Syngas - ‘Breakthrough’ Biomass-to-Energy Technology
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have apparently discovered a better way to convert biomass into biofuel.
Here is a blurb from an article in The Minnesota Daily:
The new process creates a product known as synthesis gas, or syngas, which can be used to make artificial gasoline or be put into fuel cells to generate electricity.
“It’s called synthesis gas because it’s a gas used to synthesize useful liquids,” Schmidt said.
Dreyer, a fourth-year graduate student, said the system - called a catalytic fuel reformer - works by first heating a disk made of catalyst material to 1,000 degrees Celsius. Then soybean oil is sprayed directly onto the disk, and, as droplets hit the glowing catalyst, they blow apart. As the fragments pass through, they react with oxygen, creating syngas.
Although researchers used soybean oil and sugar to test their system, Schmidt said, the process will work for any kind of biomass.
Potential sources of biomass include trees, plants such as switchgrass or even manure.
According to the researchers, the catalytic fuel reformer is 10 to 100 times faster than conventional technology. As a result, the size of this system can be much smaller, making transportation a viable option (ie. take the reactor to where the materials are located, thus lowering transportation/environmental costs).
More research is certainly needed before we see too many real-world applications, but this definitely sounds like an interesting technology to keep our eyes on!
Again, here’s the link to the original article: U researchers develop alternative energy sources
Technorati Tags: syngas, synthesis gas, biofuel, alternative energy, hydrogen, university of minnesota, catalytic fuel reformer
Written by Bentley on November 6th, 2006 with
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