no nitrogen? must be burning in a pure oxygen atmosphere ;-) Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm
Renewable Energy Pages - http://www.webconx.dns2go.com/ Human powered devices, equipment, and transport - http://24.190.106.81:8383/2000/humanpower.htm [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Addison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Cc: <biofuels-biz@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 5:30 AM Subject: [biofuels-biz] Any comments? - "You think petrol grows on trees?" > The Star, Malaysia, 02 Oct 2001 > > You think petrol grows on trees? > > By S.S. YOGA > > MALAYSIA doesn't contribute much to the global warming problem the > world is facing. Compared to industrialised nations, we don't spew > much of any of the greenhouse gasses into the air. Yet. That's the > operative word. As we run headlong after developed nation status, > we're going to be polluting our air more and more, especially with > cars. > > As anyone who has ever been stuck in a traffic jam will realise, the > number of cars on our roads are increasing. And every one of them is > burning petrol, a fossil fuel that emits greenhouse gases when burnt > -- not to mention burning a hole in the average motorists' pocket. > Wouldn't it be nice if cars ran on something else? > > While big-time multinational car manufacturers and oil companies > around the globe are looking into alternative fuels, one unassuming > research team in Malaysia has been coming up with answers. The team > is the Chemical Engineering School research team at the Universiti > Sains Malaysia campus in Nibong Tebal, Penang, and its answer is palm > oil. > > "We are looking at the local situation and we're thinking small, > first to supply remote villages with our product to use in fishing > boats for instance," says Prof Dr Subhash Bhatia modestly. He and > dean Dr Abdul Rahman Mohamed have been leading the research. > > > A model of zeolite with the pore in the centre. > What is especially attractive about biogasoline, as it's called, is > its "green" aspect. Subhash says that as it is free from sulphur and > nitrogen emissions it is less polluting and contributes less to the > greenhouse effect and is less of a health risk. > > There's another green aspect to using this oil, at least in the way > Subhash and Abdul Rahman want to use it: since the present price of > crude palm oil makes it too expensive to use as fuel, their team is > looking at using practically free waste palm oil, the "remnants" > leftover from the cooking process and easily obtained from eateries > and hotels -- that would otherwise have a problem discarding it in an > environmentally correct way. > > Cracking the technique > > The university's process to produce biogasoline, on the other hand, > uses something called catalytic cracking. What they do is use very > high temperatures to convert the bigger hydrocarbon structure of palm > oil into the smaller one of petrol, or gasoline. The catalyst (a > substance which speeds up a reaction but does not change itself) is a > synthesised material called a zeolite that is a combination of > aluminium and silicate. > > Subhash says that his team first used a zeolite called ZSM-5 that had > been synthesised by multinational oil company Mobil and that they > obtained commercially. Now, though, they make their own in the lab > but it has to be modified before it can be used in their process. > > The zeolite acts on a "shape selective" basis as it is, in essence, a > ring of molecules with an opening of a certain size. Once the crude > palm oil is heated in the catalytic reactor, it passes through the > pore of the zeolite and, in the process, is broken up into the less > complicated structure of petrol and compounds. > > The challenge lies in not breaking down the palm oil structure too > much as that would separate it into water, carbon dioxide and coke > (that is, coal). The other challenge is to maximise the production of > petrol as the process also produces diesel and kerosene. > > With ZSM-5 Subhash says they have gotten a yield of 35% petrol, not > quite enough to make the process viable commercially. But using > different zeolites produces different percentages of petrol, diesel > and kerosene. For instance, a Y-zeolite produces more diesel and a > beta-type zeolite will produce more kerosene. > > "If the target is only biogasoline then it is not economical. But if > one is looking at the production of other liquid fuels like diesel > and kerosene as well as biogasoline, then it may look attractive," > points out Subhash. > > While the team has been producing enough gasoline for research > purposes only since the project began in 1997, team members have > developed a thorough understanding of the factors that influence the > yield along the way. > > They have, for instance, found out that increasing the zeolite's > acidity produces gasoline that reduces "knocking" (caused by an > engine's air/fuel mixture igniting prematurely, reducing the > efficiency of combustion and damaging the engine) and aromatics like > benzene. This would reduce toxic emissions. > > To increase the gasoline yield from the process, Subhash and his team > are trying different things, like changing the size of the zeolites' > pores. In essence, the whole routine is much like the practice of > refining petroleum. The team is also looking at various by-products, > like aromatic hydrocarbons, that could be useful in the petrochemical > industry. > > Next crack > > There's still much to be done, of course, acknowledges Subhash. For > one thing, there are the emissions to think of. What would burning > biogasoline produce, exactly? Would we be introducing new pollutants? > > Then there's the problem of making the product commercial. The team > would have to look at getting big business interested, which would, > of course, mean making biogasoline cheaper to produce. This they can > do, says Subhash, if they build a pilot plant to produce large enough > amounts to do all the testing. As always the element of cost comes in > -- Subhash gives a smouldering figure of RM1mil to RM2mil as a > possibility. > > Where is this money to come from? Well, they welcome private sector > involvement, so if any business is interested, contact Subhash (% > 04-593 7788, e-mail subhashb [EMAIL PROTECTED]). > > Apart from environmental issues, there are other benefits that could > arise if this team is successful; when there's a local overproduction > of palm oil, for instance, or when fossil fuel price rises. In fact, > since the supply of fossil fuels is finite, and with our nation's > estimated petroleum reserves quickly depleting, any alternative > source of fuel would be a godsend. > > In the long term Subhash sees the use of methane and hydrogen as one > way to solve our energy woes and as virtually the cleanest form > available. That though is another story. Till then a cleaner source > of fuel might just be growing on trees. > > Biofuels at Journey to Forever > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > Biofuel at WebConX > http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Universal Inkjet Refill Kit $29.95 Refill any ink cartridge for less! Includes black and color ink. http://us.click.yahoo.com/XwUZwC/MkNDAA/ySSFAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
