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Biomass FAQs
What are biofuels?Biofuels are any fuel derived from biomass. Agricultural products specifically grown for conversion to biofuels include corn and soybeans. R&D is currently being conducted to improve the conversion of non-grain crops, such as switchgrass and a variety of woody crops, to biofuels. The energy in biomass can be accessed by turning the raw materials of the feedstock, such as starch and cellulose, into a usable form. Transportation fuels are made from biomass through biochemical or thermochemical processes. Known as biofuels, these include ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, biocrude, and methane. What is ethanol? What is the difference between E10 and E85?Ethanol is the most widely used biofuel today. Also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, it can be used either as an alternative fuel or as an octane-boosting, pollution-reducing additive to gasoline. It is an alcohol fuel made from sugars and starch found in plants. In the U.S., ethanol is primarily produced from the starch contained in grains such as corn, grain sorghum, and wheat through a fermentation and distillation process that converts starch to sugar and then to alcohol. Currently, a majority of ethanol is made from corn, but new technologies are being developed to make ethanol from other agricultural and forestry resources such as:
Ethanol can be blended with gasoline in varying quantities to reduce the consumption of petroleum fuels, as well as to reduce air pollution. It is increasingly used as an oxygenate additive for standard gasoline, as a replacement for methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), which is responsible for groundwater and soil contamination. Most of today's commercially available vehicles can run on blends of E10, a blend of 10 percent alcohol and 80 percent gasoline, or lower. E10 is the most common low concentration blend. Many areas of the country mandate its use as a replacement for MTBE. Ethanol can be blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Due to the corrosive affects of E85, because of its high alcohol content, traditional vehicles cannot use E85. Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) have engines modified to accept higher concentrations of ethanol. Such flexible-fuel engines are designed to run on any mixture of gasoline or ethanol with up to 85 percent ethanol by volume. What is biodiesel?Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from domestic, renewable resources such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel is primarily produced through base catalyzed transesterification. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Biodiesel can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel. What are biobased products?Today, petroleum is refined to make chemical feedstocks used in thousands of products. Many of these petroleum-based feedstocks could be replaced with value-added chemicals produced from biomass to then manufacture clothing, plastics, lubricants, and other products. Biobased chemicals and materials are commercial or industrial products, other than food and feed, derived from biomass feedstocks. Biobased products include green chemicals, renewable plastics, natural fibers and natural structural materials. Many of these products can replace products and materials traditionally derived from petrochemicals, but new and improved processing technologies will be required. What is biopower?Biopower, or biomass power, is the use of biomass to generate electricity, or heat and steam required for the operation of a refinery. Biopower system technologies include direct-firing, cofiring, gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion. Most biopower plants use direct-fired systems. They burn biomass feedstocks directly to produce steam. This steam drives a turbine, which turns a generator that converts the power into electricity. In some biomass industries, the spent steam from the power plant is also used for manufacturing processes or to heat buildings. Such combined heat and power systems greatly increase overall energy efficiency. Paper mills, the largest current producers of biomass power, generate electricity or process heat as part of the process for recovering pulping chemicals. Use and Availability of BiofuelsWhere can I buy biofuels?Ethanol blends of E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) can be and are sold at gasoline fueling stations across the U.S. Ethanol in higher blends, such as E85, is also sold at gasoline fueling stations across the U.S., but requires modified fueling equipment. Similarly, some diesel fueling stations across the U.S. also supply biodiesel in various blends. For a listing of alternative fuel stations in your area, or along a defined route of travel, please see the Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center, the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, or the National Biodiesel Board. Are biofuels more expensive than their petroleum-based counterparts?Because the cost of any type of fuel - gasoline, diesel, ethanol, biodiesel - varies over time due to a variety of market, political, and production factors, it is difficult to say at any one time whether or not biofuels are sold for more or less than traditional petroleum-based fuels in the marketplace. On average, biofuels are generally comparable to traditional fuels in sales price, although they may be higher or lower at times, depending