Ethanol and Natural Gas Freshman Seminar 10/10 by Lucy Cho

Ethanol? - also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, or drinking alcohol -volatile, flammable, colorless liquid -molecular formula : C2H6O

Ethanol fuel -Ethanol fuel is most often used as a biofuel additive for gasoline. -In 2011, worldwide ethanol fuel production reached 84.6 billion liters. -U.S. is the top producer accounting for 62.2% of global production, followed by Brazil. -U.S. and Brazil together produced 87.1% of the world’s ethanol fuel production in 2011.

How is ethanol fuel made? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59R-NqykoXs 3’10” To summarize: Grow common crops like sugar cane, potato, and corn Ferment During ethanol fermentation: C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH+ 2 CO2 + heat Distill Dehydrate Fermentation of ethanol uses similar techniques we use for fermenting wine or beer. During ethanol fermentation, glucose and other sugars in the corn (or sugarcane or other crops) are converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide. C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH+ 2 CO2 + heat The fermentation takes place in aqueous solution and the resulting solution after fermentation has an ethanol content of around 15%. The ethanol is subsequently isolated and purified by a combination of adsorption and distillation techniques. The purification is very energy intensive.

Pros & Cons Price rises of common crops like corn (can lead to food shortage) Lots of energy required in manufacturing energy If used as fuel for car, it can cause malfunction at low temperatures Low energy output Renewable No harmful wastes Lower carbon emissions than gasoline Cheaper

What is it suitable for? Transportation: cars, trains, tank trucks Chemical plants Car industries

How do we make it viable? Cut down construction costs Develop technology to get better engine power using ethanol fuel than other fossil fuels Develop technology that uses micro-organisms(such as bacillus) instead of crops to produce ethanol fuel

Implementation plan 2018 : production of better engine power than fossil fuel (when used as car fuel) 2025 : development of technology that uses micro-organism 2030 : replacement of 30% of U.S. oil consumption

Something to think about….

Natural Gas? Naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture Primarily methane, but contains alkanes, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide

Shale Gas & Tight Gas Natural gas that is found trapped within shale formations Natural gas produced from reservoir rocks with such low permeability

Horizontal drilling and Hydraulic fracturing fracturing of rock by a pressurized liquid commonly used in wells for shale gas and tight gas hydraulic fracturing first experimented in 1947 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzLZnidztpI 22’’-4’44’’ fracturing is a technique in which typically water is mixed with sand and chemicals, and the mixture is injected at high pressure into a wellbore to create small fractures

How natural gas plants work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em1crnEt45Q (36”-1’48”) This two step combined cycle process is highly efficient converting as much as 50% energy contained in natural gas into electricity. in comparison, coal steam turbines are 33% efficient

Pros & Cons cleanest combustion fuel available Finite water pollution do not release toxins efficient (abundant and cheap) transportable Finite water pollution high construction cost not enough natural gas stations according to EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration), when you consider the construction and fuel cost, natural gas plants is the cheapest kind of new power generation that you can build right now.

What is it suitable for? Power generation (especially electricity) Domestic Transportation Fertilizers Hydrogen

How do we make it viable? Cut down construction costs Minimize greenhouse emissions Develop new oil drilling technique Prevent water pollution

NU’s discovery

Implementation plan

Conclusion Whether it is natural gas, ethanol fuel, or any alternative energy, we have to make right decisions in choosing our future energy. This is why we have to continue our research on viable alternative energies. The future energy should be clean, but most importantly, cost-effective.