An Inquiry Into the Nature and the Cause of Alternative Energy Sources

1. An Inquiry Into the Nature and the Cause of Alternative Energy Sources Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love switch grass as an alternative fuel source

2. Until I realized that someone else was doing switch grass…in which case…

3. ENTER: Miscanthus

5. A Miscanthus Based System • Tall perennial grass – 10-14 ft. • Cellulose to ethanol by sulfuric acid breakdown • Ethanol used in gasoline blends in automobiles H2SO4 aq. yeast C6H12O6 glucose C2H5OH(aq.)

6. A Miscanthus Based System • Use Midwest’s agricultural transport infrastructure • 1 acre miscanthus = 500 gal ethanol • Stalks can be harvested yearly, 10 year crop-rotation cycle

7. The Processing of Cellulose into Ethanol 6. A flash unit and/or a distillation column can be used to separate the ethanol from the water ETHANOL 5. Fermentation converts the aqueous glucose molecules to ethanol Masher 3. A series of reactors and separators break down the cellulose and separate out nonsalable materials ACID 2. A strong acid is added to the mixture, breaking up the cellulose molecules by hydrolysis CELLULOSE 1. Cellulose rich material and water are combined to create a slurry. Process depending, temperatures can be raised up to 200°C Pump WATER 4. Waste products can be recovered or used as a heat source for other parts of the process

8. How much can you get? • Since miscanthus grows so tall, you can achieve upwards of 6 tons/acre/year. • Miscanthus uses a C4 photosynthesis cycle which means longer growing seasons and a larger range of places to grow it. • Miscanthus is mostly composed of cellulose per unit mass, which means more ethanol production after fermentation.

9. Is it worth it? • Potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70-90% per car mile traveled • Energy output-input ratio ~1.6 • Large capital startup costs – not known full cost of commercial production • Good for the environment!

10. Comparison to Current Technology • 140 Billion gal of gasoline used per year in U.S. • To reduce that by 10% using E85, would require 21 Billion gallons of ethanol from cellulose • Need 42 million acres or 66,000 sq. mi of Miscanthus plants ~ the size of Oklahoma!

11. 1. Energy from the sun is stored by plants in the form of Glucose which is in turn stored as starch or cellulose - miscanthus is cellulose rich 2. Miscanthus can be harvested, baled, and processed, removing moisture to allow further utilization 3. Chopped up miscanthus can be burned outright or treated to create cellulosic ethanol Miss Kansas Miscanthus Production Miscanthus = Miss Kansas?

12. References • Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – U.S. Department of Energy http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/ • National Renewable Energy Laboratory http://www.nrel.gov/biomass/thermochemical_conversion.html • Scurlock, J.M.O. A Review of European Experience with a Novel Energy Crop http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/reports/miscanthus/toc.html • Blue Flame Ethanol, Inc. http://www.bluefireethanol.com • Arkenol, Inc. www.arkenol.com • Miscanthus Research Project at the University of Illinois http://www.miscanthus.uiuc.edu/