Processing Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • News & Notes
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Webinars
  • White Papers
  • 3D Models
  • Breakthrough Products Awards
  • Maintenance & Safety
  • Material Handling
  • Mixing & Blending
  • Powder & Bulk Processing
  • Process Control & Automation
  • Pumps, Motors & Drives
  • Valves & Actuators
  • Topics
    Maintenance & SafetyMaterial HandlingMixing, Blending & Size ReductionProcess Control & AutomationPumps, Motors & DrivesValves & ActuatorsPowder & Bulk Solids
    Resources
    MagazineEventsNews & NotesVideosPodcastsWebinarsWhite PapersBreakthrough Products Awards
    User Tools
    SubscribeAdvertiseAbout UsContact UsPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions
    http://www.facebook.com/ProcessingMagazine
    https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/27062974
    https://twitter.com/ProcessingMag
    1. News & Notes

    Questions raised over ethanol fuel refinery emissions

    May 11, 2015

    Refineries that produce ethanol fuel may be releasing much larger amounts of some pollutants than previously thought.

    Staff
    BanksPhotos/iStock
    BanksPhotos/iStock

    Refineries that produce ethanol fuel may be releasing much larger amounts of some pollutants than previously thought, according to a study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, a publication of the American Geophysical Union.

    Researchers found that emissions of certain ozone-forming compounds from an ethanol refinery in Illinois were many times higher than government estimates.

    Airborne measurements downwind from the Archer Daniels Midland refinery in Decatur showed that ethanol emissions were 30 times higher than government estimates. Emissions of all volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include ethanol, were five times higher.

    VOCs and nitrogen oxides react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, the main component of smog.

    Under federal renewable fuel standards, ethanol made from corn constitutes approximately 10 percent of the fuel used in gasoline vehicles in the United States. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this rule is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum imports, while boosting the U.S. renewable fuels sector.

    However, if emissions at the more than 200 refineries across the country are similar to those at the Decatur plant, ethanol fuel production is a larger source of ethanol and VOCs than burning the ethanol fuel in a car. The new measurements showed that ethanol emissions from production of one kilogram of ethanol at the refinery were 170 times higher than what comes out of a vehicle burning the same amount of ethanol.

    The findings suggest that more measurements need to be taken of the emissions coming from ethanol fuel refineries.

    "Obviously, this was just one refinery that we looked at, so we'd like to do more and see if these findings are more universal or if this plant was just exceptional," said lead author Joost de Gouw, a scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.

    Continue Reading

    Honeywell introduces UOP eFining technology for new class of sustainable aviation fuel

    Summit Next Gen to use Honeywell ethanol-to-jet fuel technology for production of sustainable aviation fuel

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Cosmo Oil and Yokogawa explore possibilities for refinery digitalization

    Plans include having quadruped robots perform plant inspections and maintenance.

    Processing Pros Ep. 3: Jack Hilbert talks pneumatic conveying

    Senior editor Nate Todd chats with Jack Hilbert about pneumatic conveying phases, common conveying challenges and two things all conveyor end users should know.

    Product focus: Powder and bulk processing

    Screen feeder STEDI-FLO screen feeder by Dynamic Air is a screen and feeder combination using either a single-, double- or triple-deck screen and a brute-force drive with two ...

    Understanding ratholing and bridging phenomena in bulk powder feeding

    Feeder design is critical to maintaining consistent and reliable material flow from storage vessels into processing equipment.

    Latest in News & Notes

    Courtesy of Yokogawa
    News & Notes

    Cosmo Oil and Yokogawa explore possibilities for refinery digitalization

    Dec. 4, 2023
    News & Notes

    Rotary pump 

    Watson Marlow Fluid Technologies Solutions
    Nov. 30, 2023

    Most Read

    Food safety and quality management with maintenance software and sensors

    NETZSCH building new multiple screw pump factory

    Techceuticals announces relaunch with an expanded focus on the pharmaceutical industry

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Cosmo Oil and Yokogawa explore possibilities for refinery digitalization

    Processing Pros Ep. 3: Jack Hilbert talks pneumatic conveying

    Product focus: Powder and bulk processing

    Processing Magazine
    http://www.facebook.com/ProcessingMagazine
    https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/27062974
    https://twitter.com/ProcessingMag
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Do Not Sell or Share
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    © 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Endeavor Business Media Logo