Ethanol from Wood

1
Ethanol from Wood A Challenging Process
2
Gasoline Trends in the US 1949-2006
Energy Information Administration
3
Gasoline Price Trends 1979-2007
Energy Information Administration
4
Wood in West Virginia

• West Virginia is the third most heavily forested
  state in the U.S.A (USDA 2000).
• Red Oak and yellow poplar are the most abundant
  species

Wang et al. 2006
5
Wood structure and chemistry
Cellulose 40-50 Hemicellulose 25-40 Lignin
20-25 Extractives 0-5
6
Making Ethanol

• Present conversion technologies for
  cellulosic materials to liquid fuels are not
  economically feasible

Chart courtesy of the National Renewable Energy
Lab .Renewable Fuels Association website.
7
Ethanol Efficiencies

• Because a gallon of ethanol contains less energy
  than a gallon of gasoline, the production cost of
  ethanol must be multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to
  make an energy-cost comparison with gasoline.
• If ethanol costs 1.10 per gallon to produce,
  then the effective cost per gallon to equal the
  energy contained in a gallon of gasoline is
  1.65.
• In contrast, the current wholesale price of
  gasoline is about 90 cents per gallon.

8
Energy Outputs from Ethanol

• Using technologies available in 2005,
  David Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek (Cornell
  University) determined that
• Ethanol production using corn grain required 29
  more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
  produced.
• Ethanol production using switch grass required
  50 more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
  produced.
• Ethanol production using wood biomass required
  57 more fossil energy than the ethanol fuel
  produced.

9
But

• The price of a bushel of corn rose by 70 between
  September 2006 and January 2007 to reach its
  highest level in a decade.
• NREL researchers are confident that the cost of
  cellulosic based ethanol production will be cut
  in half and meet corn-ethanol costs within six
  years
• The ethanol industry is growing by leaps and
  bounds, with 120 plants nationwide and 72 under
  construction.
• Finally, West Virginia has a LOT of wood residue!