2006 B100 Quality Survey Results: Milestone Report
5/1/2007
In 2006 NREL conducted a nationwide quality survey of pure biodiesel (B100) intended to be used as a blendstock. The study collected random samples throughout the United States and analyzed them for quality against the current and proposed ASTM D6751 fuel quality specifications. The survey revealed the increasing prevalence of B99.9 in the marketplace. As a group, the samples had a failure rate of 59% compared to the specifications. The B100 samples as a subset had an identical failure rate. Most often, the samples failed by exceeding the allowable total glycerin or by not meeting the minimum flash point specification. Several samples failed to meet requirements for multiple properties. The individual failure rtes for total glycerin and flash point were 33% and 30% respectively. The results of this study were not production volume weighted, but do show a significant fuel quality concern for B100 produced and distributed during 2006.
Authors: Alleman, T.L.; McCormick, R.L.; Deutch, S.
Thermochemical Ethanol via Indirect Gasification and Mixed Alcohol Synthese of Lignocellulosic Biomass
4/30/2007
This work addresses a policy initiative by the Federal Administration to apply United States Department of Energy (DOE) research to broadening the country?s domestic production of economic, flexible, and secure sources of energy fuels. President Bush stated in his 2006 State of the Union Address: ?America is addicted to oil.? To reduce the Nation?s future demand for oil, the President has proposed the Advanced Energy Initiative which outlines significant newinvestments and policies to change the way we fuel our vehicles and change the way we power our homes and businesses. The specific goal for biomass in the Advanced Energy Initiative is to foster the breakthrough technologies needed to make cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive with corn-based ethanol by 2012.
Authors: Phillips, Steve;Aden, Andy;Jechura, John;Dayton, David (NREL);Eggeman, Tim (Neoterics, International, Inc.)
Permit Pending
4/1/2007
The process of obtaining the proper permits to build and operate a biodiesel plant can be complicated and confusing. This article provides a list of common permits and approvals required and suggests that some projects may need to rely on regulatory professionals who can offer experience in the process.
Authors: McElroy, A.K.
Fact Sheet: Sequestering Greenhouse Gases from Landfills, Animal Waste, Sewage, and Other Sources Via Biomethane Production
3/21/2007
Biogas, a mixture of methane and other gases produced from the decomposition of organic materials, is produced naturally in landfills and from processing of animal waste, sewage, crop waste, and cellulosic and non-cellulosic crops. If biomethane made from recovered biogas were used in vehicles, it is estimated that it would reduce greenhouse gases by 500 million metric tons of CO2 per year, or the emissions equivalent of removing 90 million light-duty gasoline vehicles from the roads.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, March 2007
3/1/2007
The March 2007 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between February 21, 2007 and March 2, 2007, and then averaged in order to determine regional price trends by fuel and variability in fuel price within regions and among regions. The prices collected for this report represent retail, at-the-pump sales prices for each fuel, including Federal and state motor fuel taxes.
Table 1 illustrates that alternative fuel prices relative to conventional fuels vary, with some (propane and biodiesel) higher and some (E85 and CNG) lower. CNG is about 36 cents less than gasoline on an energy-equivalent basis, while E85 is about 20 cents less per gallon than gasoline.
Authors: Laughlin, M.D.
Research Advances Cellulosic Ethanol - NREL Leads the Way
3/1/2007
The National Renewable Energy Lab is investigating more inexpensive pretreatment methods for cellulose that break down hemicellulose and lignin. Other areas of research include enzymatic hydrolysis, improved fermentation, process integration, and thermochemical conversion.
SunLine Transit Agency Hydrogen-Powered Transit Buses: Preliminary Evaluation Results
2/1/2007
This preliminary report covers NREL's evaluation of hydrogen and fuel cell buses in service at SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, California. The report includes 11 months of performance data on two hydrogen-fueled buses: one fuel cell bus and one hybrid hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine bus. The report also outlines the overall experience of the transit agency and its project partners in demonstrating these buses.
Authors: Chandler, K.; Eudy, L.
Examining Hydrogen Transitions
2/1/2007
This report describes the results of efforts to identify key analytic issues associated with modeling a transition to hydrogen as a fuel for light-duty vehicles.
Authors: Plotkin, S.
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit)Fuel Cell Transit Buses: Preliminary Results
2/1/2007
This report includes preliminary evaluation results on three prototype fuel cell-powered transit buses operating at AC Transit in Oakland, California, since March 2006 and 6 baseline diesel buses that are similar in design to the fuel cell business. This report describes the equipment used and provides early experience details, lessons learned, and early experience details.
