Came across this article in Science Daily; excerpts:
1. University of Minnesota scientists have developed a process that "cooks" matter such as oil and sugar into a mixture called synthesis gas.
2. The superheating process works 10 times to 100 times faster than current technology and doesn't need fossil fuels.
3. This could pave the way for cheap, worthless biomass to be transformed into useful fuels.
4. The new process skips the biodiesel step (and hence does not require menthol), turning soy oil right into hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases.
5. The secret is an ultra fast flash vaporization used to heat the mass
Read the complete article here
Personalities mentioned: Lanny Schmidt, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the university's Minneapolis campus
Update: Came across a news item in Scientific American on the same topic: This is the intro provided by SciAm:
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a new, carbon-neutral way to convert vegetable-based fuels to syngas, a breakthrough that could allow producers to power hydrogen fuel cells or create a replacement for America's dwindling supplies of natural gas, all without relying on fossil fuels." Read the full Sci Am article here
See also: Oilgae Blog Article Directory for a complete listing of all Oilgae blog posts - covering news, research and updates on biodiesel from algae & other plant feedstock, ethanol, and other renewable energy such as wind energy, hydrogen, hydro-energy, tidal/wave energy, geothermal, solar energy & nuclear energy
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