New bids for more alcohol from wood

Journal Article · Wed Sep 09 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · Chem. Week; (United States)

OSTI ID:5450780

It is reported that the Tennessee Valley Authoritys National Fertilizer Development Center has developed a new technique that can convert hardwood to ethanol for about $1.40/gallon, compared with todays prices of more than $2/gal for anhydrous alcohol. The technique uses wood chips and is particularly aimed at sawmills which often must pay someone to haul away wood waste. The chips are hydrolysed with 1-2% sulfuric acid at 300 psi pressure and 350-500 degrees F to yield C5 sugars and eventually alcohol. Researchers at New York University have been operating a pilot plant that converts 1-2 tons/day of sawdust into glucose while the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a continuous cooker that removes lignin prior to acid hydrolysis and so boosts the sugar yield.

• OSTI ID: 5450780
• Journal Information: Chem. Week; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Week; (United States) Vol. 129:11; ISSN CHWKA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
090222* -- Alcohol Fuels-- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass-- (1976-1989)
140504 -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
ACID HYDROLYSIS
ALCOHOLS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CARBOHYDRATES
CELLULOSE
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ETHANOL
ETHANOL PLANTS
FEDERAL REGION II
FEDERAL REGION IV
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEORGIA
HYDROLYSIS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LYSIS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PILOT PLANTS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PRODUCTION
SACCHARIDES
SOLID WASTES
SOLVOLYSIS
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTES
WOOD WASTES