New Energy Secretary Involved in Ethanol Research
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to be his Secretary of Energy.
Dr. Chu has been heavily involved in biofuels research to find alternative and more efficient feedstocks for ethanol and biodiesel production. At a 25x’25 Renewable Energy Summit earlier this year in Omaha, Chu said, “We should look at corn as a transitional crop,” but within five to 10 years he expects scientific discoveries and refining processes could improve enough to move grasses, woody substances and waste to the head of the line for making fuels.
Obama also plans to name Carol Browner to fill a new White House post overseeing energy, environmental and climate policies. Browner was Environmental Protection Agency administrator for eight years under President Bill Clinton.
5 Comments »
There is NO Santa Claus
Ethanol and bio diesel are the wave of the future. Algea grown from powerplant CO2 emissions hold a lot of potential.
I like Barak O’Bama’s choice for Sec. of Energy. It’s about time we put a physicist in charge of that department instead of a political hack.
Bill Johnston
Cat Tails (from a body of water) are most productive for producing fuel alchohol according to David Blume, an expert in the field.
http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/
phone: 831-471-9164
fax: 831-471-9166
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PabloKoh
Cattails from sewage treatment = 12,000 gallons of ethanol/acre. Like hitting 2 birds with one stone. Clean sewage and make fuel.
flee
It’s amazing the power of open markets. So much talent invested in solving countries problems. We are at are best when challenged and gov’t salts some seed money around. CIC GW did a good thing with putting the challenge and timetable to industry. We have so many viable options yet no gov’t enity should declare a winner. Cat tails or algae sounds good on paper yet the huge database of investors and producers armed and motivated with desire to make a profit or punishment of losing it all will make the best decisions. Traditional agricultural farmers will be very hard competitor. They will produce more and till more acreage. Farmers will grow fuel crops of sweet sorghum, sugar corn, and genetic modified corn capable of double production per acre.
A controls company now selling a skid mounted ethanol production plant for farmers for 500k gallon/year automatic production. May a farmer be in position to make efficiencies upon market demands from plantings to production on the farm? Truck or store fuel to local markets?
A very small company around here, has hooked up with the local town waste treatment plant. Ya, this Doctorate microbiologist own a small R&D company currently producing ethanol from city waste. A town below me has some retired entrepreneurs who combined talents and in production a Personal Power Plant whereupon a wood pellet stove is utilized for entire home energy needs.
Should we be urging engine manufacturers to instead of developing flex fuel engines….much better to concentrate on E95 or E100 fuel. Utilize engine technology for exploiting ethanol to maximum. Direct injection of ethanol and water. Diesel technology alone will boost engine efficiencies 30%. Extremely high compression and extreme turbo boosts. How about the mature refrigeration technology already improving stationary diesel efficiencies by 20% by capturing the cooling water and exhaust heat within the organic cycle. No need for radiators. How about mini-hybrids technology that Ford purchased from parts supplier? Utilizing a small alternator/motor that can easily and cheaply convert even older autos to hybids. All auxiliary engine components driven by battery energy. Also, regenerative braking capable. A easy 15% to 30% improvement in fuel mileage.
James Brannigan
We were researching using the rhizomes of cattails for ethanol 30 years ago in Florida and it proved to be very successful.
Secretary Chu should be a great asset to cattail research.
Twenty years from now this process could be a giant industry.
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