Biofuels Explored
By: Santiago Londoño
“I have an I I have an Idea…Idea”
What are Biofuels?
• Types of renewable energy derived from plant and animal
materials
Ethanol
Biodiesel
Biogas
Green Diesel
• Each Biofuel production process is slightly different than the
next
• Few have proven to be sustainable in the face of U.S. energy
demands.
Biofuel Benefits
• Biofuels are a renewable energy source
• Biofuel also do not require many changes (if any) in cars and
• other places of use to be utilized
• Carbon neutral*
• Help reduce the dependence on the foreign oils
Bioethanol or “Ethyl Alcohol”
• A clear colorless liquid
 Biodegradable
 Low in toxicity
 Causes little environmental
pollution if split.
• It is the principle fuel used
as a petrol substitute for
transportation.
 E10 is the most common
blend
Biodiesel
• Vegetable oil – or animal fat
based diesel consisting of
long-chain alkyl (methyl,
ethyl or propyl) esters.
• To be used in Standard
Diesel engines
 Alone
 Blended with petro diesel in
any proportions; or
 Heating oil
Biogas
Biogas:
• A mixture of gases derived
from the breakdown of
organic matter in animal
manure and other digested
organic materials in the
absence of some Oxygen
• Can be compressed and
used to power motor
vehicles
Green Diesel
• Fuel derived from the
transformation of algae and
other plant sources into fuel
by Hydrocracking or
hydrogenation
• These methods can be used
for production of:
–
–
–
–
Gasoline
Diesel
Propane
Other chemical feedstock
Corn Ethanol Production: USA
The Process
• Corn is ground, mixed with
water, and heated
• Added enzymes convert the
starch into sugars
• In a fermentation tank, yeast
gradually turns the sugars into
alcohol, which is separated
from the water by distillation.
• The leftover, known as distiller
grains, is fed to the cow, and
some of the wastewater, high
in nitrogen, is applied to the
fields as a fertilizer.
Sugarcane Ethanol Production: Brazil
•
Unlike corn, in which the starch in the
kernel has to be broken down into
sugars with expensive enzymes before
it can be fermented, the entire
sugarcane stalk is already 20 percent
sugar—and it starts to ferment almost
as soon as it’s cut.
•
Unlike corn, the entire
sugarcane stalk is already 20
percent sugar—and it starts to
ferment almost as soon as its
cut.
•
Cane yields 600 to 800 gallons
(2,300 to 3,000 liters) of ethanol
an acre, more than twice as
much as corn
•
Usina São Martinho, one of the
largest sugar mills and ethanol
distilleries in the world sits in
the heart of the emerald
dessert.
Cellulosic Ethanol
• The two ways of
producing ethanol from
cellulose are:
– Celluloysis
– Gasification
• abundant and diverse raw
material compared to
sources such as corn and
cane sugars
• reduces greenhouse gas
emissions (GHG) by 85%
over reformulated
gasoline.
• American Petroleum
Institute v. EPA (2013)
Bio Fuel Legislation: Federal
• Energy Policy Act of 1992
• Energy Policy Act of 2005
– Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
• Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
• The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
– Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)
• Public Law 110-353 (2008)
– The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
– Title IV: Energy and Water
– Section 406
Bio fuel Legislation: State
• As of 2006, demand for agriculture-based
renewable energy is being regulated by state
 Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)
• Overall, the states vary in the ways in which they encourage
and regulate Bioenergy:
 Tax Credits
 Grants
Bio Fuel Regulation: Federal
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Biofuel Regulation: State
• In addition to grants and tax incentives,
several states have other laws to encourage
the use and production of biofuels
– conversion to alternative fuels for state vehicle
fleets
– percentage percentage of fuel within a state to
come from a renewable source.
Economic and Environmental Impacts
• Reduced Dependence on
Foreign Sources of Crude
Oil:
• Reduced Price of
Domestic Transportation
Fuels:
• Increased U.S. Farm
Income
• Decreased Corn and
Soybean exports
• Increased Cost of Food in
the United States
• Reduced GHG Emissions
• Increased Emission of
Certain Air Contaminants,
but decreased Emissions
of others
Criticisms of Bio Fuel Regulation
• Distortion of the market and investment
incentives.
• Expanded mandate could have substantial
unintended consequences in other areas of
policy importance.
• Unfair burden on taxpayers
Where are we going….
Energy From Floating Algae Pods