Green Technology

Iowa State is researching technology to create producer gas from biomass in order to support efficient production of ethanol.  University researchers wil collaborate with Frontline BioEnergy, which specializes in biomass gasification systems.  They will work on the design of a biomass gasifier with sufficient capacity to support the energy needs of an ethanol plant.  The Grow Iowa Values Fund, a state economic development program, is supporting the research with an investment grant.  It is expected that the research will enable a more efficient and effective design of commercial-scale fluidized bed gasifiers.  ...

...   "It takes a lot of natural gas to run an ethanol plant. A plant needs steam to liquefy corn starch and heat to distill alcohol and more heat to dry the leftover distillers grains.  Burning natural gas to produce all that heat is the second largest expense at most ethanol plants -- trailing only the cost of the corn used for ethanol production. One estimate says Iowa's annual production of more than one billion gallons of ethanol accounts for about 16 percent of the state's demand for natural gas.  That has Iowa State University researchers working with an Ames company to develop a renewable and cost effective alternative to the natural gas burned by most ethanol plants. "   ...

Via Iowa State University: Iowa State researchers helping to take the natural gas out of ethanol production ...

Gasification reference: "Gasification is a process that converts carbonaceous materials, such as coal, petroleum, petroleum coke or biomass, into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. "