AN AGRO- ECONOMIC OVERVIEW OF FUELS FROM CROPS

The oil industry now predicts that oil demand will not meet capacity until about 2015, and real prices are not likely to rise appreciably before the end of the century. Petroleum derived fuels are cheapest, followed by methanols, fuels from oil shale and coal, and seed oils and ethanols are most expensive. Seed oils are of interest because they appear better suited to diesel engines than alcohols, and the equivalent of 20 to 40 per cent of distillate use could be produced. Crop residues and energy crops on arable land now used for grazing could produce raw materials that would give a net liquid output equivalent to nearly 60 per cent of current liquid fuels. Methanol from lignocellulose makes up 70 per cent of the total. Interest in methanol fuels and engines adapted to them is growing. Because of the large potential resources of lignocellulose, and the likelihood that methanol from lignocellulose will be much cheaper than other crop fuels, priority in new research funds should be for thermochemical conversion of lignocellulose and production and harvesting of lignocellulose. This paper is No. 83001. (TRRL)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented at the Second National Conference on Fuels from Crops, Melbourne, August 1983.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers

  191 Royal Parade
  Parkville, Victoria 3052,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Stewart, G A
• Conference:
  • This paper was presented at the Second National Conference on Fuels from Crops, Melbourne, August 1983.
• Publication Date: 1983-8

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1.1-10

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Agriculture; Alcohols; Alternatives analysis; Biomass; Cellulose; Conferences; Costs; Development; Diesel engines; Economic factors; Economics; Forecasting; Fuels; Methanol; Research; Seeds; Strategic planning; Synthetic fuels; Vegetable oils
• Uncontrolled Terms: Research and development
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• Old TRIS Terms: Economic considerations
• ITRD Terms: 347: Agriculture; 7347: Alcohol; 9000: Alternative; 8006: Australia; 8525: Conference; 224: Cost; 1314: Diesel engine; 255: Economics; 132: Forecast; 3850: Fuel; 7338: Methanol
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Finance; Highways; Research; Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00382015
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Apr 30 1984 12:00AM