A Japanese paper manufacturer has come up with a low-cost method to use the parts of a tree that are not usable for making paper (i.e. bark, branches, and leaves) and turn them into bioethanol. The technology would not only make use of 30 percent of the tree that is currently discarded or used as fertilizer, but would also reduce the need to divert crops from the food supply for making biofuels.
Although timber can be converted into ethanol using current techniques, it is about three times more expensive than using sugar cane or corn. That’s because their cellulose fibers are bound together by a compound called lignin, which prevents them from decomposing. The chemical process that has been developed uses an alkaline solution to create fractures in the lignin sheath. Using the same mechanical methods used to produce pulp, it is broken apart. The cellulose can then be isolated and fermented to make ethanol at a cost comparable to using corn or sugar cane.
Using this alternate fuel source in conjunction with corn and sugar cane would give us an alternative to competing directly with our food supply. www.ojipaper.co.jp/english/
Tags: Alternative Fuel, Burrus, Dan Burrus, Daniel Burrus, Environment, Fuel Indenpendence, problem solving
