UW-M Professor Makes Synthetic Fuel From Biomass

A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor is developing alternative fuels that look more like conventional gasoline and diesel fuel, but don't rely on corn as a replacement. The alternative fuels are still plant-based but use non-edible plant parts to make cellulosic ethanol. These non-edible plant parts would otherwise go to waste or be composted. The professor uses corn stalks and leaves, switchgrass and "forest residue" to make ethanol.

Sugar is relatively abundant in biomass and Dumesic's creation retains about 90 percent of the energy content of the sugar in its original biomass state.

Duemsic uses a solid catalyst to create an oily organic solution. The oil layer contains all of the building blocks for fuel. Dumesic then removes most of the oxygen atoms from the mixture, leaving just a few behind. The remaining oxygen in the mixture can be converted to different types of fuel. Dumesic says the resulting substance is chemically identical to current fuels, but differs only in its source. To date, Dumesic has produced gasoline, diesel and jet fuels from his biomass conversion process.

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison