Energy content of biofuel
The energy content of biofuel is the chemical energy contained in a given biofuel, measured per unit mass of that fuel, as specific energy, or per unit of volume of the fuel, as energy density. A biofuel is a
Energy and CO2 output of common biofuels
The table below includes entries for popular substances already used for their energy, or being discussed for such use.
The second column shows
The third column in the table lists
The final two columns deal with the carbon footprint of the fuel. The fourth column contains the proportion of CO2 released when the fuel is converted for energy, with respect to its starting mass, and the fifth column lists the energy produced per kilogram of CO2 produced. As a guideline, a higher number in this column is better for the environment. But these numbers do not account for other green house gases released during burning, production, storage, or shipping. For example, methane may have hidden environmental costs that are not reflected in the table. [1]
Fuel Type | Specific energy (MJ/kg) |
) | CO2 Gas made from Fuel Used (kg/kg)[nb 1] |
Energy per CO2 (MJ/kg) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Solid Fuels | ||||
Bagasse (Cane Stalks) | 9.6 | 1.30 | 7.41 | |
Chaff (Seed Casings) | 14.6 | [Please insert average composition here] | ||
Animal Dung/Manure | [2] 10-[3] 15 | [Please insert average composition here] | ||
Dried plants (C6H10O5)n | 10 – 16 | 1.6 - 16.64 | IF 50%(C6H10O5)n+25% (C26H42O21)n+25% (C10H12O3)n1.84 | 5.44-8.70 |
Wood fuel (C6H10O5)n | 16 – 21 | [4] Archived 2007-02-13 at the Wayback Machine 2.56 - 21.84 | IF 45%(C6H10O5)n+25% (C26H42O21)n+30% (C10H12O3)n1.88 | 8.51-11.17 |
Charcoal | 30 | 5.4-6.6 | 85-98% Carbon+VOC+Ash 3.63 | 8.27 |
Liquid Fuels | ||||
Pyrolysis oil | 17.5 | 21.35 | varies | varies |
Methanol (CH3-OH) | 19.9 – 22.7 | 15.9 | 1.37 | 14.49-16.53 |
Ethanol (CH3-CH2-OH) | 23.4 – 26.8 | 18.4 - 21.2 | 1.91 | 12.25-14.03 |
Ecalene | 28.4 | 22.7 | 5%C5H12O+4%Hx 2.03
|
14.02 |
Butanol(CH3-(CH2)3-OH) | 36 | 29.2 | 2.37 | 15.16 |
Fat | 37.656 | 31.68 | C55H104O6 | |
Biodiesel | 37.8 | 33.3 – 35.7 | ~2.85 | ~13.26 |
Sunflower oil (C18H32O2) | [5] 39.49 | 33.18 | ( (ALA) )2.81
|
14.04 |
Castor oil (C18H34O3) | [6] 39.5 | 33.21 | ( ALA )2.67
|
14.80 |
Olive oil (C18H34O2) | 39.25 - 39.82 | 33 - 33.48 | ( (ALA) )2.80
|
14.03 |
Gaseous Fuels | ||||
Methane (CH4) | 55 – 55.7 | (Liquefied) 23.0 – 23.3 | (Methane leak exerts 23 × greenhouse effect of CO2) 2.74 | 20.05-20.30 |
Hydrogen (H2) | 120 – 142 | (Liquefied) 8.5 – 10.1 | (Hydrogen leak slightly catalyzes ozone depletion) 0.0 | |
