Brightsurf Science News and Current Science News Events
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print New process makes diesel fuel and industrial chemicals from simple sugar

New process makes diesel fuel and industrial chemicals from simple sugar

June 30, 2006

MADISON—The soaring prices of oil and natural gas have sparked a race to make transportation fuels from plant matter instead of petroleum. Both biodiesel and gasoline containing ethanol are starting to make an impact on the market.

But the oil price hike has also fueled a race to find new sources for chemical intermediates—compounds that are the raw material for many modern plastics, drugs and fuels. Behind the scenes, American industry uses millions of tons of chemical intermediates, which are largely sourced from petroleum or natural gas.




James Dumesic, a University of Wisconsin-Madison chemical and biological engineering professor, reports in the June 30 issue of the journal Science on a better way to make a chemical intermediate called HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) from fructose—fruit sugar. HMF can be converted into plastics, diesel-fuel additive, or even diesel fuel itself, but is seldom used because it is costly to make.

The new process goes beyond making fuel from plants to make industrial chemicals from plants. "Trying to understand how to use catalytic processes to make chemicals and fuel from biomass is a growing area," says Dumesic, who directed the HMF research. "Instead of using the ancient solar energy locked up in fossil fuels, we are trying to take advantage of the carbon dioxide and modern solar energy that crop plants pick up."

The new, patent-pending method for making HMF is a balancing act of chemistry, pressure, temperature and reactor design. After a catalyst converts fructose into HMF, the HMF moves to a solvent that carries it to a separate location, where the HMF is extracted. Although other researchers had previously converted fructose into HMF, Dumesic's research group made a series of improvements that raised the HMF output, and also made the HMF easier to extract.

Once made, HMF is fairly easy to convert into plastics or diesel fuel. Although the biodiesel that has made headlines lately is made from a fat (even used cooking oil), not a sugar, both processes have similar environmental and economic benefits, Dumesic says. Instead of buying petroleum from abroad, the raw material would come from domestic agriculture. Expanding the source of raw material should also depress the price of petroleum.

Using biomass-waste products of agriculture and forestry-can also cut global warming caused by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, says graduate student Yuriy Roman-Leshkov, first author on the Science paper. "The nice thing about using biomass as a replacement for all these petroleum products is that it is greenhouse-neutral," he says. While burning and otherwise using fossil fuels moves an enormous amount of carbon from the Earth into the atmosphere, the carbon released when a biofuel burns is eventually taken up by growing plants. "This process is really important," Roman-Leshkov says, "because it does not introduce additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."

Juben N. Chheda, a second graduate student working on the HMF project, sees the work as part of an explosion of interest in finding alternative sources for petroleum-based chemicals. "We need to develop new process technologies, and HMF is a building block that can replace products like PET, a plastic used for soda bottles," he notes. "This is a first step for a range of chemical products that can be obtained from biomass resources, replacing those that come from petroleum sources."

Dumesic is also exploring methods to convert other sugars and even more complex carbohydrates into HMF and other chemical intermediates. "Solar energy and biology created the stored hydrocarbons in the fossil fuels we have used for so long. Our interest in biomass is driven by the belief that if we learn to use solar energy and biology in a different way, we can address problems related to price, supply, and the environmental impact of industrial activity."

University of Wisconsin-Madison



Related Diesel Fuel News Articles Diesel Fuel News and Current Diesel Fuel Events RSS Diesel Fuel News and Current Diesel Fuel Events RSS
Rising diesel prices renew interest in fuel-saving technologies for heavy trucks
Diesel fuel prices approaching $5 a gallon - and the resulting economic impact on products transported by truck - have created renewed interest in fuel-saving technologies developed during the past decade at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees, But Gasoline Might
Researchers have made a breakthrough in the development of "green gasoline," a liquid identical to standard gasoline yet created from sustainable biomass sources like switchgrass and poplar trees.

Black carbon pollution emerges as major player in global warming
Black carbon, a form of particulate air pollution most often produced from biomass burning, cooking with solid fuels and diesel exhaust, has a warming effect in the atmosphere three to four times greater than prevailing estimates, according to scientists in an upcoming review article in the journal Nature Geoscience.

