ENV Economics
Presentation
P-Series:
• Renewable, non-petroleum, liquid fuels that can readily be substituted for gasoline
• 35% comes from liquid by products, known as “C5+” or pentanes plus
• Which are left over from natural gas processing
• Ethanol fermented from corn now comprises about 45%
• Remaining 20% is MeTHF an ether derived from lignocellulostic biomass: (paper sludge, wastepaper, food waste, wood waste and so on)
• MeTHF use over ethanol, higher yield, same production methods,
Addresses three problems: the need for non-petroleum energy sources, solid waste management and affordability
• Urban areas could control a large portion of generated trash simply by funneling it into production of this fuel
• Feedstock is not incinerated but chemically digested so there is no combustion with toxic air emissions
• To be used in FFV’s, which are continually gaining popularity and make up much of the AFV’s in the graph below





• Could give ethanol production a more energy productive pathway in terms of energy positive consumption or replace that market entirely with a more energy efficient alternative fuel source
• Currently cost is at $1.49 per gallon about 13 cents less than mid-grade gasoline
• 1999 used in Philly public sector sedan vehicles, implementation was successful overall
• 2000 University of Louisville was given a grant to begin construction on a large refinery
Overview: currently there is lack of demand for this fuel type and the lack of literature on the fuel type is reflective of this. However, given that all the ingredients for this fuel type can be found domestically, its ability to productively utilize and manage waste, its emission level being well below federal standards, the rising use of FFV’s in the American auto economy, its ability to co-opt ethanol production into its own production, and the DOE’s estimation that by 2005 effective implementation could have displaced roughly 1 billion gallons or 1 percent of gasoline annually; there remains an immense interest in this fuel type to help alleviate our dependence on foreign oil.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
H2 ECONOMICS: Measuring Cost
Energy Content
1 kg H2 ~ 1 gallon gasoline
Fuel Cost
$1/kg H2 ~ $1/gallon gasoline
Fuel Economy
H2 FCV ~ 1.5-2.5 x Gasoline Car
Fuel cost per mile ($/mi)
= Fuel cost ($/gallon)/Fuel economy (mi/gallon)
=> H2 can cost 1.5-2.5 X as much as gasoline and
give the same fuel cost per mile!
Existing technologies :
• PEM polymer electrolyte membrane 1350 hours in battery life or stack life in automotive use, some CO2 emissions when used with other fuels
• AFC or alkaline fuel cell, most mature in terms of technological advancements, however short battery life makes them less than commercially desirable
• DMFC direct methanol fuel cell- methanol has a higher energy density then hyrdrogen, uses methanol and steam to produce energy, however it is about 3-4 years of research behind other types
• PAFCS phosphoric acid fuel cells, 200 in operation today but mainly viable in terms of stationary use,
• Newest development URFC unitized regernertive fuel cell, produces electricity from hydrogen and oxygen emitting only hot water. Its light weight and could find use in vehicle technology although that has yet to be tested
• Others = MCFC molten carbonate fuel cell and SOFC solid oxide fuel cell– highest fuel efficiency, high temp design,



• The technology exists, however after the 100 billion dollar cut in 2010 for hydrogen research, the main hurdle currently is seemingly economic and transcends infrastructure development and fuel cell development………. please direct attention to the hand outs