A new type of green fuel spontaneously separates from water.
Click on image for full size
Image Courtesy of Virent Energy Systems, Inc.
From Sugar to Gasoline
News story originally written on September 17, 2008
Engineers have figured out a way to converted sugar from agricultural waste and non-food plants into gasoline. Sugars and carbohydrates can be processed like petroleum into many different products used by the fuel, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
This happens through a process called aqueous phase reforming. In this process, a solution of sugar and carbohydrates passes over a series of catalysts (materials that speed up reactions), and the molecules then form into many of the chemicals that are found in petroleum.
This type of green gasoline is generating interest because it can be made from plants grown in poor soils, like switchgrass, or from agricultural waste.
Engineers need more time to make this process ready for general use. But it is an important development. Biofuels can add to solar and wind power in reducing the need for nonrenewable resources like petroleum.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our
online store includes
issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist, full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, as well as
books on science education!
You might also be interested in:
Kingdom Plantae has almost 300,000 different kinds of plants. Plants are found all over planet Earth. They can live in fields, in swamps, in oceans and in the desert. They can live where it is hot and
...more
Wind is moving air. Warm air rises, and cool air comes in to take its place. This movement creates the winds around the globe. Winds move at different speeds and have different names based on their speed.
...more
Scientists have learned that Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain, has erupted in the past due to the mixing of two different types of magma. Adam Kent, a geologist at Oregon State University, says this
...more
The Earth's mantle is a rocky, solid shell that is between the Earth's crust and the outer core. The mantle is made up of many different reservoirs that have different chemical compositions. Scientists
...more
Some faults look strong and like they wouldn’t cause an earthquake. But it turns out that they can slip and slide like weak faults causing earthquakes. Scientists have been looking at one of these faults
...more
The sun goes through cycles that last approximately 11 years. These solar cycle include phases with more magnetic activity, sunspots, and solar flares. They also include phases with less activity. The
...more
Studying tree rings doesn't only tell us the age of that tree. Tree rings also show what climate was like while the tree was alive. This means that tree rings can tell us about climates of the past. Two
...more
