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Modular Ethanol Plant
www.ModularEthanolPlant.com

What is a Modular Ethanol Plant?

A modular ethanol plant is an ethanol plant that is much smaller than the massive 200 million gallon per year facilities that use corn to produce E100 ethanol. 

Modular ethanol plants can be shipped to our client's own bakery, brewery or farm, where waste products, such as bakery waste or brewery waste, become the feedstock for producing the E100 ethanol.  

Imagine, what once was a waste, liability and expense to your company's bottom line, now becomes as asset and new revenue stream!

Our company, through our affiliates and suppliers, designs and builds optimized E100 Ethanol plants we refer to as a Modular Ethanol Plant. Our modular ethanol plants are pre-engineered and pre-assembled ethanol plants that save our customers a significant amount of money over typical ethanol plants.  We specialize in "waste to ethanol" and "waste to fuel" projects that take various waste-streams such as Brewery Waste, and convert this waste into E100 Ethanol.

What is E100 Ethanol?

E100 Ethanol is the fuel of champions, that will help our country become energy independent!

Did you know that all of the race cars at the Indy 500 car race are fueled with E100 Ethanol?

E100 Ethanol is 100% ethanol that can be produced from a wide variety of biomass feedstock, including, sugar cane, sugar beets, and other biomass materials and waste-streams including cellulosic biomass feedstock that is commonly referred to as "cellulosic ethanol."  

We specialize in clean power generation systems.  These may include our natural gas engines or diesel engines that are packaged in either "cogeneration" or "trigeneration" configuration, that are fueled with Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, E100 Ethanol or Synthesis Gas.  Our cogeneration and trigeneration power plants are about 90% efficient, and when fueled with renewable fuel, are carbon neutral, producing no greenhouse gas emissions and the optimum solution for clients seeking to reduce their energy expenses and greenhouse gas emissions.

Our company or its' affiliate companies also provide engineering, legal, finance, power purchase agreements, and greenhouse gas emissions consulting services for clients whose projects are located in the U.S.,  Canada, the Caribbean and Central/South America.

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What is B100 Biodiesel?

B100 Biodiesel is 100% Biodiesel that is produced from oilseeds, crude vegetable oil, refined vegetable oil and waste vegetable oil. These fuels are over 90% less polluting than the "dirty diesel" produced from fossil fuels and the 10% (nitrogen oxides) is easily captured with selective catalytic reduction.

Our company - and network of Biodiesel plants across the U.S. - produces and sells B100 Biodiesel and B20 Biodiesel.

We develop, own, operate and maintain; Biodiesel Plants and Biodiesel Refineries that produce superior B100 Biodiesel of ASTM D 6751 specs.

We are interested in acquiring other Biodiesel Plants and Biodiesel Refineries that are no longer operating as long as they have superior technology and are located in the U.S.   We have an interest in other biofuels technologies including; Biogas Plants, Biomass Gasification Plants, and Modular Ethanol Plants.

We specialize in clean power generation systems. These may include our natural gas engines that are fueled with Biomethane or Synthesis Gas or diesel engines that are fueled with B100 Biodiesel.

Our company or its' affiliate companies provide engineering, legal, finance, power purchase agreements, energy service agreements and greenhouse gas emissions consulting services for clients whose projects are located in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Central/South America.

All About Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a legally registered fuel and fuel additive with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("USEPA"). The USEPA registration includes all biodiesel meeting the ASTM International biodiesel specification, ASTM D 6751-03, which outlines specifications for B100 Biodiesel for use as a blend component or substitute for standard diesel fuel.

We buy and sell B100 Biodiesel and have plans to start producing and blending our own, "home-grown, clean, renewable, and American made" B100 Biodiesel, to help end our reliance on unstable, non-renewable, and "dirty" middle-east oil that pollutes our environment and causes inflated energy prices.

B100 Biodiesel has numerous advantages to petroleum diesel - it's renewable, non-toxic, biodegradable, and produced by American and Canadian farmers. B100 Biodiesel is 100 % biodiesel fuel, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 78.3%, particulate matter by 55.4%, hydrocarbons by 56.3%, mutagenicity by 80-90% and sulfur by 100%.

B100 Biodiesel produced from a variety of feedstock, grown on American and Canadian farms, will help to end our/your country's reliance on unstable, non-renewable, and "dirty" middle-east oil that pollutes our environment and causes inflated energy prices.

