Energy biofuels

Judd, B., Feasibility of Producing Diesel Fuels from Biomass in New Zealand, http //eeca.govt.nz/eeca-library/ renewable-energy/biofuels/report/feasibility-of-producing-diesel-fuels-from-biomass-in-nz-03.pdf, 2003. 

A large variety of virgin biomass feedstock developments for the production of energy, biofuels, and chemicals is in the research stage in Canada, the... 

Judd, B. Biodiesel from tallow. Energy efficiency and conservation authority. 2002. Available at http // www.eeca.govt.nz/eeca-Hbrary/renewable-energy/biofuels/report/biodiesel-from-tallow-report-02.pdf (accessed 21/2/2008). 

The percentage of energy demand that could be satisfied by particular nonfossil energy resources can be estimated by examination of the potential amounts of energy and biofuels that can be produced from renewable carbon resources and comparison of these amounts with fossil fuel demands. 

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. 

The need to meet environmental regulations can affect processing costs. Undesirable air emissions may have to be eliminated and Hquid effluents and soHd residues treated and disposed of by incineration or/and landfilling. It is possible for biomass conversion processes that utilize waste feedstocks to combine waste disposal and treatment with energy and/or biofuel production so that credits can be taken for negative feedstock costs and tipping or receiving fees. 

Alternatively, short-rotation hybrid poplar and selected grasses can be multicropped on an energy plantation in the U.S. Northwest and harvested for conversion to Hquid transportation fuels and cogenerated power for on-site use in a centrally located conversion plant. The salable products are Hquid biofuels and surplus steam and electric power. This type of design may be especially useful for larger land-based systems. 

Municipal Solid Waste. In the eady 1990s, the need to dispose of municipal soHd waste (MSW) ia U.S. cities has created a biofuels industry because there is Htde or no other recourse (107). Landfills and garbage dumps are being phased out ia many communities. Combustion of MSW, ie, mass-bum systems, and RDF, ie, refuse-derived fuel, has become an estabhshed waste disposal—energy recovery industry. 

The Energy PoHcy Act of 1992 (H.R. 776) has Hberalized the rules concerning biofuels and provides tax incentives for increased usage. Many states also have gasohol fuel tax exemptions in place, and some have enacted legislation that requites use of oxygenated fuels under certain conditions. Most of these laws impact favorably on biofuels usage. 

Biofuels Technical Information Guide, SERI/SP-220-3366, Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colo., Apr. 1989, 198 pp. 

In the United States, up to about 4 x 10 Btu/yr of biofuels ate consumed for electricity generation, raising process heat, and domestic heat. Eurthermore, much of the energy needs of many nations are met by biofuels, including wood and wood waste, spent pulping fiquors, bagasse, and municipal waste. Some use is also made of dried com cobs, rice hulls, and a wide variety of agricultural wastes used in niche appfications. 

Fig. 7. Biofuels and biomass electricity production. Courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

See also Biofuels Capital Investment Decisions Hydrogen Kinetic Energy, Historical Evolution of the Use of Methanol Natural Gas, Processing and Conversion of. 

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