Interest in ethanol as fuel continues to rise. Most of the gasoline now sold in the United States is blended with some amount of fuel ethanol. These blends are named by their ethanol content. For…
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Early-stage, Breakthrough Technologies: Biofuels, 10 of the Best
The concept of early stage, breakthrough biofuels technologies is a bit of an oxymoron. At an early stage how does one determine if it something is a “breakthrough” biofuels technology? This article, first published in…
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What’s New and Important About C5 and C6 Sugars?
What’s up with C5 and C6 sugars? Given that a significant portion of the several billion dollars spent on renewable fuels spending involves these molecules, it is not surprising that progress is fast and furious….
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More Rubber Extraction Refineries Coming?
Are more rubber extraction refineries in our future? In 2004, the History Channel broadcast a Modern Marvels Special on Natural Rubber. My favorite quote from that special is “Our four most important natural resources are…
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Organic Acids: Key Facilitators of the Bio-economy
Organic Acids: Key Facilitators of the Bio-economy? Recent declines in oil prices and the failure of start-up biofuel processes to meet production cost targets have increased the interest in producing value added chemicals from biomass…
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Integrated Energy Planning
As the name implies, integrated energy planning involves the integration of different sectors of energy like petroleum, coal, natural gas, and renewables – normally to produce electricity, heat or transportation fuels. Integrated energy planning includes…
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Hot Prospects for Chemicals from Biomass
Chemicals from Biomass? A major theme of 21st Century industrial development will be replacement of fossil resources by renewable resources in the production of fuels and chemicals. Due to their massive scale and cost, the…
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Hydrothermal Upgrading
What is hydrothermal upgrading? Water above 100 °C changes from a liquid phase to a gas phase. One can change the temperature boundary by changing the pressure – a low pressure lowers the boiling point,…
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Methane
Methane (CH4) is a chemical compound with one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen. It is the simplest alkane and is the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane makes it an…
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Cellulosic Agricultural Residue
Cellulosic agricultural residue is a broad term used to discuss cellulose based residues left after the harvest of a primary agricultural crop. These include everything that we would traditionally think of, such as corn stover,…
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