Our company builds new Biodiesel Refineries throughout the U.S. and now, developing countries with a variety of feedstocks that include; canola, coconut, jatropha, jojoba, mustard seed, palm oil, peanuts, rapeseed, and soybean, among others.

In association with a major U.S. university, we incorporate the latest technologies in the production of B100 Biodiesel from oilseed crops, that will provide our biodiesel refineries with the highest efficiencies. We also are an importer of (vegetable) energy oils, where we refine it into Biodiesel fuel for use in our cogeneration and trigeneration power plants. Additionally, we buy/sell/broker (vegetable) energy oils in the international market. For qualified clients, we provide "turnkey" biodiesel refinery services, including; EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction), Investment/Funding, Permitting, and Emission Reduction Credits under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.

What is Synthetic Diesel?

Synthetic Diesel is a method of producing diesel fuel from natural gas as well as from organic waste streams. 

Synthetic Diesel fuel, is NOT the same as B100 Biodiesel – Synthetic diesel is made by processing natural gas through a technology called the Fischer-Tropsch process, which converts the natural gas into Synthetic Diesel, a liquid – and used just like regular diesel fuel in any diesel fuel application.

Synthetic Diesel provides numerous economic and environmental benefits over typical petroleum diesel. First of all, synthetic diesel is sulfur-free and free of other petroleum by-products that are found in petroleum diesel that has been refined from crude oil. This means that synthetic diesel is significantly cleaner, cleaner-burning, and can be formulated for superior cold weather performance and fuel system lubricity. Because synthetic diesel has fewer contaminates, it is lower in toxicity. As synthetic diesel has a high cetane rating, like octane for gasoline, it offers better performance over traditional petroleum diesel.

• Some remote natural gas can now be economically converted through a GTL process into an ultra-clean fuel for diesel engines. At times this fuel can be economically blended with conventional petroleum diesel fuels to: extend California’s diesel fuel supplies, and improve refinery capacity of cleaner diesel fuels.

• An opportunity exists to use GTL fuels in California and reduce the emissions from old diesel vehicles especially school buses. One plant in South Africa (Mossgas) and Shell’s Indonesia plant both produce GTL fuels suitable for use in heavy-duty diesel applications.

• Natural gas, is four times more expensive to transport than oil.

• Converting natural gas to a liquid through a Fischer-Tropsch technology provides an opportunity to expand the use of the natural gas and lower the transportation cost from remote sources of low-cost gas.
  

• Fischer-Tropsch is a gas-to-liquid (GTL) process that can produce a high-quality diesel fuel from natural gas, coal and biomass resources. Shell refers to the GTL process as a middle distillate synthesis (MDS). In all cases the middle distillate produced from this process can be blended with today’s diesel fuel.

• GTL diesel has extremely low (0-5-ppm) sulfur, aromatics, and toxics. GTL fuel can be blended with non-complying CARB diesel fuel to make a cleaner diesel fuel complying with stringent diesel fuel standards.

• Synthetic diesel fuel offers a new opportunity to use alternative fuels in diesel engines without compromising fuel-efficiency, increasing capital outlay, and impacting infrastructure or refueling cost.

• Further commercialization of this fuel improves the prospects of new engines meeting proposed national 2007 heavy-duty diesel engine emission standards. In the near-term, this fuel can play a role reducing existing diesel vehicles exhaust and toxic emissions.

• Since the late-1990s nearly every major oil company including: ARCO, Chevron, Conoco, Exxon, Phillips, Mobile, Statoil, and Texaco announced plans to build pilot plants or commercial plants to produce Synthetic Diesel fuel through the improved GTL process.

• Stringent diesel exhaust emission standards and fuel specifications are compelling the petroleum industry to revisit the new, improved GTL process to competitively produce aromatic and sulfur complying diesel fuel.

• Key to the commercial success of the GTL process lies in increased reactor capacity proven in the mid-1990s. This new process uses a slurry-bed reactor that has 100 times the capacity per reactor over some 1990 reactors and offers lowers cost.

• Synthetic Diesel fuel appears to be the most economical fuel product from the GTL process, compared to producing gasoline. Preliminary testing of an unmodified diesel engine, fueled with Synthetic Diesel fuel, shows the following emission reductions compared to typical California diesel:

• The GTL process needs low-cost natural gas, less than $1 per million BTUs, to compete with traditional diesel fuel. Some remote natural gas sources, called "stranded gas," that are not otherwise economically available may be ideally suited to this process, like Alaska.

