WVU researchers developing hybrid liquid fuels

September 16, 2010

BY Luke Geiver

If West Virginia uses its abundance of forest-based
biomass wisely, the state can be a leading biorefining industry, according to a
team of researchers from WVU. The team, led by Kaushlendra Singh, assistant professor
of wood science technology in WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural
Resources and Design, is combining the state’s biomass resources with coal, to
make a coal-biomass-based fuel that Singh thinks could significantly reduce
coal’s carbon footprint. “Possibly, we can create a new generation of bioenergy
to meet the demand of this country,” said Jingxin Wang, associate professor of
forestry and wood science, and member of the research team.


Using a $108,900 grant from the U.S. DOE, the team is working
on a co-gasification process that could produce a liquid fuel made from what
Singh calls something that may resemble an M&M candy, with an outside
coating and an inside portion. To this point in the research, the team has
already produced a sample of the coal/biomass combination  fused together into brittle pellets that will
be used to make the “greener” liquid fuel. “Coal will improve the energy
density of the biomass and the biomass will reduce the emissions of the coal,”
Singh said. “The calcium, sodium and potassium in wood ash actually help to
catalyze coal conversion, improving the overall process,” said John Zondlo,
professor of chemical engineering and member of the team.


As part of WVU’s Advanced Energy Initiative, the project
may also have a positive economic impact in the state due to the existence of
coal processing infrastructure that could be used for the biomass, according to
Zondlo. The obstacles, however, will come from gathering and treating the wood
so that it is more compatible when reacting with coal. The wood residues will
be collected from WVU forests and sawmills, according to Singh.

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“If scientists, engineers, business leaders and Congress
all act wisely to promote co-processing of coal and biomass,” Singh added, “we
would be promoting a more environmentally friendly energy future.”


 

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