Fossil Fuels (comparison) | ||||
Coal | 29.3 – 33.5 | 74.43
|
(Not Counting: Particulates ) ~3.59
|
~8.16-9.33 |
Crude Oil
|
41.868 | 28 – 31.4 | (Not Counting:CO,NOx,Sulfates & Particulates) ~3.4 | ~12.31 |
Gasoline | 45 – 48.3 | 32 – 34.8 | (Not Counting:CO,NOx,Sulfates & Particulates) ~3.30 | ~13.64-14.64 |
Diesel | 48.1 | 40.3 | (Not Counting:CO,NOx,Sulfates & Particulates) ~3.4 | ~14.15 |
Natural Gas
|
38 – 50 | (Liquefied) 25.5 – 28.7 | (Ethane, Propane & Butane N/C:CO,NOx & Sulfates) ~3.00 | ~12.67-16.67 |
Ethane (CH3-CH3) | 51.9 | (Liquefied) ~24.0 | 2.93 | 17.71 |
Nuclear fuels (comparison)[nb 2] | ||||
Uranium -235 (235U) | 77,000,000 | (Pure)1,470,700,000 | [Greater for lower ore conc.(Mining, Refining, Moving)] 0.0 | ~55[4] - ~90[3] |
Nuclear fusion (2H -3H) | 300,000,000 | (Liquefied)53,414,377.6 | (Sea-Bed Hydrogen-Isotope Mining-Method Dependent) 0.0 | |
Fuel Cell Energy Storage (comparison) | ||||
Direct-Methanol
|
4.5466 | [7] Archived 2005-09-11 at the Wayback Machine 3.6 | ~1.37 | ~3.31 |
Proton-Exchange (R&D)
|
up to 5.68 | up to 4.5 | (IFF Fuel is recycled) 0.0 | |
Sodium Hydride (R&D) | up to 11.13 | up to 10.24 | (Bladder for Sodium Oxide Recycling) 0.0 | |
Battery Energy Storage (comparison) | ||||
Lead-acid battery
|
0.108 | ~0.1 | (200-600 Deep-Cycle Tolerance) 0.0 | |
Nickel-iron battery
|
[8] 0.0487 - 0.1127 | 0.0658 - 0.1772 | (<40y Life)(2k-3k Cycle Tolerance IF no Memory effect) 0.0 | |
Nickel-cadmium battery
|
0.162 - 0.288 | ~0.24 | (1k-1.5k Cycle Tolerance IF no Memory effect) 0.0 | |
Nickel metal hydride
|
0.22 - 0.324 | 0.36 | (300-500 Cycle Tolerance IF no Memory effect) 0.0 | |
Super iron battery
|
0.33 | [9] (1.5 * NiMH ) 0.54
|
[10] (~300 Deep-Cycle Tolerance) 0.0 | |
Zinc-air battery
|
0.396 - 0.72 | [11] 0.5924 - 0.8442 | (Recyclable by Smelting & Remixing, not Recharging) 0.0 | |
Lithium ion battery
|
0.54 - 0.72 | 0.9 - 1.9 | (3-5 y Life) (500-1k Deep-Cycle Tolerance) 0.0 | |
Lithium-Ion-Polymer
|
0.65 - 0.87 | (1.2 * Li-Ion )1.08 - 2.28
|
(3-5 y Life) (300-500 Deep-Cycle Tolerance) 0.0 | |
Lithium iron phosphate battery | ||||
DURACELL Zinc-Air | 1.0584 - 1.5912 | 5.148 - 6.3216 | (1-3 y Shelf-life) (Recyclable not Rechargeable) 0.0 | |
Aluminium battery | 1.8 - 4.788 | 7.56 | (10-30 y Life) (3k+ Deep-Cycle Tolerance) 0.0 | |
PolyPlusBC Li-Aircell | 3.6 - 32.4 | 3.6 - 17.64 | (May be Rechargeable)(Might leak sulfates) 0.0 |
Notes
- plant cultivation/Mining, purification/refining and transportation. Fuel availability is typically 74–-84.3% NET from source Energy Balance.
- Natural Gas fired power station. Prof. Mark Diesendorf, Inst. of Environmental Studies, UNSW.