• GTL fuels produced from pipeline supplied natural gas would not be competitive due to the higher value of pipeline supplied natural gas.

What is Synthetic Gas?

Synthetic gas, more accurately referred to as "synthesis gas" or syngas, are the names given to gas of different (yet closely similar) to composition that are generated in coal gasification, coal liquefaction, gas liquefaction – also known as natural gas to liquids plants and other types of waste to energy and waste to fuel facilities.

Natural Gas to Liquids is also referred to as "Natural Gas Liquefaction," which is the process in which natural gas is converted from the gaseous to the liquid phase. 

At the end of the Natural Gas Liquefaction process, the product is referred to as Liquefied Natural Gas or "LNG."

More about Natural Gas To Liquids or "Gas Liquefaction"

A first-of-its-kind, natural gas-to-liquids or "gas liquefaction" facility was built in the U.S. that produces high-performance, sulfur-free fuel. The gas liquefaction plant produces approximately 70 bbls of ultra clean fuel per day from natural gas.

New technologies in the "natural gas to liquids" industry decreases expenses through increased efficiencies and converts natural gas to ultra clean fuel. These facilities typically consist of three primary components: an autothermal reformer that converts the natural gas into synthesis gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen; a Fischer-Tropsch unit that produces synthetic crude oil from the synthesis gas; and a refining unit that upgrades the synthetic crude to ultra clean fuels. These fuels, which can then be transported through existing pipelines, are now being tested in bus fleets operated by the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the National Park Service in Denali, Alaska.

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Top Banner Ads Now Available on the Leading Energy Websites
Special Pricing Now Available on Several Sites 

info@FuelGradeEthanol.com

Call/email for more information:

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About Us

Typically, we are engaged by new clients after they have identified renewable energy or renewable fuel opportunity.  We require an initial retainer from new clients. The amount of the retainer is based upon the number of hours and resources for the specific project.  Our Phase I feasibility studies are led by a licensed professional engineer that holds a Ph.D. in engineering along with significant experience in biomass, renewable energy and waste to energy technologies. 

After completing the engineering feasibility and economic study, we are then able to move forward with the EPC (Engineering-Procurement-Construction) project development and would provide several of the key project management team members.

Our specialty is both both cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems. There is probably not a better, more cost-effective "demand side management" method for reducing the energy expenses for commercial businesses than your own cogeneration and trigeneration energy system fueled with one of the following renewable energy fuels: 

Biomethane

B100 Biodiesel 

E100 Ethanol (fueled with Sugar Cane Ethanol - NOT corn ethanol) 

or 

Synthesis Gas.

We  develop, sell and install cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems that approach 100% net system efficiency. This means our energy systems utilize nearly 100% of the fuel in the form of power (electricity) and hot water and/or steam with our cogeneration energy systems and cooling, heating and power (electricity) with our trigeneration energy systems - that our customers use "onsite" in their buildings, restaurants, health clubs, hotels, casinos, office buildings, hospitals and many other types of commercial buildings, facilities and plants.  

For qualified clients, we will build-design-finance-own-operate and maintain our cogeneration or trigeneration energy systems.

What is "Trigeneration"?

Trigeneration is the simultaneous production of three forms of energy - typically, Cooling, Heating and Power - from only one fuel input. Put another way, our trigeneration power plants produce three different types of energy for the price of one.  

Our company's trigeneration energy systems reach overall system efficiencies of 86% to 93%.  Typical "central" power plants, that do not need the heat generated from the combustion and power generation process, are only about 33% efficient.  

Trigeneration Diagram
Trigeneration Power Plants' Have the Highest System Efficiencies and are 
About 300 % More Efficient than Typical Central Power Plants

Trigeneration plants are installed at locations that can benefit from all three forms of energy.  These types of installations that install trigeneration energy systems are called "onsite power generation" also referred to as "decentralized energy."

