Keeping cellulosic crops green

Flow has long talked about the necessity of using cellulosic materials instead of food crops to produce our ethanol. Notwithstanding the potential impact of invasive species like switchgrass, it just makes sense to use fuel sources that aren’t going to raise food prices throughout the world and, in many cases, are more efficient sources of energy anyway. Moreover, there’s been evidence that secondary crops like switchgrass can actually improve soil quality, and there’s an understandable desire to make sure that we make the most out of the fuel sources we have.

But a recent study by the American Society of Agronomy found that one of the ways of maximizing a field’s energy output, crop residue removal, can actually have extremely negative effects on the soil itself. In fact, according to one of the study’s authors, if more than 50 per cent of crop residue is removed, the soil can actually become a carbon source, rather than a carbon sink.

On a very basic level, this adds another argument against attempting to use edible grains as fuel sources. It means that in addition to food crops needing to be preserved because of their use in human beings, rather than gas tanks, they also have the potential to increase our greenhouse gas emissions, rather than decrease them — counteracting one of the central purposes behind alternative fuel sources. Instead, the study suggests, would-be biofuel producers should concentrate on growing warm season grasses and short-rotation woody crops.

Just another reason to keep the food on our tables, separate from the fuel in our tanks.

Waste not, want not – carbon dioxide as fuel

Transportation accounts for over 35 per cent of Canada’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s not surprising that when we start talking about reducing emissions, we start talking about our cars. But imagine: what if the cars we drove were actually using the CO2 we put into the atmosphere instead of releasing more? That’s the question that a team of scientists and engineers from a trio of UK universities are asking, and they think they might well find an answer.

Collaborating with the University of the West of England, the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, a team of scientists and engineers are trying to create nanomaterials capable of trapping some of the thousands of megatonnes of GHG released into the atmosphere every year. (Globally, Canada accounts for two per cent of consumption-related emissions.) Once captured, this carbon dioxide could be split into its constituent elements, which could then theoretically be converted into fuel.

Similar to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies that aim to capture carbon at its point of release, the goal of this research would be to create porous materials capable of lining factory chimneys and trapping carbon dioxide for later use. And while the team’s efforts are currently focused on the nanomaterials capable of trapping the suspect carbon dioxide, it isn’t the first attempt to create make our wasted emissions into useful energy either.

In 2007, scientists at the University of California, San Diego demonstrated a prototype capable of “splitting” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen.  And while carbon dioxide is toxic, it can be converted into fuel. With other applications including detergent and plastics, making more of wasted emissions simply makes sense.

Turning unwanted emissions into useful products belongs to an entire area of technological development that sees scientists looking for “fresh” applications of waste. And with consumers increasingly concerned about the costs of energy, both financial and environmental, it’s not hard to imagine a market for fuel made from the same emissions we’re trying to reduce. Waste not, want not.

Sea water to jet fuel

It’s true; you can make fuel out of just about anything these days. Scientists in the US Navy are making jet fuel out of sea water. Using a variation on the same technique used to make hydrocarbon fuels from syngas (derived from coal), they can extract carbon dioxide from the sea water.

Then, it can be further processed into unsaturated short-chain hydrocarbons, and refined into a kerosene-like fuel. The CO2 found in sea water is about 140 times more concentrated than in the air, making the ocean a veritable gold mine for this process.

With water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink, the Navy figured it should find some use for it other than floating their boats. With the threat of global warming, glaciers and icebergs melting, sea levels rising, maybe using sea water for fuel isn’t such a bad idea. After all, there may be a surplus.

Of course, they are developing it as a “clean” energy – or they will, provided they find the best catalyst; one that will create a minimum of carbon or methane during the process. Which means the glaciers and icebergs will not be melting, and there will not be a surplus of sea water…

But maybe the key here is using CO2- extracted from any source- as a fuel. This could solve a number of the worlds’ current problems, included global warming, and reliance on foreign oil.

Recycle CO2 as a fuel source, and reduce it in the atmosphere as well.

Who killed the natural gas car?

Some ‘80s trends just didn’t last. Big hair, shoulder pads, Tears for Fears…natural gas cars?

Clean-burning fuel was a big fad decades ago, albeit because of a major spike in gasoline prices. About 220 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling stations were built, in order to serve the 20,000 CNG cars on Canadian roads.

Transit vehicles and taxis were first to hop on board the CNG bandwagon, but any car could (and still can) be converted into a bi-fuel CNG car. Bi-fuel cars can run on either conventional gasoline or compressed gas at the flip of a switch.

Despite the initial mad scramble for compressed gas technology, there are now only about half as many CNG cars in use now as there were in the 80s. The technology is about as forgotten as a bad synth-pop hit. Right?

