Choices Article - Energy Production with Biomass: What Are the Prospects?

Table 2

Actual and anticipated bioenergy crop-based processes.

Raw Material	Pretreatment		Secondary Treatment		Technical Status	Yield^c		Production Cost^d	Capital Cost
Raw Material	Process	Products	Process	Products	Technical Status	Current	Potential	Production Cost^d	Capital Cost
(1)Commercial crops^a	Mechanical	Glucose	Fermentation	Ethanol	Operating	106	106	$1.12/gal	$1.10/gal
(2)Biomass^b	None		Combustion	Steam/Electricity	Operating			$0.07/kw-hr
(3a)Biomass^b	Gasification	Syngas: H₂ CO	Catalysis: Fischer-Tropsch, Pearson	Ethanol Methanol Proponal	Commercially Feasible	63	137	expensive
(3b)Biomass^b	Gasification	Syngas:	Fermentation	Ethanol Electricity	Technically Feasible			Unknown	$2.40/gal
(4) Biomass^b	Hydrolysis with acid	Glucose Xylose	Fermentation	Ethanol	Technically Feasible	52		$1.80/gal	$4.70/gal
(5) Biomass^b	Hydrolysis with base		Fermentation	Ethanol	May be available in future	----	120	$0.75/gal	$2.40/gal
^aCorn, wheat, or sugar; ^bCrop residues, switchgrass, poplar, willow, or MSW (municipal solid waste); ^cIn gallons fuel per ton of biomass input; ^dIncludes annual allowance for capital repayment.