One of our company's principal's first experience with the design and development of a trigeneration power plant was the trigeneration power plant installation at Rice University in 1987 where our trigeneration development team started out by conducting a "cogeneration" feasibility study.  We installed a 4.0 MW Ruston gas turbine for the power plant.  Rice University selected an EPC company that installed the trigeneration power plant, along with waste heat recovery boilers and absorption chillers. A "waste heat recovery boiler" captures the heat from the exhaust of the gas turbine.  From there, the recovered energy was converted to chilled water - originally from (3) Hitachi Absorption Chillers - 2 were rated at 1,000 tons each, and the third Hitachi Absorption Chiller was rated at 1,500 tons. The Hitachi absorption chillers were replaced shortly after their installation by the EPC company.  The first trigeneration plant at Rice University was so successful, they added a second 5.0 MW trigeneration plant so today, Rice University is now generating about 9.0 MW of electricity, and also producing the cooling and heating the university needs from the trigeneration plant and circulating the trigeneration energy around its campus.

Trigeneration Chart
Trigeneration's "Super-Efficiency" compared 
with other competing technologies
As you can see, there is No Competition for Trigeneration!

Our trigeneration power plants are the ideal onsite power and energy solution for customers that include:  Data Centers, Hospitals, Universities, Airports, Central Plants, Colleges & Universities, Dairies, Server Farms, District Heating & Cooling Plants, Food Processing Plants, Golf/Country Clubs, Government Buildings, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Manufacturing Plants, Nursing Homes, Office Buildings / Campuses, Radio Stations, Refrigerated Warehouses, Resorts, Restaurants, Schools, Server Farms, Shopping Centers, Supermarkets, Television Stations, Theatres and Military Bases.

We partner and collaborate with other forward thinking companies and communities that are interested in changing the outdated power and energy model of the past - inefficient and highly-polluting central power plants that average 33% efficiency - to a new paradigm and model for the future -  community-based cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems at more than 90% efficiency - and therefore provides power and energy at lower prices while significantly reducing and even eliminating typical power plant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.  

Call/email us for more information about community-based cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems or about making your community, hospital, university or other commercial facility a model for the future.

We presently contract the packaging of our new trigeneration energy systems by a 3rd party/supplier but plan to build a new trigeneration manufacturing plant - near Houston, Texas where we will be able to significantly increase our trigeneration power plant production.

At about 86% to 93% net system efficiency, our trigeneration power plants are about 300% more efficient at providing energy than your current electric utility. That's because the typical electric utility's power plants are only about 33% efficient - they waste 2/3 of the fuel in generating electricity in the enormous amount of waste heat energy that they exhaust through their smokestacks.

Trigeneration is defined as the simultaneous production of three energies: cooling, heating and power.  Our trigeneration energy systems use the same amount of fuel in producing three energies that would normally only produce just one type of energy. This means our customers that have our trigeneration power plants have significantly lower energy expenses, and a lower carbon footprint.

Our smallest trigeneration power plant "basic" power plant is a 500 kW trigeneration system. 

All of our trigeneration power plants can produce 42 degree F. chilled water (with a 20 degree chilled water option) as well as steam and hot water while generating at least 500 kW of power. We can build trigeneration power plants up to 10 MW and with system efficiencies approaching 100%.

We provide custom-designed and manufactured
Cogeneration and Trigeneration Plants with 
Very High Efficiencies and Low Fuel Costs

Pictures below of a 900 kW Cogeneration Plant with (2) Natural Gas Engines  
@ 450 kW each on one skid and proprietary waste heat recovery 
and emissions controls.

The Effective Heat Rate is Approximately 
4050 btu/kW & System Efficiency is 92%

Our onsite cogeneration and trigeneration power and energy systems are an ideal solution for customers wanting increased power reliability and decreased energy and environmental costs.  A few of the types of buildings and businesses that would benefit from our cogeneration or trigeneration energy systems include:

Airports

Casinos

Central Plants

Colleges & Universities

Dairies

Data Centers & Server Farms 

District Heating & Cooling plants

Food Processing Plants

Golf/Country Clubs

Government Buildings and Facilities 

Grocery Stores

Hospitals 

Hotels

Manufacturing Plants

Military Bases

Nursing Homes 

Office Buildings / Campuses

Radio Stations

Refrigerated Warehouses 

Resorts 

Restaurants 

Schools

Server Farms

Shopping centers 

Supermarkets 

Television Stations

Theatres

For pricing and delivery information on our cogeneration or trigeneration energy systems, call/email us  with your goals, objectives and requirements.