MSU researcher finds renewed interest in turning algae into fuel
The same brown algae that cover rocks and cause anglers to slip while fly fishing contain oil that can be turned into diesel fuel, says a Montana State University microbiologist.

Fuel cells help make noisy, hot generators a thing of the past
Two core technologies developed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - a fuel desulfurization system and a fuel reforming system - were instrumental in the demonstration of an electric power system operating on JP-8, a fuel commonly used in military operations.

Government of Canada calls on industry to participate in new biofuels initiative
More Canadians will soon be putting cleaner biofuels in their vehicles such as ethanol and biodiesel.

RAND paper finds diesel, hybrid vehicles can provide more societal benefits than gas-powered autos
Cars and light trucks powered by advanced diesel technology or hybrid technology can provide larger societal benefits than traditional gasoline-powered automobiles, according to a RAND Corporation working paper presented today.

Diesel exhaust associated with higher heart attack, stroke risk in men
Increased roadway pollution produced by diesel fuel in vehicles is leading to a cascade of conditions that could result in heart attack or stroke.

A POX on syn
A way to convert natural gas into raw materials for the chemical industry and generate power as a by-product could lead to more environmental benign manufacturing processes.

Engineers perfecting hydrogen-generating technology
Researchers at Purdue University have further developed a technology that could represent a pollution-free energy source for a range of potential applications, from golf carts to submarines and cars to emergency portable generators.
More Diesel Fuel News Articles


From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel
by Joshua Tickell, Kaia Tickell

From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank is the first and only book that details all aspects of running diesel engines on vegetable oil. Includes information on biodiesel, the diesel fuel substitute made from new or used vegetable as well as information on running any diesel engine on straight vegetable oil (SVO). This book is packed with history, information, instructions, photos, diagrams and resources....



Troubleshooting Marine Diesels
by Peter Compton

This densely illustrated, hands-on guide to diesel engine maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair renders its subject more user-friendly than ever before. Finally, boatowners who grew up with gas engines can set aside their fears about tinkering with diesels, which are safer and increasingly more prevalent. As in other volumes in the International Marine Sailboat Library, every step of every...



Medium/Heavy Duty Truck Engines, Fuel & Computerized Management Systems, 2E (Medium/Heavy Duty Truck)
by Sean Bennett

Written by an experienced truck technician in easy-to-understand language, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to highway diesel engines and their management systems. Coverage of the full range of truck diesels from light duty to heavy duty is provided, as well as the most current diesel engine management electronics used today. New topics include rotary distributor pumps, alternate...



Diesel Engine and Fuel System Repair (5th Edition)
by Robert N. Brady, John F. Dagel



Biodiesel: A Realistic Fuel Alternative for Diesel Engines
by Ayhan Demirbas

Environmental and political concerns are generating a growing interest in alternative engine fuels such as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a renewable energy source produced from natural oils and fats, which can be used as a substitute for petroleum diesel without the need for diesel engine modification. In addition to being biodegradable and non-toxic, biodiesel is also essentially free of sulfur and...



Modern Diesel Technology: Brakes, Suspension & Steering
by Sean Bennett

Beginning with entry-level explanations of the critical systems and advancing to the standard required of ASE L4 and L5 certification testing, this stand-alone book is a first-rate primer in the study of highway truck and trailer brake, suspension, and steering systems. Modular in format, the book's chapters cover basic principles directed to specific, performance-based learning outcomes....



Building a Successful Biodiesel Business: Technology Considerations, Developing the Business, Analytical Methodologies
by Jon Harlan Van Gerpen, Rudy Pruszko, Davis Clements, Brent Shanks



Modern Diesel Technology: Electronic Diesel Engine Diagnosis
by Sean Bennett

Gain a sound understanding of electronically controlled diesel engines as well as maintenance and diagnostic procedures. This book uses the ASE L2 "composite" diesel engine as a platform for fostering a detailed understanding of current truck engine management systems including electronic unit injector (EUI), hydraulically actuated electronic unit injector (HEUI), electronic unit pump (EUP),...



Bosch Diesel Fuel-Injection Systems Unit Injector System and Unit Pump System: Technical Instruction Booklet
by Robert Bosch Gmbh

Diesel Fuel-injection System Common Rail: Bosch Technical Instruction
by Robert Bosch

© 2008 BrightSurf.com