I read an Article in OnEarth Magazine called “Turning Grass Into Gas”. Cellulose is a compound found in plants; in the early 1800’s Henri Braconnot discovered that it can be turned into a crude form of ethanol. However, due to economic reasons, cellulosic biofuels weren’t produced until the 2000’s. Even then, the United States faced many problems with producing them. In 2007, cellulosic biofuels were included in the Renewable Fuel Standard, a program mandating more biofuels to be produced. The government promised millions of gallons of these biofuels would be produced in the following several years. However only about 20,000 gallons were produced because of economic and technologic reasons. Finally, in 2013 refineries are beginning to produce fuel while the demand for it increased. The military and the airlines are the two biggest demanders of cellulosic biofuels. If the process is done correctly, these biofuels can help reduce the amount of oil the world depends on.
“Imagine a future in which airlines run on cornstalks and Navy ships ply the oceans on tanks of switchgrass.” I found this quote to be very inspiring because it is possible and this is what our country is working towards. Cellulosic biofuels is a very good start to decreasing our nation’s dependency on oil. Although it was a challenge to get going, it is finally beginning to work. This shows that our technology is improving, leading us down a track to improve our our ecosystem.
This would be a great alternative to crude oil! Plants are renewable and are much needed by our environment to reduce CO2 in the air. I wonder what technology is needed to turn cellulose into fuels.
ReplyDeleteIf this were to take off then this would be extremely beneficial to all of us. I realize that sometimes money and technology can prevent us from carrying out some processes, but if we were to make it a higher priority would it be more likely to be accomplished?
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