Ethanol gas is the mixture of ethanol with gasoline. Ethanol is an alcohol fuel made from plant material, such as corn, sugar cane, grasses, or woody biomass. The worldwide use of ethanol as a fuel has increased dramatically. Ethanol has a higher-octane number than gasoline, giving it the ability to be blended into lower octane…
Bio-Oil is a generic term for a complex mixture of chemicals obtained from the thermochemical conversion of biomass including lignocellulose agricultural wastes and wood products. The composition of the oil can vary significantly depending on the biomass source, pretreatment, the method of pyrolysis, and the use of catalysts. Bio-oil typically contains significant amounts of…
Climate change realities are upon us. The scientific evidence is clear. NASA tells us that the current warming trend is of particular significance because it is unequivocally the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and is proceeding at an unprecedented rate. Human activities have warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land and widespread and…
Due diligence is an important step for securing feedstock in any type of renewable fuels or renewable chemicals matter. While due diligence experts in renewable fuels and renewable chemicals projects certainly have a wide variety of functions, the selection, and procurement of feedstock are normally early and high on the list. This is especially true…
Energy consultants are part of environmental consulting, focusing on optimizing energy usage and the sources from which the energy is derived. The object of energy consulting is to reduce operational costs, including more environmentally friendly sources of energy, and increased corporate social responsibility (CSR). Especially with the recent volatility in the energy industry, energy consulting…
Farming is one of the largest industries in the world and generates significant amounts of agricultural waste. This waste has been targeted as a prime feedstock for the production of energy, fuel, and chemicals. It comes in two broad categories. One of the categories contains the materials left over from the production of crops. These…
What does an environmental permitting expert do? Most large projects, both domestic and overseas, must complete some form of Environmental Impact Study (EIS). The general scope and format of an EIS is government-mandated and is intended to identify and mitigate all forms of environmental impacts. The EIS process typically takes a year or more, and…
Using biomass to produce energy makes sense because biomass and biofuels made from biomass are alternative energy sources to fossil fuels—coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Thus, while burning fossil fuels or biomass does release carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, the plants capture a nearly equivalent amount of CO2 through photosynthesis while they are growing. …