Yields of common crops associated with biofuels production
This table needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014) |
This table may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: needs explanation of methodology. (December 2014) |
Crop | Oil (kg/ha) |
Oil (L/ha) |
Oil (lb/acre) |
Oil (US gal/acre) |
Oil per seeds[nc 1] (kg/100 kg) |
Melting Range (°C) | Iodine
number |
Cetane number | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oil / Fat |
Methyl Ester |
Ethyl Ester | ||||||||
Groundnut | (Kernel)42 | |||||||||
Copra | 62 | |||||||||
Tallow | 35 - 42 | 16 | 12 | 40 - 60 | 75 | |||||
Lard | 32 - 36 | 14 | 10 | 60 - 70 | 65 | |||||
Corn (maize) | 145 | 172 | 129 | 18 | -5 | -10 | -12 | 115 - 124 | 53 | |
Cashew nut | 148 | 176 | 132 | 19 | ||||||
Oats | 183 | 217 | 163 | 23 | ||||||
Lupine | 195 | 232 | 175 | 25 | ||||||
Kenaf | 230 | 273 | 205 | 29 | ||||||
Calendula | 256 | 305 | 229 | 33 | ||||||
Cotton | 273 | 325 | 244 | 35 | (Seed)13 | -1 - 0 | -5 | -8 | 100 - 115 | 55 |
Hemp | 305 | 363 | 272 | 39 | ||||||
Soybean | 375 | 446 | 335 | 48 | 14 | -16 - -12 | -10 | -12 | 125 - 140 | 53 |
Coffee | 386 | 459 | 345 | 49 | ||||||
Linseed (flax) | 402 | 478 | 359 | 51 | -24 | 178 | ||||
Hazelnuts | 405 | 482 | 362 | 51 | ||||||
Euphorbia | 440 | 524 | 393 | 56 | ||||||
Pumpkin seed | 449 | 534 | 401 | 57 | ||||||
Coriander | 450 | 536 | 402 | 57 | ||||||
Mustard seed | 481 | 572 | 430 | 61 | 35 | |||||
Camelina | 490 | 583 | 438 | 62 | ||||||
Sesame | 585 | 696 | 522 | 74 | 50 | |||||
Safflower | 655 | 779 | 585 | 83 | ||||||
Rice | 696 | 828 | 622 | 88 | ||||||
Tung oil tree | 790 | 940 | 705 | 100 | -2.5 | 168 | ||||
Sunflowers
|
800 | 952 | 714 | 102 | 32 | -18 - -17 | -12 | -14 | 125 - 135 | 52 |
Cocoa (cacao) | 863 | 1,026 | 771 | 110 | ||||||
Peanuts | 890 | 1,059 | 795 | 113 | 3 | 93 | ||||
Opium poppy | 978 | 1,163 | 873 | 124 | ||||||
Rapeseed | 1,000 | 1,190 | 893 | 127 | 37 | -10 - 5 | -10 - 0 | -12 - -2 | 97 - 115 | 55 - 58 |
Olives | 1,019 | 1,212 | 910 | 129 | -12 - -6 | -6 | -8 | 77 - 94 | 60 | |
Castor beans
|
1,188 | 1,413 | 1,061 | 151 | (Seed)50 | -18 | 85 | |||
Pecan nuts | 1,505 | 1,791 | 1,344 | 191 | ||||||
Jojoba | 1,528 | 1,818 | 1,365 | 194 | ||||||
Jatropha | 1,590 | 1,892 | 1,420 | 202 | ||||||
Macadamia nuts | 1,887 | 2,246 | 1,685 | 240 | ||||||
Brazil nuts | 2,010 | 2,392 | 1,795 | 255 | ||||||
Avocado | 2,217 | 2,638 | 1,980 | 282 | ||||||
Coconut | 2,260 | 2,689 | 2,018 | 287 | 20 - 25 | -9 | -6 | 8 - 10 | 70 | |
Chinese Tallow[nc 2] | 4,700 | 500 | ||||||||
Oil palm
|
5,000 | 5,950 | 4,465 | 635 | 20-(Kernal)36 | 20 - 40 | -8 - 21 | -8 - 18 | 12 - 95 | 65 - 85 |
Algae | 95,000 | 10,000[citation needed] | ||||||||
Crop | Oil (kg/ha) |
Oil (L/ha) |
Oil (lb/acre) |
Oil (US gal/acre) |
Oil per seeds (kg/100 kg) |
Melting Range (°C) | Iodine
number |
Cetane number | ||
Oil / Fat |
Methyl Ester |
Ethyl Ester |
Notes
See also
- Eichhornia crassipes#Bioenergy
- Syngas
- Conversion of units
- Energy density
- Heat of combustion
References
- ISBN 0881734357
- ^ "The Two cap of SI Units and the SI Prefixes". NIST Guide to the SI. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
- ^ a b Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). "4.3.2 Nuclear energy". IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007, Working Group III Mitigation of Climate Change. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
- ^ a b Benjamin K. Sovacool.Valuing the greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power: A critical survey. Energy Policy, Vol. 36, 2008, p. 2950.
- ^ Used with permission from The Global Petroleum Club.