Hello Manick, Brian
I did this in the 80s as an one-time expt. Boiled sawdust in 30%
H2SO4 for 3h, neutralised with lime, filtered and fermented the
sugar with yeast into alcohol which was recovered by distillation.
Reckon sawdust/biomass waste can be obtained at v.low cost. Cost of
H2SO4 can be offset by value of CaSO4,gypsum, which is a saleable
commodity. Yet no takers anywhere currently, despite rising petrol
prices. Sad really because we are inhibited society really.
There's this, it raises quite a lot of interest:
Fuel From Sawdust -- by Mike Brown (from Acres, USA, 19 June 1983):
Conversion of cellulose, such as sawdust, cornstalks, newspaper and
other substances, to alcohol -- "a fairly uncomplicated and
straightforward process".
http://journeytoforever.org//biofuel_library/ethanol_sawdust.html
Best wishes
Keith
Brian Rodgers <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I am new here, but this certainly looks like the place to be.
I my opinion looking at ethanol strictly from a BTU to create over
BTU available leaves out too many important variables. Even if with
Ethanols numbers looking dismally uneconomical to many people who I
will call naysayers the clincher for me is ethanol comes from a
renewable resource corn. If we can figure out a way to break down
the cellulose in wood waste forests products we would really have
something. Dont get me wrong I want to help the American farmers
but I live in the forests of the South-West USA and we have a real
problem with small diameter trees choking the forests and creating a
fire hazard. The solution becomes, two birds with one stone,
economically speaking. The trees have to be removed and are anyway
but they are being chipped and left in most places. Lets do some
real research on ! fomenting wood fibers.
Brian Rodgers
New Mexico
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