ENERGY BALANCES IN THE PRODUCTION AND END USE OF ALCOHOLS DERIVED FROM BIOMASS. A FUELS-SPECIFIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATE ETHANOL PRODUCTION CYCLES

Considerable public interest and debate have been focused on the so-called energy balance issue involved in the conversion of biomass materials into ethanol for fuel use. This report addresses questions of net gains in premium fuels that can be derived from the production and use of ethanol from biomass, and shows that for the US alcohol fuel program, energy balance need not be a concern. Three categories of fuel gain are discussed in the report: (1) Net petroleum gain; (2) Net premium fuel gain (petroleum and natural gas); and (3) Net energy gain (for all fuels). In this study the investment of energy (in the form of premium fuels) in alcohol production includes all investment from cultivating, harvesting, or gathering the feedstock and raw materials, through conversion of the feedstock to alcohol, to the delivery to the end-user. To determine the fuel gains in ethanol production, six cases, encompassing three feedstocks, five process fuels, and three process variations, have been examined. For each case, two end-uses (automotive fuel use and replacement of petrochemical feedstocks) were scrutinized. The end-uses were further divided into three variations in fuel economy and two different routes for production of ethanol from petrochemicals. Energy requirements calculated for the six process cycles accounted for fuels used directly and indirectly in all stages of alcohol production, from agriculture through distribution of product to the end-user. Energy credits were computed for byproducts according to the most appropriate current use. (ERA citation 06:016648)

• Corporate Authors:

  TRW Systems Group

  Energy Systems Planning Division, Westgate Research Park
  McLean, VA  United States  22101

  Department of Energy

  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585
• Publication Date: 1980-10

Media Info

• Pagination: 135 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Agriculture; Alcohol fuels; Alcohols; Alternatives analysis; Automobiles; Biomass; Biomass fuels; Coal; Crops; Cultivation; Delivery service; Demand; Economic analysis; Energy; Energy balance; Ethanol; Farming; Fermentation; Fuels; Heat; Motor fuels; Natural gas; Petroleum; Production; Raw materials; Statistics; Transportation; Waste products (Materials)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Comparative analysis
• Geographic Terms: Illinois
• Old TRIS Terms: Chemical feedstocks; Energy demand; Harvesting; Maize; Net energy; Numerical data; Process heat; Sorghum; Uses
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Economics; Energy; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00343399
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Contract Numbers: AC01-79PE70151
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 28 1982 12:00AM