depending upon source
Blending
Completely miscible with diesel fuel
Used as an additive to increase cetane and improve performance of diesel
Sources
Plant oils
- soybean, palm, rice, cottonseed, rapeseed
Waste oils
- Plant and animal
Algae
- Recent interest because
High amount of oil
Minimal competition with food crops and crop land
Does not necessarily require fresh water
Biofuels
- Liquid or gaseous fuels primarily produced from biomass and can be used to replace some fossil fuels
Applications
Transportation
Leading application because clean, dense, high power fuels.
Liquid can be easily pumped and stored
Power Generation
Solid biomass fuel like wood
Heat
Advantages
Availability of biofuels and environmental impact
Disadvantages
Regional suitability and food safety
Land use changes and impact on biodiversity
Global warming
1st generation biofuels
Made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil or animal fats using conventional technology
Issue
Majority of biofuels are produced directly from food crops.
Blamed for the global increase in food prices
The rise in demand for biofuels has lead to an increase in the volumes of crops
Crops
Wheat and sugar are the most used feedstock for bioethanol.
Oil seed rape has proved a very effective crop for use in biodiesel.
2nd generation biofuels
Produced from non-food crops example waste biomass, organic waste and cellulosic biofuels.
Aimed at being more cost competitive in relation to existing fossil fuels
Life cycle assessments indicated that they will increase ‘net energy gains’ over coming another of the main limitations of 1st generation biofuels
3rd generation biofuels
- Produced from extracting oil of algae – sometimes referred to as “oilgae”.
Algae can also be grown using land and water unsuitable for food production, therefore reducing the strain on already depleted water sources
The algae are cultured to act as a low-cost, high-energy and entirely renewable feedstock