Biomass and Hydrogen: An Answer to the European Liquid Fuels Crisis in the 21st Century?

Messenger, M. (1982). Biomass and Hydrogen: An Answer to the European Liquid Fuels Crisis in the 21st Century? IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-82-003

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Abstract

The primary objective of this paper is to assess the resource potential and production costs involved in the large-scale collection and transformation of biomass to methanol. The energy collectible from wastes, agricultural energy crops, and wood energy farms is discussed on the basis of climate conditions, expected yields, and delivery costs to plant on national and regional levels. Estimates account for collection, transport, and opportunity costs but neglect potential environmental costs due to harvesting as well as indirect costs such as for water, materials, fertilizer, or labor. In addition, two processing alternatives for obtaining methanol are examined. They involve thermal gasification and synthesis from biomass only or blending with hydrogen obtained from solar thermal conversion plants, the latter method appearing twice as effective with respect to biomass use. At last the author envisions elements of a transition to a biomass-to-methanol system for meeting Western Europe's demand for motor fuels in the longer term.

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