Dry ash-free non-woody ligno-cellulosic biomass such as leaves,
grasses, straws, and cornstalks, about 40% carbon by weight, have an empirical formula
C6H10O5 for the cellulose structural portion plus CxHy for the
lignin.(cellulose glue or cement) portion).
Nature's "reinforced fiber"
Acid or Enzyme Hydrolysis (catalytically adding H2O to the cellulose molecule) turns it to
glucose (C6H12O6).
Anerobic Bacteria, under carefully controlled conditions, can slowly turn the glucose to Hydrogen,
or methane, acetone, ethanol and so on.
In the digestive tank of cattle (and other ruminants), bacteria break the enzyme-hydrolyzed cellulose
(glucose) down to acetic, propionic, and butyric acids (but extraction for energy use is a problem).
Bacteria do a great job of processing biomass to please the palate and olfactory receptors (except for limburger cheese)
but are too slow for high throughput biomass-feedstock fuel production.
OTOH, as can be seen when starch C6H10O5 (same formula as cellulose) is heated to about 500 F
it gives off a mix of H2O, CO, CO2, H2, CH4 and C2Hx etc. (actually exothermally)
leaving a carbon residue (char).
In the years since the early 1970s Oil Embargo many thermochemical and hydrothermal-chemical
biomass conversion technologies have been developed and proven viable.
Unfortunately most of the patents on the ones with investor-venture capital pull have expired
after at least two new generations of Chemical Engineers since the Oil Embargo.
OPEC and Big Oil are patient.
Anyhow a ton of biomass costing $30.00 to harvest , transport and process
at 50 % overall energy efficiency (a ton of biomass produced from the energy of a 2nd ton of
biomass) can be thermochemically converted to a 60 gallon gasoline equivalent Hydrogen or
Methane stream.
Fred
