Posted on 05/15/2008 12:05:08 PM PDT by gleeaikin
Starting in the 1960s, the growth of the petroleum industry and the cheaper cost of producing butanol from petroleum products rather than renewable feedstocks made the biobased butanol plant obsolete. The last significant vestige of the industry—a facility in South Africa—ceased its operations in the early 1980s.
But rising oil prices and concerns surrounding climate change and national security have rejuvenated interest, research and development into biobutanol. Although the primary use for the alcohol is as an industrial solvent, it offers several advantages over ethanol as a transportation fuel. Since the molecule contains four carbons compared with the two of ethanol, those extra chemical bonds release more energy when burned. In addition, butanol is less volatile than ethanol, it can be used at a 100 percent blend in internal combustion engines without any modifications, it doesn’t attract water like ethanol so it can be transported in existing pipelines and it is less sensitive to colder temperatures. “Butanol is an excellent fuel,” says Nasib Qureshi, a chemical engineer with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, Ill. “As a result of gas prices going up it is looking more effective than ethanol and more effective than gasoline.”
(Excerpt) Read more at biomassmagazine.com ...
In addition to this it literally stinks. It has a truly repulsive odor.
Yeah, I think most people are going to find filling up with butanol (especially 2-butanol) a pretty unpleasant experience!
In addition to this it literally stinks. It has a truly repulsive odor.
Butt and all?
Thanks for that reminder! I knew there was something about it...
Anyone know the R+M/2 value of butanol?
How about the BTU/uom?
“In addition...it literally stinks.”
But I love the smell of $4 and $5 per gallon gas. I’ll bet in Scotland they really loved the smell of the $10 a gallon gas they had recently when there was a strike.
Found it
Comparative BTU Butanol=110K, Gasoline=115K
R+M/2 must be comparable, too. No modifications needs for replacing butanol for gasoline.
“Starting in the 1960s, the growth of the petroleum industry...”
and about the time the last new refinery and just before the last new nuclear power plants were built....
Just plain stoopid!
I would be interested in how butanol is made. Can it be derived from biological ,ie plant material? Could you direct me to some sources you might find especially noteworthy.
Iknow, I know.....google is my friend. You apparently might be able to provide some wheat rather than a lot of chaff.
Wake me when a "biofuel" is cost competitive with petroleum based fuel without massive government subsidies and regulations wildly distorting the marketplace. OH, and BTW most of the cost of fuel in Yirip is tax.
In California, they have gas fume suction devices on the nizzels. I’m sure they would work just as well for stinky butt-in-all......
I've used those. They don't get it all, and that's another expense to add too.
You mean something in Kalifornia that is SUPPOSED to suck, DOESN’T?.................
Is it like Butyric acid? That smells like puke, literally.
Fermentation---just like ethanol. Different set of microbial bugs.
"Can it be derived from biological ,ie plant material?"
If you can convert the cellulose to simple sugars, yes.
Thankfully it's not that bad. If you've ever smelled fusel oil you'll know; just an unpleasant, penetrating solvent odor - like a nastier version of nailpolish remover.
I don’t think it will catch on if it is that bad, but times are hard.
But what about oil from algae? Anyone remember Petrosun? Algae ponds in the Arizona desert?
Now biobutanol?
It sucks all right - It just doesn’t work all that well
Moonshine still!http://www.moonshine-still.com/
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