We would be interested in meeting with potential joint venture partners interested in assisting us with the capital we need to begin producing our +/- 90% efficient cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems which will soon be located on the roof (or next to the building) of thousands of commercial business - such as fast food restaurants, restaurants, convenience stores, office buildings, medical/dental professional buildings, supermarkets/grocery stores, hospitals, casinos, universities, dairies, data centers and server farms.

Equity positions now available for qualified joint venture partners in multiple trigeneration projects we are seeking to develop with leading Fortune 1000 companies.  Our joint venture equity partners will assist us with manufacturing our cogeneration or trigeneration plants and start installing them on the roof-tops or next to our customer's facilities - pending orders from hospitals and restaurants who have agreed to purchase all of our energy generated from our trigeneration plants through our Energy Services Agreement (similar to a Power Purchase Agreement except in the case of an Energy Services Agreement, we also sell the hot water/steam and chilled water, in addition to the electricity our trigeneration plants generate).

Our cogeneration or trigeneration energy systems will;

* forever change the way that energy is generated and used.

* will be fueled with "green fuels" such as; Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, Synthesis Gas (generated from biomass feedstock and "converted" through Biomass Gasification plants), or Solar Energy.

* eliminate or greatly reduce our customer's electric demand charges.

* significantly increase the amount of renewable energy used in the U.S. and around the world when renewable fuels such as Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, or Synthesis Gas

* stop/reverse climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions.

* reduce and eventually eliminate the use of "fossil fuels."

* reduce the need for inefficient and expensive central power plants owned by utility companies. 

* promote energy independence.

* end America's dependence on oil from OPEC and other countries in the Middle-East, Venezuela and end our need for importing natural gas from Russia.

Prospective joint venture partners are invited to send an introductory email regarding your interests in renewable energy along with your financial abilities and expectations to:  info@Trigeneration.com

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Biomass Gasification
www.BiomassGasification.com

We convert the following waste streams into Green Fuel or Green Power, or Both.

Agricultural Waste
Breweries
Coal
C&D - Construction and Demolition Debris/Waste
Cotton Gin Waste
Cow Manure
Dairy Manure
DDGS
Distilleries
Food Processing
Food Waste
Forest Residue
Forestry Waste
Glycerin
MSW - Municipal Solid Waste
Petroleum Coke
Railroad Ties
Paper Sludge
Peanut Hulls
Poultry Litter
Refuse Derived Fuel
Rice Husks
Sewage Sludge
Timber
Urban Wood Waste
Waste Coal
Wastewater
Wineries
Wood/Wood waste
Wood Chips

Our lead engineer has almost 30 years experience in biomass engineering.

INITIAL BIOMASS GASIFICATION ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES:

On a strictly "vendor-neutral" basis, we help client's with their Biomass Gasification goals, objectives and budget through our Initial Biomass Gasification Engineering Design.

Our Initial Engineering Design service is the primary instrument most of our clients use to make a "go - no go" decision regarding specific Biomass Gasification projects.  In addition, our Initial Engineering Design service oftentimes helps our clients secure additional investment capital or otherwise provides project financing.

Our Initial Engineering Design service typically includes the following deliverables:

• Basic Biomass Gasification system identified (manufacturer)

• Biomass Gasification plant operations identified

• Biomass analysis

• Preliminary Power, Heat & Mass balance determined

• Determination of power generation plant (cogeneration, trigeneration, simple-cycle, combined-cycle, etc.)

• Basic unit operations defined

• Biomass fuel/feedstock rate (per hour)

• Energy output (synthesis gas and steam)

• Biomass Gasification plant efficiency determined

• Co/trigeneration or simple/combined cycle power plant efficiency

• Preliminary P&ID’s and ancillary equipment sized

• Capital Budget established

• Operations and Maintenance Budget determined

• Synthesis Gas Clean-up & Purification equipment selected (if required)

• Flue Gas Clean-up (if required)

• Emissions modeling and analysis

• Preliminary Economic Analysis

• Preliminary Return on Investment analysis

• Preliminary P&ID Diagrams

• Preliminary environmental analysis

• Preliminary utility Interconnect analysis

• Preliminary Power Purchase Agreement analysis

• Preliminary Greenhouse Gas Emissions credits analysis

• Preliminary REC (Renewable Energy Credit) analysis 

Our Detailed Engineering Design service typically includes the following deliverables:

• Plant layout drawings

• Equipment selection

• Final budget

• Mechanical drawings 

• Structural assembly drawings

• P&ID Diagrams

• Final Heat & Mass Balance

• Electrical and Instrumentation Diagrams

We can also provide " turn-key" Biomass Gasification services which, in addition to engineering, also includes; equipment procurement, project construction, project management and project commissioning services. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Biomass & Biomass Gasification

What is "Biomass"? 

