SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 39)

a New Era in Energy BY CHARLOTTE THOMAS, SWE CONTRIBUTOR T he variety and scope of university and corporate research in alternative fuels is staggering. Hydrogen fuel cells that mimic photosynthesis to changing the molecular structure of platinum are among potential solutions currently on research benches or in the preliminary stages of consumer use. Engineers developing cellulosic ethanol production and new engine design continue to make breakthroughs. Such efforts are promising, yet will they be viable? The obstacles to finding sources of fuel other than oil are formidable. The goal has “multiple dimensions and constraints,” observed Ralph Cicerone, president, National Academy of Sciences, at the organization’s 145th annual meeting in April. He described the search for sustainable energy as a “transforming issue that has dominated national and international attention” and compared the current search for energy to the nuclear arms race and to placing a man on the moon. Alternative fuels will not come from one source or technology and will not happen soon. “There is nothing on the shelf that is economical and will make a big difference,” said John B. Heywood, Ph.D., MIT’s Sun Jae Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director, Sloan Automotive Laboratory. Also at MIT, Daniel G. Nocera, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy, chemistry professor and head of the Nocera Research Group, cited three factors that will force governments, industry, and consumers to curtail a voracious fossil fuel habit, of which 98.5 percent relies on petroleum: economics, geopolitical instability, and public awareness of the adverse affects of fuels on the environment. Current headlines confirm that all three are happening. line used in the United States each year. “That is all the crop land we have,” he said. In addition, corn ethanol saves little in terms of overall energy or greenhouse gas emissions. “Simply swapping out ethanol for petroleum doesn’t look good,” he stated. Fortunately, corn is not the only source of ethanol. “Cellulosic ethanol is the next step,” said Christy Madlinger, P.E., a consultant with 20 years of experience in sustainable energy. Starting with the design of agricultural ethanol facilities, she moved into the commercialization of corn ethanol project development. According to Madlinger, processing cellulosic ethanol on an industrial scale is limited by finding cost-effective processes to produce it and the enormous capacity needed to store the feedstock material. Growing fuel locally While oil is finite, cellulosic biomass materials are renewable and abundant. A variety of resources from agricultural and forestry by-products to paper pulp can become energy. Hybrid poplars, strains of willow, and grasses grow on land considered unusable such as coal spoils. Algae grow in Three factors will force governments, industry, and consumers to curtail a voracious fossil fuel habit economics, geopolitical instability, and public awareness of the adverse affects of fuels on the environment. Corn ethanol is not the answer As researchers accelerate efforts to find alternative sources of energy, deeper studies have unveiled problems with at least one technology once hailed as a viable solution. Despite its promise and considerable government and private funding, corn ethanol is not the answer it once appeared to be. Erik Lichtenberg, professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland, theorized that if cars ran exclusively on corn ethanol, farmers would need 500 million acres to grow enough corn to replace the amount of gaso- UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE CREDIT: CORBIS Switchgrass is a renewable cellulosic biomass material that can be converted to energy. SWE FALL 2008 39

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Fall 2008

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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