Author Topic: switch grass?- Ethanol  (Read 2656 times)

dkwflight

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switch grass?- Ethanol
« on: September 24, 2006, 08:26:23 AM »
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mobile_bob

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Re: switch grass?- Ethanol
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2006, 04:05:02 AM »
i just saw a bit on the history channel yesterday regarding this switchgrass topic

seems as though corn is good for approx 350 gallons of ethanol per acre of grain
switchgrass is good for about 1100 gallons per acre,,, wow

and they alluded to it being able to grow over a wide region of the country.

hmmm, makes you think don't it

bob g
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artificer

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Re: switch grass?- Ethanol
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2006, 01:15:24 AM »
Switchgrass if great IF you can convert it to ethanol, or use it straight as a biomass fuel.   Ethanol from corn is incredibly simple.  Starch to simple sugars... ferment... distill.  The reason you only get the 350gal/acre is that you only use the grain as opposed to the whole plant with switchgrass.  An added benefit is the extraction of corn oil, which becomes biodiesel.

We're one of the groups trying to develop an economical conversion method to go from a field of switchgrass/biomass and get ethanol from it.  Not an easy task.  One method of using the switchgrass that I personally like is to pellatize it.  Use it in a standard wood/corn pellet stove for fuel.  To run an engine, gasify it, and run a generator.

Oh, well... we'll get there someday.

Michael

dkwflight

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Re: switch grass?- Ethanol
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2006, 02:28:15 AM »
Hi I looked into the corn-ethanol process a number of years ago. It seems you need an enzime to turn the starch to sugars. Probably a similar enzime would work or possibly use heat and make methal alchohol or wood alchohol.

I also looked at peletizing machinery too. If you don't need a binder the process is simple. Harvesting in the winter would be nice too operating on frozen ground. A good winter project maybe.
Dennis
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