Biomass is any sort of vegetation, including trees, grasses, and plant parts such as leaves, stems, and twigs. During photosynthesis, plants form carbohydrates, which form the building blocks of biomass. The solar energy that drives photosynthesis is stored in the chemical bonds of the biomass.

What is "Biomass Gasification"?

Biomass Gasification is the process in which Synthesis Gas is produced in the Biomass Gasification process. The Synthesis Gas is then used like any other fuel, such as natural gas, which is not a renewable fuel.

What is the difference between Biofuels, Biopower, and Bioproducts? 

In practice, we tend to use these three different terms for three different end uses — transportation, electric power or heat, and products such as chemicals and materials. "Biofuel" is short for biomass fuel. We use the term biofuels for liquid transportation fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, that can be produced from biomass. We tend to use "biopower" for biomass power systems that generate electricity or industrial process heat and steam, such as combined heat and power (CHP) systems. The term "bioproduct" is short for biomass products and can be used to describe a chemical, material, or other product derived from renewable biomass resources. Renewable bioproducts are products created from plant- or crop-based resources such as agricultural crops, crop residues, and forestry residues. These products may include fabrics, plastics, and chemicals. Many of the products that could be made from renewable resources are now made from petroleum.


How much biomass is used for energy today? 

Worldwide, biomass is the fourth largest energy resource after coal, oil, and natural gas. It is used for heating (such as wood stoves in homes), cooking, transportation (fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel), and for electric power generation. Researchers estimate that there are about 278 quadrillion Btu of installed biomass capacity worldwide. According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. biomass energy consumption was more than 2.8 quadrillion Btu in 2004.

What is biomass power? 

Biomass power, or biopower, uses biomass feedstocks instead of conventional fossil fuels (natural gas or coal) to generate electricity. Biomass is one of the oldest fuels known to humanity. Although primitive, the campfire illustrates the nature of using biomass for power. When the biomass is burned, it produces heat. In a power plant, this heat is used to turn water into steam. The steam is then used to turn turbines, which are connected to electric generators. Biomass Gasifiers heat the biomass to convert it into a gas that can be used in power systems such as combustion turbines or fuel cells.


Is it possible to use biomass to fuel a backup electrical generation system for wind energy? 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Biomass Gasification is emerging as a promising technology to supply electricity and heat - especially to rural areas and businesses. These rural Biomass Gasification systems use locally available biomass fuels such as wood, crop waste, animal manures, and landfill gas.

Won't producing enough biomass for substituting petroleum require tying up our valuable agricultural land, which we need to meet our food needs? 

If the question for biomass production food versus fuel, then this would be significant limits to how much energy we could produce from our land. But this is not what happens today. Choosing to produce ethanol from corn grain does not eliminate that grain from the food supply. The starch in the grain is what we use to produce ethanol. The rest of the corn kernel is processed into animal feed and other food products. Any sustainable scenario for energy production on the farm will involve both food and energy production. That said, however, we recognize that land is ultimately the limiting factor in our ability to replace petroleum with biomass.

What are energy crops?

Energy crops are grown for the specific purpose of producing energy (electricity or liquid fuels) from all or part of the resulting plant. Switchgrass, alfalfa, willow, poplar, and eucalyptus are examples of plants that can be grown as energy crops.

What is the difference between ethanol from crops like corn and from cellulosic biomass? 

Grain crops such as corn yield starch or sugar, which can be readily fermented to ethanol. There is already a large, thriving, corn-to-ethanol industry in this country, and a substantial portion of the dry mill ethanol plants are owned by farmer cooperatives. Wet mill plants tend to be much larger and owned by large companies. Dry mill plants produce ethanol and animal feed (distillers dried grains).

Cellulosic biomass includes crop residues such as corn stover, as well as wood residues and wood and herbaceous energy crops, like yellow poplar and switchgrass respecively, which consists primarily of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The first two can be broken down into their component sugars for subsequent fermentation, but that breakdown (hydrolysis) is a complex and challenging task.


