Electricity more efficient than ethanol as energy pathway from biomass
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 12:21
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Electricity or ethanol, which is the better use of our nation's biomass crops when it comes to powering vehicles? Our government seems to have chosen ethanol, recently announcing nearly $800 million of research money devoted towards biofuels, far more than they have committed towards bioelectricity. However, a recent study published in the journal Science seems to suggest that they, like me at the Kentucky Derby, may be backing the wrong horse. The team, led by researchers at UC Merced and Stanford, have found that bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a wide range of input parameters, in terms of transportation efficiency as well as emissions.