#Energy

Interesting Engineering @IntEngineering

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have demonstrated that bamboo can be converted into competitive transportation fuel using hydrothermal liquefaction, a process that converts biomass into biocrude. Economic modeling suggests bamboo-based fuel could sell for as little as $2.75 per gasoline-gallon equivalent at commercial scale, with greenhouse gas emissions 26 times lower than conventional petroleum diesel. A life-cycle assessment found the fuel generates just 3.5 grams of CO2-equivalent per megajoule. Bamboo also requires only about 13% of the cultivated land needed to match current US corn ethanol production, grows on poor or degraded soils, and produces negligible waste due to its very low ash content. Unlike annual crops, bamboo is a perennial grass that requires minimal agricultural inputs and stores large amounts of carbon underground. The research is published in Sustainable Energy & Fuels.