Biofuels energy conversion efficiency

Another interesting attempt worth noting is the combination of porphyrin sensitized solar cell with a fuel cell made by Moore and Gust. The hybrid cell can realize an open circuit voltage of 1.2 V. The energy conversion efficiency of this photoelectrochemical biofuel cell can, in principle, produce more power than either a photoelectrochemical cell or a biofuel cell working individually [83],... 

Gross heating value of biomass or methane. Conversion of biomass or methane to another biofuel requires that the process conversion efficiency be used to reduce the potential energy available. These figures do not include additional biomass from dedicated energy plantations. 

Research is being done in the United States and worldwide to lower some ot the barriers to biofuels. Researchers hope to develop high-yield, fast-growing feedstocks for reliable biomass fuel supplies. Research is also being done to improve the efficiency of energy conversion technologies so that more of the biomass is utilized. 

Part IV, "Sustainability" (Chapters 13 through 18), deals with the topics of sustainable development, efficiency, and sustainability in the chemical process industry and a very topical topic, carbon dioxide (C02). The sense and nonsense of green chemistry and biofuels is expounded in this part as well, followed by solar energy conversion and musings on hydrogen in the final chapter of this part. 

The anodic and enzymatic oxidation of hydrogen in biofuel cells has been investigated to achieve efficient energy conversion. Hydrogenase (EC 1.98.1.1), a protein containing FeS-clusters, oxidizes H2 with reduction of methylviologen. The reoxidation of the reduced mediator in deaerated solution gives a concentration-dependent oxidation current (Varfolomeev and Bachurin, 1984). This system has been adapted for analytical purposes by Boivin and Bourdillon (1987). The enzyme was attached covalently to the surface of a carbon electrode. 

Efficient technology could also be developed based on catalytic biomass pyrolysis for the conversion of biomass into clean and renewable liquid bio-oil. This would facilitate its introduction into the energy market as a renewable fuel or as source of high value chemicals. It is possible to produce stable liquid biofuels from biomass flash pyrolysis, in a single stage catalytic process, although further developments are necessary. 

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