Would it surprise you to find out that the world’s largest CNG fueling station is in Lima, Peru? CNG cars are still popular all over the world, from South America to Europe. So why didn’t they take off in North America?

Some claim it lacked proper government backing, especially now that the government has thrown its weight (and regulation, and funding) behind electric hybrids and ethanol fuels. Others say it was deregulation, and some say there just wasn’t enough public interest.

Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance president Alicia Milner says it was a combination of these factors. She adds that given its cleanliness, the low price of natural gas (about 40% lower than gasoline) and Canada’s abundant supply, this is a great time to re-explore CNG technology.

After all, haven’t you noticed the ‘80s are totally back in style?  Gag me with a spoon!

Vancouver’s mandatory electric car chargers

Today, there are so many possibilities for alternative fuels; it’s hard to know which one will dominate in the future.  A good solution might be to prepare for any or all of them.

In Vancouver, it could become mandatory for new condo developments to have electric car charging stations in 10% of their parking stalls. With so much talk of biofuels, it may seem unusual to bet on this particular horse.  Mayor Gregor Robertson says the future is electric.

He points out that many cities – in Europe, Japan, and nearby San Francisco – already have such charging stations in place, for electric cars already on the road. Vancouver would be the first city in Canada to make them mandatory.

While detractors argue against the current usefulness of plug-ins, many claim that the only way electric cars will catch on is if the infrastructure is already in place.

So while one doesn’t see a lot of Mitsubishi iMieVs today, charging stations will make it easier and more convenient for motorists to make the switch.  Put another way, electric cars are the chicken and charging outlets are the egg.  Or is it the other way around?

Making outlets mandatory in new developments could end up being a costly gamble.  Or, a future-minded stroke of genius – especially if the demand for electric cars in Canada grows.

Only by making an effort today, will changes be possible for tomorrow.

Eco-friendly Ottawa

Ottawa, being the capital, naturally aspires to being a leader among Canadian cities.

Good leadership means not just being a good role model, but also the first to try new ideas and pave the way for greener possibilities. With the addition of a bike-share program, and the country’s first ever Ethanol gas station, they’re doing just that.

The Public Bike System has two stations in downtown Ottawa, and two in Gatineau, sharing a total of 50 bikes for its trial launch period. In the future, they hope to have as many as 500 bikes available for users in the National Capital Region.

A $3 user fee applies.  Users swipe their credit cards, and are given a code to unlock a bike. The first half hour is free, but to encourage a quick turnaround, additional charges apply after 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, for one month, ethanol will be offered at a Shell station on Merivale road. It’s actually blend of 1/10 ethanol and 9/10 regular gas, and will not cost extra. This may seem like a small change, but for its developer, Iogen, it’s a milestone.

Since the ‘70s, Iogen has been working on a cellulostic biofuel. That means it uses plant material – husks and stalks rather then the edible corn itself – thereby not affecting food sources. Based in Ottawa, local farmers supply Iogen the material.

Is it working? Many government vehicles already use Iogen’s locally produced ethanol, in mixes as great as 85 per cent ethanol. That said, both the bikes and the ethanol are trial versions. They’ll determine public interest and ascertain feasibility.

However, with good consumer response, they may return in full force.

Algae powered energy system by a 15-year-old

What were you interested in when you were in high school? Adventure, fast cars, pretty girls? How about algae? 

Javier Fernández-Han, a 15 year-old from Texas recently won the Invent Your World Challenge and its accompanying $20,000 scholarship for his boundary-pushing project. Known as the VERSATILE system, Fernández-Han has cleverly developed an algae-powered energy system. It produces food for both humans and livestock, treats waste, produces methane and bio-oil for fuel, contains greenhouse gases, and produces oxygen. 

And this isn’t an amateur science project held together with string and duct tape. Fernández-Han’s invention is a complicated system consisting of six subsystems, all intended to revolutionize the way in which the poor meet their basic needs in a sustainable way. There are bells; there are whistles; there are anaerobic digesters.  

More importantly, the system can be built in theory for around $200, which makes it an interesting prototype for developing countries seeking self-contained sources of power and waste treatment.  

One of the most appealing aspects of the invention is the PlayPump, which uses playing children to create energy. Kids play on the Merry-Go-Round and the machine pumps water. Ring around the Rosie. Pocket full of self-contained greenhouse gases. 

With livestock becoming more affordable due to the availability of algae as feed, livelihoods supported by income generated through the sale of excess methane, and air pollution reduced, maybe it should be called the Win-Win System. The teenage inventor believes that we are at the dawn of the algae era. Don’t laugh. Algae: it’s not just pond-scum anymore.

