New energy-efficient process turns sugar into gasoline

// added September 22, 2008 // 17 comments //
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Using microscopic metal particles, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that plant-based sugar can be converted to gasoline to be used in current engines. The substance is cleaner-burning than petroleum-based gasoline and more stable than ethanol.

While a method to turn sugar to gas already exists, it requires extremely high temperatures which made the process less energy efficient. The new process converts the sugars to fuel in mere minutes by running a mixture of water and sugar over particles of the precious metals platinum and rhenium. The metal atoms break the chemical bonds in sugar and release oxygen, which leaves a mixture including carbon and hydrogen that can be used to make plastics or gasoline. Even the gas byproducts of the process can be used as a replacement for natural gas.

The scientists have only tested the process in laboratory setting, and before wide-scale use, the process faces the same problem as other biofuels: where to acquire the sugar. The process uses the simple sugar compound sorbitol, which is available but difficult to separate from biomass. “We would just intercept the sugar and go to gasoline,” said James Dumesic, the chemical engineer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who led the study. “But there’s still a lot of work to do on how to go from cellulose to sugar.”
Written by Alex Felsinger
  1. groups:
    Green,   Earth and Science,   Health
  2. tags:
    Green,  Earth and Science,  Health,  Environment,  4 more

17 comments // New energy-efficient process turns sugar into gasoline

  • dissimulator
  • futurehempfarmer
    • 0
      futurehempfarmer  

    • I've always had the thought that they'd find out how to make gas by the time we ran out. Personally I'd choose ethanol first, or better yet biobutanol (look it up).

    • 1 year ago
  • Bren589
  • anikhanj
  • metalcookiesxy70
    • 0
      metalcookiesxy70  

    • Please not another way to supply the demand for oil...this is not exactly energy-efficient, for that gasoline, oil, and petroleum are the causes for the damage to the environment, and global warming......this is going to add to it.

    • 1 year ago
  • BIOHAZARD
  • littlesparrow
  • iokua_2003
  • NeoDotCom
    • 0
      NeoDotCom  

    • Can I be honest with you?

      The problem with this is that it will shift a tremendous amount of wealth to Caribbean nations and islands. I personally think that's a good thing, but these nations are full of ... Black people.

      When has America ever done fair trade that would build the wealth of ... Black People and Black Nations?

      Now of course majority of these nations have native and spanish people as well. That's also the problem. When has America ever done fair trade to benefit Spanish speaking, native dwelling countries?

      I'll wait...................................

      Okay I'll give you a hint... Never

      Coincidence? I think not

    • 1 year ago
  • Stevox
  • metalcookiesxy70
    • 0
      metalcookiesxy70  
    • NeoDotCom:

      That is indeed true....since when does America deserve oil? They are'nt even paying back the people(Africa) right...they want their money to live another day and to survive, and the Americans are not responding ...i just wonder why .....

    • 1 year ago
  • NeoDotCom
    • 0
      NeoDotCom  
    • NeoDotCom:

      Dead serious. Do you think it's a coincidence that Africa has the most resources and the most poverty?

      Why do you think we use High Fructose Corn Syrup?

      Why do you think South and Latin America stays unstable. They're always talking about illegal US interference. Do you think they are all lying all the time?

      What I said goes against what we were taught about America but the facts and history are on my side with this one.

    • 1 year ago
  • unphiltered
    • 0
      unphiltered  

    • Don't let media fool you, Brazilian sugar cane ethanol is an extremely viable energy source. It fuels their country, and is cheaper for us tp purchase here than it is for us to produce our own corn ethanol. Except we do not want to put money in another countries hands if we can appear to be sustaining ourselves even if it is at the expense of the publics health, food cost, environmental damage, and tax subisdies.

      You want a viable source for gasoline and bio-diesel- its called hemp. Its been used as fuel for centuries. Rudolph Diesel and Henry Ford both designed their engines to run off of hemp fuel over 100 years ago. Maybe THAT should tell you something,

    • 1 year ago
  • Commentor
    • 0
      Commentor  
    • unphiltered:

      Tobacco is a good source for sugar to make ethanol.

      It may even be better than hemp for that purpose, however hemp fibers could be better in the long run because of the co-products

    • 1 year ago
  • arenegade
  • XR600
    • 0
      XR600  

    • There seems to be a new breakthrough like this almost every day, from all over the world. With this many people making progress finding a replacement to the world's addiction to oil, it makes me much more optimistic about our future.

    • 1 year ago
  • Stevox

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