Green Diesel: New Process Makes Liquid Transportation Fuel From Plants

University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering researchers have discovered a new way to make a diesel-like liquid fuel from carbohydrates commonly found in plants.

Reporting in the June 3 issue of the journal Science, Chemical and Biological Engineering graduate students George Huber, Juben Chheda, Chris Barrett and Steenbock Professor James Dumesic detail a four-phase catalytic reactor in which corn and other biomass-derived carbohydrates can be converted to sulfur-free liquid alkanes resulting in an ideal additive for diesel transportation fuel.

“It’s a very efficient process,” says Huber. “The fuel produced contains 90 percent of the energy found in the carbohydrate and hydrogen feed. If you look at a carbohydrate source such as corn, our new process has the potential to creates twice the energy as is created in using corn to make ethanol.”

Science Daily