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Columnists
Sustainability
and Sustainable Development
Nicholas
R. Hild, PhD Professor ASU
Polytechnic
Nicholas
R. Hild, PhD., Professor, Environmental Technology Management, Arizona
State University College of Technology and Innovation, has extensive
experience in Environmental Management in the southwestern U.S. Dr. Hild
can be reached at 480-727-1309 and by email at DrNick@asu.edu.
Mr.
President: It is time to "change" to cellulosics-based
ethonol --
Feb/Mar
2009
Our
new President is already on record, saying that America’s heavy
dependence on foreign oil is "…eclipsed only by the long-term
threat of climate change" so here’s a recommendation for
‘Change’ that the whole world can benefit from—it’s
time we began to seriously think about funding the (technology) research
that will be needed to manufacture ethanol from cellulosics—a change
that environmentalists, farmers, farm implement manufacturers and dealers,
and refineries alike should embrace.
Unlike corn, which is the current
government-edicted source for ethanol production, various varieties
of cellulosics can be grown in almost every region of the US which, in
turn, would mean it can be processed in cellulosics refineries to make
ethanol where it is geographically most efficient to sell it in
those same regional markets. That will have a positive impact on
local/regional economies across the country, while resulting in reduced
greenhouse gas emissions from diesel-burning tankers that won’t be
transporting the ethanol to fueling stations thousands of miles away, as
is now the case with corn-based ethanol being processed in only a couple
of states in the midwest.
Cellulose is a polymeric linkage
of glucose units. Glucose itself is a hexose containing six carbon atoms
per ring. Hemicellulose, which doesn’t resemble cellulose ( but the name
implies it might be similar in structure) contains mostly five-carbon
monomers, while lignin (which is a strengthening agent in plant material),
is a complex structure that includes benzene rings (C6H6)
and makes the refining process a little more difficult to breakdown than
simple corn glucose. But, a little more research and concentrated efforts
in the right places will overcome those hurdles—if we act soon.
Some energy companies aren’t
waiting—AMD Corporation is to ‘Big Ag’ what Exxon is to ‘Big
Oil’ and recently AMD announced they had a "hybrid"
biorefinery in the construction stage in Hugoton, Kansas that will produce
both starch and cellulosic ethanol. It is to be, according to AMD, "…among
the first of its kind in the US and likely to open by mid-2011…" They
predict that within five to 10 years, cellulosic technology could become
an industry standard "…with a potential to produce 50 to 80
billion gallons a year of ethanol…" But, there are design and
production bugs to work out and we need research funding efforts ASAP that
will allow us to meet these goals…so our best chance is to ask our new
Administration to live up to promises made for real Change—-Mr.
President: let’s make cellulosics ethanol a priority!
Cellulosic crop and plant
materials also offer enormous potential for further use (besides for
making ethanol) in polymer production. So, besides producing ethanol, a
flowchart of the process shows that a breakdown of cellulose glucose units
into practical materials such as 1,3-propanediol lignin and distillers
dried grain with solubles (DDGS) —byproducts that have value in a
variety of polymers applications. It is also possible to capture the CO2
produced in the fermentation process for commercial sale, which is a very
desirable feature to add to the "process" given current
concerns about greenhouse gas.
The Federal Energy Department’s
Information Administration released a report recently that predicted that
coal, oil, and natural gas (all of which produce gases linked to climate
change) will still provide nearly 80 percent of the country’s
energy in 2030, barring mandatory CO2
emissions limits. In the same report, they estimate that nearly 60% of car
sales are likely to be for vehicles that rely heavily on fuels other
than gasoline—a major portion of which will be ethanol or
hybrid-ethanol fueled. So, if we still are using greenhouse gas emitting
power plant fuels, doesn’t it make sense to work hard on alternative
transportation fuels to offset as much stationary source emissions as
possible?
An Administrative ‘Change’
in strategy which prioritizes cellulosics-based ethanol research can help
get us out of several dilemmas at one time: cellulose-based ethanol can
significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels in transportation, it can be
made from several varieties of cellulosics including by-products of many
ag crops that are currently plowed into the ground, and many bio-mass
crops (like straw grass) only need to be planted once and regenerate
without additional energy input to yield several crops per year.
A cellulosics-to-ethanol strategy
goes a long way toward helping solve a variety of problems. It would
generate jobs in many states across the US and reduce our dependence on
fossil-based fuels. Thus, it would be a win-win on several of the new
Administration’s horizons for ‘Change.’ Most of all,
Mr. President, a ‘Change’ to support cellulosics-based
ethanol production will have sustainable benefits for your
children’s, children’s, children (and the rest of the world too!)
2008/1234
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