Current problems: Plant biomass as raw material for the production of olefins and motor fuels
Apart from petroleum, another reserve of energy that may be tapped is plant biomass - the primary source of life on Earth. Plant biomass is formed every year in the amount of 170-200 billion tonnes (calculated as dry weight), equivalent in energy to 70-80 billion tonnes of crude oil (compare with the world oil production of about 3 billion tonnes). A small percentage of the plant biomass is utilized by the human race (food, construction, fuel, industry) and by the animal world. Most of it vanishes without producing any benefits; it is decomposed and converted to carbon dioxide and water. With modern technology of growing and harvesting biomass, there is no doubt that at least 2.5-5% of the biomass can be utilized; this is equivalent in terms of energy to 2-4 billion tonnes of crude oil or more than 3-6 billion tonnes of coal. In the course of processing plant raw material in the forest industry, agriculture, and other activities, large amounts of organic wastes are formed; these can be utilized directly for energy production - either as solid fuel in the form of fuel briquets, in solid-waste disposal plants for the production of heat in the form of steam, or as a raw material for processing into liquid fuel means of newly developed technology.
- OSTI ID:
- 175811
- Journal Information:
- Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils, Vol. 30, Issue 5-6; Other Information: PBD: Jan 1995; TN: Translated from Khimiya i Tekhnologiya Topliv i Masel; No. 5, 3-5(May 1994)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Fundamental catalytic challenges to design improved biomass conversion technologies
Prospects for development of automotive fuels with improved ecological properties