Chubu Electric Starts Producing Methanol from Wood Waste

Chubu Electric Power Co., in cooperation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, started operating Japan's first pilot plant on May 17, 2004 to produce a liquid alcohol fuel, from woody biomass or biological resources such as waste wood.

The aim of the project is to test the commercial feasibility of the entire system, from pre-treatment and gasification of biomass materials through to methanol production, at a new pilot plant built within the Kawagoe Thermal Power Station compound in Kawagoe Town, Mie Prefecture. The plant will be operated for a week every month until November 2004, producing 20 liters of methanol from two tons of wood waste per day.

Woody biomass has drawn attention as a resource for which Japan can be self-sufficient, since it is easily available here. Furthermore, it is considered an ultimate measure against carbon dioxide emissions, since the CO2 discharged when biomass is burned can be balanced by that absorbed by plants while growing. Until now, biomass fuels have been used only within small areas, however, because they are so bulky and inconvenient for transportation.

This newly developed technology is innovative in that woody biomass such as logged wood or driftwood at dams is converted into a liquid fuel which is easy to transport, store, and handle. The fuel produced can be used in small boilers, cogeneration systems and fuel cells as an alternative to conventional liquid fuels such as diesel oil and liquefied natural gas. This technology also has the advantage of using all parts of biomass including stalks, leaves, and fruit, which enables high fuel conversion efficiency of 40 to 50 percent by weight.


http://www.chuden.co.jp/english/corporate/press2004/0513_1.html

Posted: 2004/08/10 01:44:53 PM
Japanese version