JUL 23

Concentrated solar energy is most commonly used for electrical power generation. However, a Colorado company, Sundrop Fuels, has a unique approach to the production of biofuel by that marries the mirrors and tower of concentrated solar power with their process for the production of bio-based fuels.

Instead of burning biomass for the energy needed to create biofuel, Sundrop uses concentrated solar as their energy source to gasify a range of feedstocks including agricultural waste, energy crops, and wood waste. The Sundrop process can produce a range of fuels including gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. Many other biofuel processes produce ethanol which has a lower energy density than other fuels, meaning that more of it must be used for an equal amount of work. (Flex-fuel cars get fewer miles per gallon from ethanol than from gasoline, but the ethanol fuel costs less per gallon, and the ethanol is not derived from petroleum.)

Sundrop uses the high temperatures from the concentrated solar array to vaporize the biomass feedstock and form syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. As with other biofuel processess, the syngas is the basic building block which is turned into useful fuel.

Sundrop's process has other efficiencies that provide additional benefits. By using solar energy, the process yields 100 to 125 gallons of fuel per ton of biomass, which is more than twice what other biofuel producers obtain. The process also requires far less water, needing only a half gallon of water per gallon of fuel produced, versus 6 or 7 gallons required in other systems. The process also creates electrical power from the waste heat generated in the reaction tower.

One of the only significant drawbacks that the Sundrop process faces is the distance between areas with excellent solar access (and few cloudy days) and ready sources of biomass.

The Sundrop process is expected to be able to create gasoline, without subsidies, for less than $2 per gallon. The company is constructing a pilot plant and aims to have a full, commercial-scale plant with a capacity of 100 million gallons by 2015.

via: Portfolio.com

Related on EcoGeek: More On Coskata's $1 per Gallon Ethanol

Comments (5)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Fuel Options
written by acuvue oasys, July 26, 2010

My main concern is why the development of alternative fuel sources to oil have not been produced en masse? I realize there is a research and production/development cost but we have been looking for alternate energy sources and whilst we have used it with some success in hybrid vehicles, etc - it just seems it's still a long way away from being a widely available option that's much more environmentally safe? I hope i am wrong!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Fear of Failure
written by Slush17, July 27, 2010

acuvue oasys,
It's my understanding that widespread development and implementation of alternative energy and fuels in the U.S. are hindered by an overall corporate fear of failing due to lack of consumer support. Historically, there is enough consumer support for cleaner energy ventures when the price of oil is up; without a government-mandated floor on the lowest price of oil, there is no guarantee (for companies who want to develop alternative fuels/energy) that consumer demand will not disappear once the price of oil goes back down. I'm reading "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas L. Friedman. He explains this in detail in chapter 13.
It seems the technology and innovation are available; the only thing lacking right now is consumer demand.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by acuvue oasys, July 28, 2010

Sluash - hard to argue with that point.

Well said.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Need for Government-Mandated Gasoline Price Floor?
written by Mark Lang, July 28, 2010

I don't see any need for a government-mandated price floor for gasoline. We'd be ecstatic if the free market price went below $2.25/gal for any length of time. It seems to have settled between $2.60 and $2.90 for the past year or so where I live. I think that alternative fuel companies should feel confident that their product will sell if it's priced at $2.50 per gallon or less. That will be tough to do though since there is a big cost of distribution.

• 
• -3
• 
• 

...
written by dude, August 08, 2010

I don't understand something.... even if this is an alternative to gasoline and such, it's still a biofuel is it not? Which means that it's a carbon based energy source... How exactly is this better than gasoline and diesel if it still produces hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide when burned? Isn't it still contributing to greenhouse gases?

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment