The Utilization of Geothermal Energy in the Production of Fuel Grade Ethanol in the San Luis Valley, Colorado
- Key words
- Direct Use; Exploration; USA; Colorado; San Luis Valley; Geology; Industrial; Moderate Temperature; Economics; Ethanol; Process Heat
- Location
- San Luis Valley, Colorado
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 1981
- Session
- Direct use; Exploration; Industrial applications; Economics;
- Language
- English
Abstract
As petroleum prices continue to escalate and the pressure increases to gain energy independence from foreign suppliers, ethanol is receiving renewed attention as an alternative to petroleum derivative fuels. Fermentation ethanol is one of the most promising non petroleum fuels that can be produced in the near term and is the first non petroleum fuel to attain widespread use into eh United States through the sale of gasohol, a blend of 10 percent anhydrous ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. Fermentation anhydrous ethanol is manufactured by converting biomass to fermentable sugars, fermenting the sugars to a low concentration ethanol solution, then distilling and dehydrating the ethanol.
Copyright 1981, Geothermal Resources Council. Readers who download papers from this site should honour the copyright of the original authors, and may not copy or distribute the work further without the permission of the original publisher.