Preliminary review of biomass energy options in Costa Rica and the national alcohol fuel program. Summary report

Technical Report · Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6185293

Jones, J L

For an agricultural, oil-importing country such as Costa Rica, the use of biomass as a source of transportation fuels is a topic of great interest. This analysis is intended to assist the Costa Rican government and USAID/CR to identify possible biomass energy projects. While emphasis is on technologies for converting biomass into liquid fuels, agronomic issues and alternative energy options are also explored. Costa Rica plans to build six facilities for converting biomass (primarily sugarcane, supplemented by molasses, cassava, and banana wastes) to hydrous ethanol. The following issues relating to biomass conversion technologies are identified: use of hydroelectrically powered drives in sugarcane processing to allow use of bagasse as a fuel; possible sources and costs of energy for converting starch crops like cassava to ethanol; the optimal method for treating stillage; and the feasibility of using fermentation reactors. No definitive recommendation on the scale of ethanol production is made due to the lack of an environmental impact assessment. Finally, with regard to nonalcohol renewable energy, several ideas warrant consideration: electrically powered mass transit; electric cars; vehicle-mounted gasifiers operating on wood chips or pelletized fuels produced from excess bagasse; anaerobic digestion of animal manure and other agricultural wastes; and energy recovery from municipal solid wastes.

• Research Organization: SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6185293
• Report Number(s): PB-85-113678/XAB
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Sponsored in part by Forest Service, Washington, DC
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
BIOMASS
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
COSTA RICA
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
ALCOHOL FUELS
CASSAVA
FERMENTATION
MOLASSES
REVIEWS
BIOCONVERSION
CENTRAL AMERICA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
LATIN AMERICA
PLANTS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
140504* - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)
090222 - Alcohol Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
299003 - Energy Planning & Policy- Unconventional Sources & Power Generation- Other- (-1989)