Check out this article in yesterday's business section of the Toronto Star. I'm crazy about the whole biodiesel thing so I found this really facinating.
Here are a few highlights that caught my eye:
Bio oil is a "green" fuel that contains no sulphur dioxide and half the nitrogen oxide of conventional oil. But just like conventional fuel oil, bio oil can be used in industrial boilers, diesel generators and in turbines that generate electricity.
In a biorefinery, the gases and charcoal can be recycled as fuel for powering the system and for pre-drying the biomass. The oil — representing about 60 per cent of the mix — is separated out and can be shipped off as fuel oil or used as a source of chemicals for making everything from plastics to foods to fertilizer.
and this brings up an interesting point:
"We have to start thinking of bio oil as a major biofuel," says Layzell, pointing out that bio oil's potential as an industrial fuel tends to be overshadowed by sexier renewable transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
and that is, (I believe) there is going to be success only if we approach the renewable energy challenge from multiple points. I thing this whole bio oil thing coupled with biodiesel, ethanol, solar, etc is where we will find our future energy needs. I'm no scientist like Geoff but I can understand enough to know that the future is not as far off as it once seemed.
I wonder what the emissions are from the biorefinery? I'll have to see what I can find out about that.
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