Corn—Switchgrass Biofuel

Biofuels Get Help: Switchgrass Meets Corn

Lignocellulosic Biomass

For many experts, advanced biofuels made from plants, specifically lignocellulosic biomass, are the most promising fuels for our future. As an alternative to petroleum-based liquids, biofuels are clean, green, renewable, and a domestic source of transportation energy. In fact, studies show that fuel could be derived from lignocellulosic biomass and sustainably grown in the United States, replacing the dependence on our foreign petroleum-based transportation fuels. Mother Nature, however, makes the breakdown of these plants and the extraction of the necessary sugars a challenge.

Grains are an exception. Their starch sugars are easily released, unlike the complex polysaccharides that are locked within the lignin, a tough woody material found within the walls of a plant cell. For advanced biofuels to be economically competitive, scientists need to find cheap ways of releasing the polysaccharides from their prisons and reducing them to fermentable sugars that can be synthesized into fuel. And that’s exactly what the corn gene is doing for the first part of the process.

Switchgrass

For years switchgrass has been highly touted by scientists as a source of biofuel. It offers a number of advantages over other plant feedstock. It’s drought resistant and grows year-round. It doesn’t compete with cropland and can be grown in marginal soil. It’s tough and hardy and requires little fertilization. The challenge lies in extracting its sugars.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) coupled with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service (ARS) introduced the maize (corn) gene to switchgrass in the hopes that it would lessen the amount of lignin in the cell walls of the switchgrass plant. And that’s precisely what happened. The added gene doubled the starch in the cell walls and made it easier for the scientists to extract.

Corn Gene

On a cellular level, the corn gene makes the switchgrass plant believe it’s in a juvenile state. This translates into less lignin being released, as well as prevents the plant from producing flowering. As a result, more sugars are retained within the plant, and seeds aren’t released to contaminate the native plant population.

"We show that Cg1 switchgrass biomass is easier for enzymes to break down and also releases more glucose during saccharification," says Blake Simmons, a chemical engineer who heads JBEI's Deconstruction Division and was one of the principal investigators for this research. When compared to wild switchgrass, lignin levels were down and glucose levels higher.

An added bonus to switchgrass fuel is that it’s carbon neutral, so it doesn’t contribute to global climate change unlike corn-derived ethanol fuels. This means that the moment your garage doors swing open until you reach your destination, the switchgrass-corn partnership will ensure that your fuel is clean and sustainable with no increase to your carbon footprint. It’s a match made in environmental heaven.

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Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including Precision Garage Door. Chris also maintains a personal house and garden blog.

Hybrid Vehicles: The Pollution Solution

History of Modern Transportation

The concepts of electric and hybrid vehicles have been around for a long time, even before the invention of the gasoline engine.  Few moving parts and simpler technology gave the electric car a head start.  And issues with the electric car technology provided opportunity for hybrid technologies to make improvements.  However, the development of the internal combustion engine revolutionized modern transportation as it is today.  Now with the rise of health-threatening pollutants caused by gasoline powered engines, new age electric and hybrid vehicles are now truly becoming a reality.  And Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular.  Because of their growing popularity, car manufacturers are competing for the "green car" market with the winners surviving in the new economy.

When Electric Cars Ruled the World

Robert Anderson of Scotland created the first electric car during the 1830s.  Professor Stratingh of Groningen from Holland designed a simple electric car. It was Stratingh's assistant,  Christopher Becker, who built the model in 1835. In 1842, Thomas Davenport from the United States and Robert Davidson from Scotland built more advanced electric vehicles using non-rechargeable electric cells.  Gaston Plante from France improved the storage battery and created a better model in 1865. Sixteen years later, improvements in the storage battery were made by Camille Faure.  During late 1800, several European countries such as England and France began distribution of electricity all the while the electric vehicle was being innovated for better design and performance.  The United States followed with the creation of electric tricycles.

At the turn of the century, electric cars were selling better than their gasoline engine counterparts due to less vibration, noise and pollutants.  In 1916, Woods invented the first hybrid consisting of an electric motor and combustion engine.  The cost of electric vehicles were quite expensive so that only those belonging to the upper class were able to afford them.  Price would reach $ 2000 to $ 3000 depending on the interior and the materials used. Production peak for electric vehicles were from 1910 to 1912.  During the 1920s, road systems were significantly improved so people needed vehicles that traveled farther than electric cars.  The price of gasoline also decreased making it more affordable for everyone. Charles Kettering invented the electric starter for gasoline cars taking away the tedious hand crank.  Henry Ford and the idea of mass production continued to put pressure on sales of electric cars. Gasoline cars at this point were only about one-third the price of an electric vehicle.

Decline and Regrowth

From 1935 to 1960, electric vehicles were slowly fading from the scene. However, people began to explore alternative fueled vehicles to solve the pollution problems and the rising price of oil.  More practical models of electric vehicles were proposed.  A number of actions were also imposed in the United States and across the globe to exert effort in improving electric vehicles.   Good legislation such as the U.S. 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and the U.S. 1992 Energy Policy Act were introduced.  As a result, some of the largest car manufacturers and the U.S. Department of Energy began collaborating to create hybrids.  Recent electric and hybrid models are able to recover energy through energy-converting systems called regenerative braking.  Hybrid models have a special dual-engine running on gasoline and electricity that help conserve as much fuel in addition to being environment-friendly.

Hybrids: The Pollution Solution

Gasoline engines were reliable and powerful.  However, the constant burning of gasoline released a variety of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide. These are also known as greenhouse gases which trap heat in the atmosphere instead of allowing it to go out into space. Scientists believe the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere results in global warming, wherein surface air temperatures and sub-surface temperatures in the ocean rise.  Although there are also natural causes to global warming, the contribution of vehicle emissions results in the acceleration of climate change.

Climate change and the rapidly reducing supply of oil has spurred the development of alternative sources of fuel and automobile technology.  Electric and hybrid vehicles have been shown to be very promising in reducing greenhouse gases. Pollution will be minimized once more people begin to rely on new models that do not issue any gas at all harmful. These vehicles are also very economical because it is not necessary for crude oil increased in price.

Conclusions

Hybrid vehicles will be the next alternative to the internal combustion engine. The trend is spreading, not only in American, but worldwide.  Car owners in Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea and Singapore are enjoying tax relief after switching to hybrid vehicles. It is inevitable that gasoline motor cars model will be going down in history and hybrid cars will be making history.

Johan Young is the author of Johan Young's Guide to Hybrid.