Biomass to Liquid Fuels: Conversion Processes and Impacts

The report delves into the conversion of biomass to liquid fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. It explores various processes including pyrolysis and genetic modification to enhance lipid content for biodiesel production. The thermochemical process, like pyrolysis, breaks down biomass without air, resulting in an oil-like substance that can be refined into biofuels. This conversion is advantageous due to its renewable nature and efficiency, aiding in reducing fossil fuel consumption and waste management. However, it also highlights economic impacts such as increased tortilla prices when using food crops like tortillas for biofuel production, posing challenges for food security.

Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Converting biomass to liquid fuels
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
NREL's analysts create processes that utilize pressure of heat, chemicals, and compounds to
open the sugars in cellulosic biomass. The sugars are then matured to ethanol, regularly by
utilizing hereditarily designed microorganisms. Since cellulosic ethanol is the main
possibility for supplanting an extensive part of U.S. oil utilize, it is the concentration of
DOE's Biomass Program.
A substantially more straightforward compound process is utilized to create biodiesel. The
present biodiesel offices begin with vegetable oils, seed oils, or creature fats and join them
with methanol or ethanol within the sight of an impetus. Likewise, NREL's hereditary
designing work has delivered green growth with a high lipid content that can be utilized as
another wellspring of biodiesel. Green growth is a type of biomass which could generously
expand our country's capacity to create residential bio-fuels. Green growth and plants can fill
in as a characteristic wellspring of oil, which ordinary oil refineries can change over into
stream fuel or diesel fuel—an item known as "green diesel."
NREL specialists likewise investigate and create thermo-chemical forms for changing over
biomass to fluid energizes. One such process is pyrolysis, which breaks down biomass by
warming it without air. This delivers an oil-like fluid that can be singed like fuel oil or refined
into chemicals and energizes, for example, "green gas." Thermochemical procedures can
likewise be utilized to pretreat biomass for change to biofuels.
Later on, biomass-determined parts, for example, sugars, lignins, and triglycerides may
likewise be changed over to hydrocarbon powers. Such energizes can be utilized as a part of

2ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
overwhelming obligation vehicles, fly motors, and different applications that need fills with
higher vitality densities than those of ethanol or biodiesel.
Advantages of biomass in converting biomass to liquid
Biomass is a source of renewable energy which is energy efficient. There are various
advantages which makes the biomass a perfect source for fossil fuels.
i. Biomass fuel is used to heat up the houses in winter by lighting up the fireplace.
ii. The biomass does not release carbon as these are made up of vegetable oils and
animal fats.
iii. The conversion of biomass into bio-fuels helps the world by reducing the
consumption of fossil fuels.
iv. It also helps in reducing the amount of waste in landfills.
v. As the biomass energy is a versatile source therefore it can be used to create different
products.
The disadvantages of bio-fuels in Tortilla Nomics: food or fuel
Tortilla is the food for the poor in Mexico. Making of bio-fuels from tortilla is causing the
rise in the price of the tortilla. Money that is spent for making the bio-fuels made the rise of
tortilla which is leading to the starvation.

3ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
References
Matson, T. D., Ford, P. C., Macala, G., & Iretski, A. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,522,864.
Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Venkatakrishnan, V. K., Delgass, W. N., Ribeiro, F. H., & Agrawal, R. (2015). Oxygen
removal from intact biomass to produce liquid fuel range hydrocarbons via fast-
hydropyrolysis and vapor-phase catalytic hydrodeoxygenation. Green Chemistry,
17(1), 178-183.