Authors: Chandler, K.; Eudy, L.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle R&D Plan, External Draft
2/1/2007
The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the development of hybrid vehicles that have the ability to operate in botn electrical/mechanical and electric-only modes recharging from a standard electric outlet. This is in line with President Bush's challenge of technology that would allow 40 miles electric range, enough to satisfy approximately 70 percent of daily U.S. travel. In May 2006, the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technology Program convened a 2-day meeting to discuss a path forward. This report is the external draft of the research & development plan for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle program.
Life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission impacts of different corn ethanol plant types
1/1/2007
Virtually all of the ethanol used for transportation has been produced from corn. During the period of fuel ethanol growth, corn farming productivity has increased dramatically, and energy use in ethanol production plants has been reduced by almost half. The majority of corn ethanol plants are powered by natural gas. In this paper, we examine nine corn ethanol plant types--categorized according to the type of process fuels employed, use of combined heat and power, and production of wet distiller grains and solubles. We found that these ethanol plant types can have distinctly different energy and greenhouse gas emission effects on a full fuel-cycle basis. Our results show that in order to achieve energy and greenhouse gas emission benefits, researchers need to closely examine and differentiate among the types of production plants used to produce corn ethanol.
Authors: Wang, M.; Wu, M.; Huo, Hong
The Evolution of Powertrain Technology 2008 and Beyond: Engines, Hybrids, Battery Electric, Fuel Cells, Transmissions
1/1/2007
The objectives of this study were to provide automotive suppliers and OEMs with a set of plausible alternatives that cover the future vehicle market, crude oil prices, regulatory and business environment; provide an assessment of benefits and costs of various powertrain technologies; identify the technical and market barriers that must be overcome to bring these technologies to market; provide a forecast of the potential market share of these technologies.
Authors: Gott, P.; Linna, J-R; Mello, J.
Performance of Automotive Fuel Cell Systems with Nanostructured Thin Film Catalysts
1/1/2007
Cost and durability are generally regarded as the major challenges to commercialization of fuel cells. Size, weight, and system complexity are also important barriers to adoption of fuel cells in light duty vehicles. In addition, thermal and water management for fuel cells are outstanding issues. Fuel cell operation at lower temperatures creates a small difference between the operating and ambient temperatures, necessitating large heat exchangers. Fuel and air feed streams need to be humidified for proper operation of fuel cells. In this paper, we evaluate the prospects of overcoming the barriers of cost, durability, weight, volume, thermal management, and water management by using nanostructured thin film catalysts (NTFCs) in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) In laboratory tests, the NSTF catalysts have shown significantly enhanced stability against surface area loss from Pt dissolution when compared to conventional Pt/C dispersed catalysts under both accelerated voltage cycling from 0.6 to 1.2 V and real-time start stop cycles. Also NSTF catalyst support-whiskers have shown total resistance to corrosion when held at potentials up to 1.5 V for 3 hours.
Authors: Ahluwalia, R.; Wang, X.; Lasher, S.; Sinha, J.; Yang, Y.; Sriramulu, S.
Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030
1/1/2007
Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have the potential to provide most, if not all, of the U.S. carbon emissions reductions that will be needed to help limit the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 450 to 500 ppm. The document includes a section on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This section focuses on plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology, which adds additional battery capacity and charging capability to current hybrid electric vehicle technology. Plug-in vehicles thereby make possible substantial vehicle operation on energy derived from the electrical grid rather than from gasoline.
Authors: Kutscher, C., Editor; Lilienthal,P.; Brown, H.
Technology Roadmap for the 21st Century Truck Program A Government-Industry Research Partnership
12/1/2006
The 21st Century Truck Program will support the development and implementation of commercially viable technologies that will dramatically cut fuel use and emissions of commercial trucks and buses while enhancing their safety and affordability as well as maintaining or enhancing performance. The innovations resulting from this program will reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve our nation's air quality, provide advanced technology for military vehicles, and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. truck and bus industry while ensuring safe and affordable freight and bus transportation for the nation's economy. The 21st Century Truck Program's goals and research objectives are to; improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, enhance safety, reduce total owning and operating costs, and maintain or enhance performance. The partnership's federal component is led by the U.S. Department of Energy in cooperation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget. Other participating federal agencies are the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal government brings to the table its resources for research and development, including the capabilities resident in government laboratories. The industrial participants of the partnership are truck and bus manufacturers, their suppliers, and their trade associations.