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NEWS
New biofuel is carbon-negative and cheap as chips
Cool Planet's biofuel sounds too good to be true, but it's gained backing from some very heavy hittersCalifornian startup company Cool Planet Energy Systems has found a way of synthesising high-octane carbon-negative biofuel cheaply enough not to need government subsidies.
Testing has shown that a blend of just five per cent Cool Planet biofuel with 95 per cent regular petrol produces a fuel capable of meeting California’s 2020 Low Carbon Fuel Standard eight years ahead of deadline. And because it’s made from waste biomass using relatively simple processes, it’s cost-efficient to produce.
Cool Planet has patented a thermo-mechanical process it says will allow it to produce the petrol at a cost of just $US1.50 per gallon. It sounds like a perfect candidate for the too-good-to-be-true bin, but the company has gained the backing of the likes of Google, BP, General Electric and several large US energy utilities.
The “fractionator” process uses heat and compression to turn raw biomass like woodchips, crop residue and algae into a gas ready for catalytic conversion to synthetic fuel elements. For the next step in the process, the gas is catalysed into liquid form, as a fuel suitable for blending with conventional fossil fuels such as high-octane petrol and jet fuel. The company is still working on a range of single-step catalytic conversion systems for this purpose.
In the process, the remnant biomass turns into activated carbon. Known as “bio-char”, this can be used for fuel in place of coal, making the entire process carbon neutral. Or, when the bio-char is returned to the ground as a soil conditioner, by the company’s and independent calculations, the result is a 150 per cent reduction in carbon footprint.
Cool Planet has already tested its product, made from corn cobs and stover (leaves and stalks left on the ground post-harvest) at its own headquarters in Camarillo, just north of Los Angeles. Google has also trialled it in one of its GRide intra-campus vehicles, covering about 4000km around its Mountain View headquarters.
Smog testing against a control car running 100 per cent regular petrol revealed negligible difference. Emissions testing produced near-identical results for the two. Both cars covered similar distances for the duration of the test.
Cool Planet is testing different feedstocks for its system beyond the corn materials, including wood chips and giant miscanthus. The latter, a large grass hybrid, is of particular interest for its high yields and low nutritional requirements.
The company has announced plans to raise funds for a 10 million gallon-per-year (38 million litres) facility ready for operation in 2014.
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Written byJeremy Bass
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