Biomass Gasification Basics

Biomass fuels such as firewood and agriculture-generated residues and wastes are generally organic. They contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen along with some moisture. Under controlled conditions, characterized by low oxygen supply and high temperatures, most biomass materials can be converted into a gaseous fuel known as producer gas, which consists of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen. This thermo-chemical conversion of solid biomass into gaseous fuel is called biomass gasification. The producer gas so produced has low a calorific value (1000-1200 Kcal/Nm3), but can be burnt with a high efficiency and a good degree of control without emitting smoke. Each kilogram of air-dry biomass (10% moisture content) yields about 2.5 Nm3 of producer gas. In energy terms, the conversion efficiency of the biomass gasification process is in the range of 60%-70%.

Multiple Advantages of Biomass Gasification

Conversion of solid biomass into combustible gas has all the advantages associated with using gaseous and liquid fuels such as clean combustion, compact burning equipment, high thermal efficiency and a good degree of control. In locations, where biomass is already available at reasonable low prices (e.g. rice mills) or in industries using fuel wood, Biomass Gasifiers offer definite economic advantages. Biomass gasification technology is also environment-friendly, because of the firewood savings and reduction in CO2 emissions.

Biomass gasification technology has the potential to replace diesel and other petroleum products in several applications, foreign exchange.


Applications for Biomass Gasification

Thermal applications: cooking, water boiling, steam generation, drying etc.  Motive power applications: Using producer gas as a fuel in IC engines for applications such as water pumping Electricity generation: Using producer gas in dual-fuel mode in diesel engines/as the only fuel in spark ignition engines/in gas turbines.


What are Biomass Gasifiers?

Biomass Gasifiers are reactors that heat biomass in a low-oxygen environment to produce a fuel gas that contains from one fifth to one half (depending on the process conditions) the heat content of natural gas. The gas produced from a Biomass gasifiers can drive highly efficient devices such as turbines and fuel cells to generate electricity.

What is Synthesis Gas?

Synthesis Gas is produced through Biomass Gasification.  The Synthesis Gas is comprised of varying amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Our Biomass Gasification engineering and project development solutions:

• "Turnkey" Biomass Gasification plants

• Project Engineering Feasibility & Economic Analysis Studies Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Permitting, Utility Interconnects, Power Purchase Agreements, Operations/Maintenance and Training

• Environmental Engineering & Permitting 

• Project Funding & Financing Options; including Equity Investment, Debt Financing, Lease and Municipal Lease

• Long-term Service Agreements

• Operations & Maintenance

• Green Tag Consulting Services (Renewable Energy Credit, Carbon Dioxide Credits, Emission Reduction Credits) Brokerage Services; Application and Permitting

• We will only select the best products and technologies for your operation as we seek the optimum environmental and economic solutions for our clients.

What is Biomethane?

Biomethane is "renewable natural gas" made from organic sources - which starts out as "biogas" but then is cleaned up, removing the impurities in the biogas, such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

"Cleaned-up" and ready for use in an onsite cogeneration or trigeneration power plant, the Biomethane could also be sold to a pipeline company and completely replace the "natural gas" that is typically transported to markets via the vast underground pipeline system.

Biomethane will some day replace the "methane" that is sold by the local gas companies. 

Biomethane has an unlimited supply, whereas the methane sold by gas companies has a limited supply.  Biomethane is renewable, whereas the methane sold by your gas utility company is not renewable. Biomethane recovery, use and production generates "Greentags" or a "Renewable Energy Credit" for the owners and is GOOD for our environment.  The production and use of the natural gas sold by the gas company does NOT generate these incentives and new revenue streams and is NOT good for our environment.

As previously mentioned, Biomethane is "naturally" produced from organic materials as they decay.  Sources of Biomethane include; landfills, POTW's/Wastewaster Treatment Systems, and every tree or agricultural product that is no longer living.  Biomethane also generated from animal operations where manure can be collected and the Biomethane is generated from anaerobic digesters where the manure decomposes. 

Biomethane, after installation of the Biomethane equipment is essentially free, as opposed to buying natural gas, presently costing around $10.00/mmbtu. 

Methanogenesis, also called Biomethanation, is the production of CH4 and CO2 by biological processes that are carried out by methanogens.

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www.ModularEthanolPlant.com

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