We all know we need alternatives to petroleum for the fuels we use. Instead of using food for fuel, like taking this corn and turning it into ethanol, maybe we should look at something like wood, which is already a fuel as an even more efficient alternative.
"The main advantage of this idea in terms of making ethanol is the sugars come from wood and we have three-quarters of the wood left," said Dr. Tom Amidon, Director of Empire State Research Institute.
Here's the process Dr. Tom Amidon has developed.
Wood chips are poured into this giant digester, water is added and they're pressure cooked at a high temperature. The liquid extracted is filtered through membrane separators removing the sugars, acidic acid and other components. About 75 percent of the wood mass remains.
We all know we need alternatives to petroleum for the fuels we use. Terry Ettinger tells us about using wood chips for energy.
"The wood chips that we bring in, about a quarter of the mass will come out in solution. That solution, as we turn it into the products that are in it are worth more than the cost of a 100 percent of the wood chips," Amidon said.
Then the remaining wood chips can be burned for energy or made into paper, while the sugar solution goes into a fermenter to become ethanol.
"Not only would the ethanol come from renewable and sustainable resources, more energy than we need to make that ethanol would also come from a renewable, sustainable source that doesn't compete with food crops," Amidon said.
Plus recovering acidic acid from wood is much less expensive than the current method of making it from natural gas.
"I like that. It's from a renewable resource. Trees are out there growing and catching CO2 and making more acidic acid," Amidon said.
"What's really good about this wood to ethanol process is that it uses hardwoods of which we have 18 and a half million acres right here in the Empire State.