on gasoline and diesel prices. The non-monetary benefits of biofuels - such as environmental, national security, and local economy benefits - may also be taken into consideration by the consumer, even if they are not reflected in the cost of biofuels versus traditional fuels. Will I get lower gas mileage with ethanol-blended fuels than with traditional gasoline?The fuel economy of E85 is lower than that of gasoline by 10 to 15 percent, as E85 has less energy content (about 0.72 of gasoline). However, flex fuel vehicles can be tuned to run optimally on E85 (whereas, as currently sold, they are optimized for gasoline), reducing the mileage loss significantly. For more information please visit National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Can ethanol be transported, stored, and dispensed within existing petroleum infrastructure?Lower ethanol blends, such as E10, are currently mixed with gasoline and transported, stored, and dispensed in existing infrastructure. Higher ethanol blends, such as E85, however, require separate infrastructure because E85 cannot be used in all vehicles, and because E85 can corrode some materials. In many cases, existing petroleum fuel infrastructure can be used to transport and store E85, as long as they are properly cleaned and the fuels are not mixed. Special E85-compatible pump dispensers are available, and can be incorporated into existing fueling stations. Production and TechnologyHow are biofuels created from plant material?How a fuel is produced from plant materials can depend on a variety of factors, including the feedstock (or biomass plant material) being used and the fuel one desires to produce. Ethanol and biodiesel are the two most common types of biofuels. There are two primary types of conversion methods used to produce ethanol from biomass resources: biochemical conversion and thermochemical conversion. Biochemical conversion refers to the process where biomass is separated into its component parts, starch and cellulose. In water, both starch and cellulose can be broken down further to multiple sugars, which can than be fermented to produce ethanol. Thermochemical conversion heats the feedstock with no oxygen to produce synthesis gas (syngas). The syngas can be fermented to produce ethanol. Biodiesel is primarily produced from the oil in soy beans, canola, and other agricultural products. The oils from the plant material are reacted with methanol to produce methyl esters (commonly known as biodiesel) and glycerin. For every 100 lbs of biodiesel produced approximately 10 lbs of glycerin is produced; glycerin is an ingredient in hand lotions and soaps. What other materials can be produced from biomass?Biomass can be used to produce any number of common products based on the feedstock (or biomass plant material) chosen. Specific products include but are not limited to plastics, polymers, carpets, fabrics, detergents, fabrics, and lubricants. The "Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass (Volume 1)" study (PDF 1.4 MB) provides an extensive list of potential products and intermediate chemicals that can be commercially produced from biomass. ProgrammaticWhat is the R&D focus of the Office of the Biomass Program?The R&D focus of the Biomass Program is on the development of the integrated biorefinery which includes both biological and thermochemical conversion processes. Currently, the Program is organized to address the technological R&D needs of each stage in the biorefinery: feedstock interface, biochemical conversion, thermochemical conversion, and product development. Feedstock R&D is focused on the reduction of biomass harvesting and storage costs. Biochemical conversion R&D is currently the highest priority for the program. It is focused on reducing the cost of producing mixed sugars by overcoming the difficulty of separating biomass into its components (cellulose and lignin). The thermochemical conversion R&D focus is developing technologies that convert the residues from the biochemical conversion process into fuels, heat and chemicals. The focus of product development is on the development of fermentation microorganisms. What companies are involved in biomass energy/biofuel production?The best resource for information on both biodiesel and ethanol producers are their respective industry associations:
The Biomass Program at DOE and the USDA - DOE Biomass Initiative do conduct some projects with industry research partners, awarded via independently assessed competitive solicitations. More information on those partners may be found on the Office of the Biomass Program website. Have biofuels been successful in other countries?Yes, biofuels have been commercially successful in several other countries. Brazil (ethanol) and Germany (biodiesel) are two examples. In Brazil, "Eighty percent of 2005 production (ethanol) is anticipated to meet national demands (transportation fuels)."i In Germany, the last ten years consumption and production of biodiesel has increased several fold. In 2004, 1.18 million tones were produced, up 45 percent from 2003 and an additional 500,000 tonnes are planned for 2005.ii Information provided by the U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy iWorld Watch Institute. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4094?page=0%2C1 (8/28/06). iiStatus Report Biodiesel: Biodiesel Production and Marketing in Germany 2005. UFOP. http://www.ufop.de/downloads/Biodieselstatus_engl_230605.pdf (8/28/06).
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