Turning New York's Wood into the Energy of the Future

Turning New York's Wood into the Energy of the Future
SUNY -- January 13, 2005

We know our sources of fossil fuel aren't going to last forever," Dr. Thomas Amidon said. "The new Biorefinery process will allow us to substitute a sustainable energy source: wood."
During the last few years, Amidon collaborated with students ranging from a home-schooled high school student to ESF doctoral candidates to devise a new and subtler method for separating wood into its components.
Chief among those components is cellulose, the polysaccharide (sugar) that is the single strongest, most widely used component of woody plants. In the context of a paper mill, cellulose becomes pulp for use in making paper. The second largest component of hardwood trees is the polysaccharide xylan, which is primarily dissolved in the pulping process.
"The real value in that sugar," Amidon said, "was never exploited. Once fermented, the sugar xylan can produce ethanol, which can be used in cars instead of, or in combination with, traditional gasoline."
Although the energy factor is the focus of attention now, as the state steps up its development of alternative fuel sources, there is a second benefit to the process. In addition to extracting sugar from the wood, scientists can separate out the wood's acetic acid, which is used primarily in manufacturing. A major use of acetic acid is the manufacturing of polyvinyl acetate, a plastic used in many aspects of home construction, and many other consumer products. The commercial value of acetic acid is nearly three times that of ethanol: 45 cents per pound as opposed to 18 cents per pound.