Farm alcohol fuel project. Final report
The Small Energy Project is a research and demonstration effort designed to assist small farmers in the utilization of energy conservation techniques on their farms. The Farm Alcohol Project was designed to demonstrate the production of alcohol fuels on small farms in order to reduce purchased liquid fuel requirements. The Project considered the use of on-farm raw materials for process heat and the production of fuel grade, low prood ethanol in volumes up to 10,000 gallons per year. The fuel would be used entirely on the farm. The approach considered low-cost systems the farmer could build himself from local resources. Various crops were considered for ethanol production. The interest in farm alcohol production reached a peak in 1980 and then decreased substantially as farmers learned that the process of alcohol production on the farm was much more complicated than earlier anticipated. Details of Alcohol Project experiences in ethanol production, primarily from corn, are included in this report. A one-bushel distillation plant was constructed as a learning tool to demonstrate the production of ethanol. The report discusses the various options in starch conversion, fermentation and distillation that can be utilized. The advantages and disavantages of atmospheric and the more complicated process of vacuum distillation are evaluated. Larger farm plants are considered in the report, although no experience in operating such plants was gained through the Project. Various precautions and other considerations are included for farm plant designs. A larger community portable distillery is also evaluated. Such a plant was considered for servicing farms with limited plant equipment. The farms serviced would perform only fermentation tasks, with the portable device performing distillation and starch conversion.
- Research Organization:
- Center for Rural Affairs, Hartington, NE (USA). Small Farm Energy Project
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG47-79R701041
- OSTI ID:
- 5225212
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/R7/01041-T1; ON: DE84007736
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ETHANOL
BIOSYNTHESIS
FARMS
ALCOHOL FUELS
BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANTS
DISTILLATION
ENERGY CONSERVATION
FERMENTATION
MAIZE
PROCESS HEAT
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
ALCOHOLS
BIOCONVERSION
CEREALS
ENERGY
FUELS
GRAMINEAE
GRASS
HEAT
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
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