What’s So Advanced about Advanced Biofuels?

Initially prepared for a middle school class, this presentation grew, was revised for the 2012 Dupont Summit, and is appropriate for any individual or group beginning to think about advanced biofuels.

The presentation answers the questions: What Are Advanced Biofuels? Why Are They Important?  What Are They Used For?  How Are They Made?  Can We Buy Them NOW?

It also includes a class/group activity to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of sustainability from economic, environmental and social perspectives.  After the exercise and a review of some elements pertinent to each of those legs of the sustainability analysis stool, the presentation goes into deeper discussions of the make-up of plant cells, explanations of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.  We hope in future presentations or additions to this presentation to delve into the properties and construction of algae and cyanobacteria, as well.

The presentation wraps up with a list of jobs related to an advanced biofuels industry.

Download PowerPoint presentation February 2013 revisions with Policy emphasis

This PowerPoint presentation can also serve as a primer for use by teachers, students, campus groups, civic or church organizations.  It describes, step by step,

• what advanced biofuels are,
• why they are important,
• what key laws and regulations have been passed and implemented to encourage and promote the development of advanced biofuels,
• summaries of processes used to convert biomass to advanced biofuels, and
• the challenges and issues that must be overcome and resolved if this world can have successful, useful advanced biofuels production.

It also includes some pages of

• questions and thoughts;
• class or student projects; and
• advanced research suggestions.

A companion publication (teacher’s edition, if you will) that provides depth and background for this presentation is presented in Biofuels Basics, also part of this Biofuels Basics section of this web site.

For those interested in using this presentation for potential investors, or for those thinking of participating in any level of the value chain involved in biofuels and advanced biofuels, the materials in the About Advanced Biofuels for Growers and Investors may prove useful.

Advanced Biofuels:  Meeting Challenges in Fuel Supplies and Energy Efficiency

Advanced Biofuels: Meeting Challenges in Fuel Supplies and Energy Efficiency This presentation was prepared for career tech/automotive classes.  It begins with a summary of challenges to getting advanced ethanols and drop-in biomass-based fuels into production and to the marketplace.  The second part discusses the types of motors being designed and used that optimize the characteristics of ethanol in order to achieve the similar optimized mileage, regardless of ethanol/gasoline blends used.  Companion pieces for teachers or discussion leaders are the Biofuels Basics page referenced above and a paper, New Engine Technologies Could Produce Similar Mileage for All Ethanol Fuel Mixtures, by Robert E. Kozak.

Download Presentation

If you would like to have the PowerPoint version so that you can adapt it to your specific needs, please contact us at info@AdvancedBiofuelsUSA.org.

Fuels of the Future:  The Bioalcohol Paradigm

Fuels of the Future: The Bioalcohol Paradigm This slide presentation has been created by Drew Sowersby to inform a broad audience about the importance and potential dominance of bioalcohols in the transportation industry as the global transition from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable advanced biofuels gains momentum. The information contained in these slides stands in support of the Advanced Biofuels USA mission to promote understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels.

These slides are for public consumption and can be duplicated, replicated, modified, adapted, distributed, transmitted, and/or shared as seen fit by the reader. Please credit sources accordingly. If you wish to modify this document, just add your name under Drew Sowersby’s on the first slide.

A very important note: Some slides contain additional information in the notes section below the graphic.  This information can be very useful in understanding the many graphs, charts and illustrations in this presentation. If you would like to contact the author, write to info@advancedbiofuelsusa.org and include “Drew Sowersby” in the subject line.     Download slide presentation

Green Gasoline:  A Renewable Petroleum Alternative From Plants

By Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation Graphic of pathways to green gasoline and other biofuels:

For more information go to www.nsf.gov/greengasoline

http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsmedia/greengasoline/images/gg_pcard_h.jpg

Cellulosomes by Drew Sowersby:  The enzymes responsible for degrading cellulosic material into useful sugars form an interesting supercomplex called a cellulosome. This complex is tethered to the membrane of the Clostridium bacteria.  I have attached a presentation I made concerning these protein monstrosities.   Slide 9 shows multiple cellulosomes coming together to form a true miracle in the evolution of life. A cellulose utilizing lifeform!  Supramolecular presentation– Cellulose and the cellusome