Re: [Biofuel] Dr. John Benemann on Cellulosic Ethanol
to Biofuels listfromLewis L Smith The sender is a semiretired energy economist operating out of Puerto Rico since 1961, with extensive biomass-energy experience. For a long time, some of us with cane experience have been looking for an economic way to separate the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in bagasse fiber, because if you can do that, then there are a whole lot long-proven commercial processes which can turn these components into a whole slew of commercially valuable products. In fact, I think I first heard about this idea in a report by Lipinsky for Battelle Labs, probably dated in the late 1960's At last count about 1996, I had run across 12 or 15, some of which actually worked, although they wouldn't make you any money ! Then head of our consulting corsortium accidentally walked into a buglary and was killed, the Sugar Administration took away our latest project site and our major client tried stiff arm the survivors on billing matters. So I gave up on biomass in Puerto Rico. It reminds me a little of the old Appalachian poem about a chain of frustrations, I came to a river and I couldn't get across, so I paid five dollars for an old grey horse ... Then in 2005, we heard some encouraging words from NREL about new work in enzyme decomposition, which NREL said was the way to go since there were prospects of a breakthough within a few years. However, now it appears from Dr. Benemann's statement that some of these same enzymes are going to be used to make ethanol from switch grass, only that isn't going to make any money either, at least not for the foreseeable future. ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Dr. John Benemann on Cellulosic Ethanol [CONTINUATION]
to Biofuels list from Lewis L Smith Clunky AOL dispatched my post this subject before I had finished. Following are my parting shots. So I very much agree with Dr. Benemann that we ought to place our bets on some other cards and not on cellulosic ethanol. Personally I like gasification of grasses because it lends itself to decentralized [ distributed ] generation very nicely, has minimal water requirements and can use arid-land or saline-land grasses as well as those grown say, on irrigated lands. In this energy matter, getting results soon is vital, because time is of the essence. There are enough good and mediocre numbers in an oil industry full of errors, omissions and bald-faced lies to state with a high probability that world crude oil production is going to peak on or before 2020. And the probability that the subsequent decline will be steep rather than shallow is about 60 % or three to two, as the racing fans say. [Anyone who fixes the exact year, however, has probably been making secret visits to his or her friendly, neighborhood astrologer !] Meanwhile a report commissioned for the US Army estimates that the supply of natural gas from conventional sources will be too uncertain and/or the price too high for the Army to use this product after 2025. Since any energy program must include some mega projects, these dates are just around the corner for planning and operating purposes in the energy world. So let's do something that will give us a fast payoff. Cordially. End of message. ** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