Potato biofuel

Ah, the noble potato. Famous for feeding the Irish, as the perfect complement to hamburgers, and a word Vice President Dan Quayle couldn’t spell. 

Now, it may assume another aspect of fame – as fuel. You’ve heard of PEI’s Cavendish Farms – it’s one of the continent’s largest French fry producers. Recently, Cavendish officially opened a new biogas plant at its main potato processing plant. There’s nothing revolutionary here. The process is relatively simple. The plant will take waste from the production of fries – water and solid – and compost it. That’s it. The composting process creates energy, which will be used at the plant. 

That may not sound like a big deal, but it adds up in a hurry – and we’re talking about quite a lot of potatoes. When fully operational, the biofuel plant will reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35 per cent. 

Potatoes are potentially a lucrative source of biofuel. Corn has been the biofuel crop of choice, for two reasons. First, it’s energy-rich; and second, corn is abundant. However, as biofuel gained in popularity, it created a problem: a lack of corn to actually eat. 

Two years ago, a study at North Carolina State University found an alternative: potatoes. Specifically, the researchers thought sweet potatoes most promising, but “regular” potatoes – like the ones they turn into French fries – are no less viable.

The natural place to start, of course, is a potato processing plant.

Algae air

Did the Wright Brothers ever picture a future where we would be flying around in jets fuelled by seaweed? Probably not.

One of the very first test flights using a 50 percent blend of algae biofuel to power a Continental Boeing 737-800 proved that anything is possible. Just like the Wright Brothers first flight, this was also an innovation.

Not only was it the first flight by a U.S. carrier to use an alternative fuel source, but it was also the first in the world to use a twin-engine commercial aircraft to test a biofuel blend. A series of tests was conducted during the 90-minute flight and the airplane passed with flying colours. Airlines hope to be using biofuels by the year 2014.

But is algae a viable alternative? Absolutely.

Work is being done to create algae farms that will produce thousands of gallons of biofuel at a rate that exceeds current biofuel projects. Solix Biofuels in Colorado, for example, has raised $15.5 million in capital and will soon begin with a five-acre plot to produce “biocrude.’’ That will in turn be shipped to an oil refinery in place of crude oil.

So far, soybeans have so been the main source of biodiesel in the United States and yield about 50 to 70 gallons per acre. Solix has already achieved production of 1,500 gallons an acre of algae per year, with expected yields of 2,500 to 3,000 gallons an acre per year.

Soon, travellers everywhere could be flying the friendly skies…with seaweed.

Bulls, babies and bacteria

When it comes to energy, we’re usually speaking in the figurative when we talk about “clean” energy, or “dirty” power. But for some alternative fuel sources, those labels become far more literal. After all, while holding a chunk of coal might leave you brushing off some carbon residue, a fistful of manure is definitely going to require a thorough wash afterward.

Nobody’s saying we shouldn’t make better use of the waste we produce. Alternative fuel sources like landfill gas and the methane produced from manure are proving that conservation makes economic, as well as environmental sense. Years ago, for instance, disposing of fryer grease was a chore that franchise restaurants had to pay others to do for them. Now, the grease is not only disposed of, it’s become so valuable that profiteering “pirates” are actively stealing it from fast food grease traps.

Still, it’s a messy business turning dung into dollars.

There’s a distinct correlation between the “ick” factor of a waste product and its eventual use as a fuel source. And it goes beyond the fact that people are probably more inclined to handle something as appealing as corn over something as repulsive as trash heaps.

Methane, one of the six primary greenhouse gases identified under the Kyoto Protocol, derives from fermenting organic materials, which means that while the gas itself may be odourless, its companions rarely are. Diapers, for example, produce methane (in addition to offering the recyclable materials of the diaper itself), and the drive toward manure as a fuel source comes with growing recognition of the greenhouse gas emissions from industrial-scale feedlots. Whether they’re babies or bulls, the result is the same — metric tonnes worth of poop that’s sending greenhouse gases to high heaven.

And the stinky correlation isn’t confined to methane. Researchers in the UK recently unveiled a process that turns food waste into hydrogen, one of the most promising alternative fuel sources. In a bioreactor, “biohydrogen” is created by the same bacteria whose fermentative processes turn waste materials into the smelly substances we otherwise avoid. In the absence of oxygen, they create hydrogen, which in turn can be used to produce an emission-free reaction in a hydrogen fuel cell. Not bad for table scraps.

Whether they release methane or hydrogen, waste products carry more than the smells that keep most of us at bay. Beyond the backyard composting that keeps our garden healthy, recycling waste is reaching an industrial scale that will change the way we generate power, “clean” or otherwise. So, as sources of alternative power become increasingly appealing in the face of rising fuel prices, holding our noses will just become that much easier.

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