Chapter 11

Biochemical
Fuels
 Introduction

Most of our energy needs are met by burning

fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil
Coal is used to make electricity and petroleum is
used as a transport fuel.
Crude oil is also used in the plastics industry
There are large reserves of coal, however there
are limited reserves of petroleum
This situation provides motivation to devise new
renewable and sustainable energy sources
 Biochemical Fuels
Derived from plant material such as grains, sugar
cane, vegetable wastes and vegetable oils.

They can be used alone or blended with fossil

fuels such as petrol or diesel.

The plant material used in the generation of

biochemical fuels are produced in the
photosynthesis:
6CO2(g) + 6H2O C6H12O6(aq) + 6O2(g)
Biochemical fuels are said to be carbon dioxide
neutral.
The two main types of biochemical fuels are
ethanol and biodiesel.
The glucose formed during
photosynthesis undergoes
polymerisation to form starch and
cellulose.
 Ethanol
Starch found in grains are broken down into
glucose in the presence of an enzyme
The glucose is then converted into ethanol
and carbon dioxide according to the following
equation
C6H12O6 (aq) 2CH3CH2OH (aq) + 2CO2 (g)
This is known as fermentation and takes place
without oxygen (anaerobic respiration).
Fermentation stops when the ethanol content
is about 10-20%
 Ethanol (cont)

Steam is then added to evaporate the

ethanol which is then collected by
cooling
The liquid is 95% ethanol and 5%
water
The ethanol is then dehydrated to
remove the water (99.7% pure)
Ethanol is then poisoned to make it
unfit for drinking
 Wastes

The carbon dioxide produced in the

fermentation step can be sold to soft
drink manufacturers.
The waste water can be used for
irrigating crops.
The remains from the fermentation
can be sold as animal feed.
 Developments
The cellulose found in biomass such as woody plants can
also be a source of ethanol. E. coli bacteria can convert the
polysaccharides into ethanol. This process helps to reduce
the need to dispose of these waste materials in landfills.

In Canada a special enzyme has been developed which

converts plant cellulose into glucose. This is then fermented
in the same sort of way as mentioned previously to make
ethanol. The lignin (non cellulose part of the plant fibre) is
burned to make electricity to drive the processes and the
emissions are recycled.

In Australia, fuels such as E10 (petrol containing 10%

ethanol) will used. This will extend the availability of the
petrol and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. E10 can be
used by most modern car engines.
 Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a mixture of esters produced by a chemical
reaction between vegetable oil and an alcohol such as
methanol.
Step 1.
The raw material, vegetable oil contain triglycerides
which is hydrolysed by warming it with an alkanol and
an alkali to form fatty acids and glycerol
Step 2.
The fatty acid then reacts with methanol to form the ester.
CH3(CH2)14COOH (l) + CH3OH (l) CH3(CH2)14COOCH3 (l) + H2O (l)
Ester (biodiesel)

Biodiesel can be used in a mixture with petrodiesel with 5%

and 10% blends being known as B5 and B10 respectively.
These mixtures can be used in normal diesel engines.

Biodiesel is biodegradable, non-toxic, does not add to the

overall amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and
produces fewer pollutants in vehicle emissions.
 Biodiesel (cont)
Another form of biodiesel called SunDiesel is
being trialled in Germany.
It uses biomass (waste plant material) to make
syngas which is a mixture of carbon monoxide
and hydrogen.
The syngas is passed over an inorganic catalyst
to produce large hydrocarbon molecules. These
hydrocarbons are then cracked to give
hydrocarbons molecules of the same size as those
found in petrodiesel.
Syngas can also be used as a combustible gas to
generate, heat, electricity and steam
 Biogas
Biogas consists mainly of carbon dioxide and methane in
roughly equal proportions and is produced when organic
material (livestock manure) is fed into an air tight digestor
and allowed to ferment/decompose.

The biogas which is produced is then collected and stored in

a tank. The gas can be used directly for small scale heating
or used to generate electricity. The waste from a biogas
generator can be used as a rich fertiliser.
Why develop Biochemical fuels
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
when burnt. The carbon dioxide is contributing to the
greenhouse effect and global warming which is
responsible for the consequential shifts in weather
patterns and climate.

The production of bioethanol uses waste material left over

after food production.

The production of ethanol uses resources that are

available in Australia. Thus having to import raw material
is not a problem. It also provides employment at different
levels.