Environmental implications of accelerated gasohol production: preliminary assessment

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5428736· OSTI ID:5428736

This report assesses the environmental impacts of increasing US production of fuel ethanol by 330 million gallons per year in the 1980 to 1981 time frame in order to substitute gasohol for 10% of the unleaded gasoline consumed in the United States. Alternate biomass feedstocks are examined and corn is selected as the most logical feedstock, based on its availability and cost. Three corn conversion processes that could be used to attain the desired 1980 to 1981 production are identified; fermentation plants that use a feedstock of starch and wastes from an adjacent corn refining plants are found to have environmental and economic advantages. No insurmountable environmental problems can be achieved using current technology; the capital and operating costs of this control are estimated. If ethanol production is increased substantially after 1981, the environmentally acceptable use or disposal of stillage, a liquid by-product of fermentation, could become a serious problem.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5428736
• Report Number(s): ANL/ES-91
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090222 -- Alcohol Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
14 SOLAR ENERGY
140400 -- Solar Energy-- Environmental Aspects
140504* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Industrial Waste Management
AIR POLLUTION
ALCOHOLS
ANIMAL FEEDS
BIOCONVERSION
BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANTS
CAPITAL
CEREALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COST
DIAGRAMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ETHANOL
FERMENTATION
FLOWSHEETS
FOOD
FUELS
GASOHOL
GRAMINEAE
GRASS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MAIZE
MANAGEMENT
OPERATING COST
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
PRODUCTION
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
WASTES