Biofuels Part 2 Methane and Waste Energy

By Annie and Cyrus

Biofuels

• Biofuel- a gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass)

• Biofuels come in two different categories, First generation and second generation.First generation biofuels are made by the fermentation of starch based food products (or sugar based) into ethanol

• Types– Vegetable oil/ Bio-diesel– Corn and Sugar cane/ Ethanol– Feces, Trash and organic matter/ methane – Algae fuels

Methane 101• Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula

CH4. Methane is the principal component of natural gas.

• Methane is a colorless, odorless gas and is not toxic. • As a gas it is flammable only over a narrow range of

concentrations (5–15%) in air. Liquid methane does not burn unless subjected to high pressure.

• Methane in the Earth's atmosphere is an important greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 25 degrees over a 100-year period.

Sources of methane• Natural gas fields- Areas where anaerobic decay of organic

matter deep under the Earth's surface occurs. • Alternative sources- another way of getting methane is from

biogas which is produced from the decomposition and fermentation of organic matter such as manure, wastewater sludge, municipal solid waste (including landfills), or any other biodegradable feedstock.

• Methane hydrates/clathrates (icelike combinations of methane and water on the sea floor, found in vast quantities) are a potential future source of methane.

• Cattle belch methane accounts for 16% of the world's • annual methane emissions to the atmosphere.

Obtaining Methane From Landfills

Methane Benefits • Interface, the worlds largest manufacturer of industrial carpet

captured methane from a local landfill for 30% less than market value and met 20% of the factories energy needs. They bought the methane from the City of Atlanta which made the City $35 Million in 40 years on the project which initially cost the City $3 Million.

• Offset the Co. Greenhouse Gas Emissions making them Climate-Neutral.

Forest Industry byproducts

• Industries such as sawmills and peppermills use waste products to make process heat for their own use and to make energy to sell to local utilities.– Wood chips, urban waste and lignite.

• Wood waste from parks and suburbs are used in urban and City areas for heat and power production.

• Nearly 10,000 megawatts of U.S. plant based electricity is from burning forest waste.

• St. Paul Minnesota with a pop. Of about 300,000 people uses 250,000 tons of waste wood; from parks, industrial wood waste and other sources, per year to supply 80% of the downtown area with heat. This cut its carbon emissions by 76,000 tons per year.

Biblo.• Plan B 3.0 Pg.’s 255-257• static.howstuffworks.com/gif/landfill-methane• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane• http://www.eoearth.org/article/Methane• Miller L.I.T.E. Glossary