ABE Fermentation
ABE fermentation is short for “acetone butanol ethanol fermentation” using Clostridium acetobultylicum and related organisms. It is one of the oldest known industrial fermentation processes.
Acetone
Acetone is a colorless, volatile, extremely flammable liquid ketone, CH3COCH3, widely used as an organic solvent.
Advanced Biofuel
Advanced biofuel means renewable fuel, other than ethanol derived from corn starch that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that are at least 50 percent less than baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. (2007 Energy Bill)
Agriculture
Agriculture is defined as the science, art or business of cultivating soil, producing crops or raising livestock.
Alternative Energy
Alternative energy is any energy derived from sources other than nuclear power or the burning of fossil fuels. Examples of alternative energy include renewable biofuels like butanol, solar power and wind power.
Alternative Fuels
Alternative fuels can be defined as any fuels that are substantially nonpetroleum and yield energy security and environmental benefits.
Air Fuel Ratio
Air-Fuel Ratio refers to the mass ratio of air to fuel present during combustion and is an important measure for anti-pollution and performance tuning.
Bio-based Fuels
Bio-based fuels are any solid, liquid or gas fuels derived from biomass. Examples include butanol, ethanol, Bio-Diesel and hydrogen.
Biocatalyst
A biocatalyst refers to a substance, especially an enzyme, that initiates or modifies the rate of a chemical reaction in an organism; a biochemical catalyst. Commonly, the microorganism itself will be referred to as a biocatalyst due to its ability to internally carry out reactions and produce a desired product under specified conditions.
Bio-Diesel
Bio-Diesel is a biodegradable transportation fuel for use in diesel engines. Bio-Diesel is produced through the transesterfication of organically-derived oils or fats and may be used either as a replacement for or as a component of diesel fuel.
Bio-Energy
Bio-Energy is the use of biomass directly or indirectly produced by photosynthesis (including organic waste) to manufacture fuels and substitutes for petrochemical and other energy-intensive products.
Biofuel
Biofuel is any solid, liquid or gas fuel derived from biomass. Examples of biofuels include butanol, ethanol, bio-diesel and hydrogen.
Biomass
Biomass can be defined as any plant-derived organic matter. Examples of biomass that can be used for energy on a sustainable basis include trees, grasses, agricultural food and feed crops and agricultural crop wastes and residues. Sometimes referred to as cellulosic biomass, because ‘biomass’ contains cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin as the major components.
Butanol
Butanol is a second-generation, alcohol-based biofuel, CH3CH2CH2CH2OH, that is created from the fermentation of biomass such as corn, grass and agricultural waste.
Cellulosic Biofuel
Cellulosic biofuel means renewable fuel derived from any cellulose, hemicellulose, or lignin that is derived from renewable biomass and that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that are at least 60 percent less than the baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.(2007 Energy Bill)
Clostridium Acetobultylicum
A bacterium used in the fermentation process that produces butanol from biomass.
CO2
CO2 stands for carbon dioxide, a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms bonded to a single carbon atom.
Corn
Corn is a cereal grain that is the largest crop in all of the Americas. It is important grain in terms of renewable energy because it is a biomass that can be used to create biofuels.
Emissions
Emissions are defined as things that are sent out, or emitted. The term commonly refers to the carbon monoxide exhaust or flue gas that results from the combustion of fuels in automobiles.
Environmental Footprint
An environmental footprint, which is sometimes called an ecological footprint, refers to the overall impact something has on the environment, or its measure of consumption in terms of the environment.
Enzyme
An enzyme is a protein or protein-based molecule that speeds up chemical reactions occurring in living things. Enzymes act as catalysts for a single reaction, converting a specific set of reactants into specific products.
Ethanol
Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is an alcohol-based, first-generation biofuel produced by the fermentation of sugars.
Fermentation
Fermentation can be defined as a biochemical reaction that converts carbohydrates very selectively to butanol, ethanol, other biochemicals, carbon dioxide, and water.
Forestry Residues
Forestry residues are the tops, limbs or other woody material not removed in commercial forest harvesting or forest management operations. These residues can be used to create biofuels.
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are carbon or hydrocarbon fuels that form in the ground from the remains of dead plants and animals. It takes millions of years to form these fossil fuels, which include petroleum, natural gas and coal.
Future Fuels
Future fuels is a term that refers to the type of renewable fuels being researched and developed today for use in the future.
Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is a term used to describe the radiant heat from the Sun that gets trapped in our atmosphere due greenhouse gases produced from both natural and human sources.
Greenhouse Gas
Greenhouse gas can be defined as any gas, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, methane, and low-level ozone, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.
Heat of Vaporization
Heat of vaporization refers to the energy required to transform a given quantity of a substance into a gas for combustion. A lower heat of vaporization means a fuel is combustible with less energy input.
Hydrocarbon
A hydrocarbon is an organic compound composed entirely of hydrogen and carbon elements. Hydrocarbons, which are combustible, are the main components of fossil fuels, which include petroleum, coal and natural gas.
Isobutanol
Isobutanol is a colorless, flammable, organic compound, (CH3)2CHCH2OH, widely used as a solvent in chemical reactions and as a starting material for organic synthesis.
Jet Fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in jet-engined aircraft. The most common type of jet fuel is an unleaded/paraffin, oil-based fuel.
Ketone
Any of a class of organic compounds, such as acetone, having a carbonyl group linked to a carbon atom in each of two hydrocarbons.
Octane Rating
The octane rating is a measure of the resistance of gasoline and other fuels to detonation (engine knock) in spark-ignition internal combustion engines. Higher octane fuels are less prone to engine knocking.
Reducing Emissions
This term is commonly used to refer to decreasing harmful carbon monoxide emissions that lead to the greenhouse effect.
Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP)
RVP is the absolute vapor pressure exerted by a liquid at 100°F. The higher this value, the more volatile the sample and the more readily it will evaporate, contributing to undesirable evaporative emissions.
Relative Energy Value
Relative Energy Value refers to the amount of energy as a percentage of the energy of gasoline. Having a higher percentage means a more energy dense substance.
Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS)
The RFS is a provision of the US Energy Policy Act of 2005 that has mandated the use of biofuels based on gasoline production and tracked via RIN’s.
Renewable Identification Number (RIN)
A RIN is generated by the producer or importer of the renewable fuel and uniquely identifies every gallon in every batch of a renewable fuel. The RIN consists of a 38-character code having a specified form.
Renewable Resources
Renewable resources can be defined as sources of energy that can last indefinitely because they can be easily replaced through natural processes. Examples of renewable resources include trees and grasses.
Reuse
The term reuse means to use again, and often refers to using something in a different capacity once it has been reprocessed or recycled.
RIN Value
RIN Values have been assessed for various biofuels and advanced biofuels. These values are based on relative energy content of the biofuel compared to gasoline, with first generation ethanol being the standard at 1.0 per gallon.
Science Advisory Board
A science advisory board is a group of independent scientific and engineering experts who are responsible for giving advice to a business or organization they have been asked to serve.
Solubility
Solubility refers to the ability of a substance to dissolve in a given amount of water. For transportation fuels, a low solubility in water increases the likelihood that a product can be shipped via existing infrastructure (i.e. pipelines, tanks, etc.).
Sustainable
The term sustainable refers to anything that can continue on indefinitely into the future.
Transportation Fuels
Transportation fuels are the fuels used to power transportation vehicles like automobiles and airplanes.