Nakagawa, Hitoshi (Natl. Inst. Agrobio. Sci. (NIAS), Japan, 2425 Kami-Murata, Hitachi-Ohmiya, Ibaraki, 319-2293, Japan; Phone: +81-295-52-4620; Fax: +81-295-53-1075; Email: ngene@affrc.go.jp)

Biomethanol Production and CO₂ Emission Reduction from Forage Grasses, Trees and Residues of Crops

H. Nakagawa *, T. Harada, T. Ichinose, K. Takeno, M. Kobayashi, M. Sakai

With a wide array of potentially renewable energy resources, the concept and proposed benefits evolving from the use of biofuels are inspiring. Recently, a new approach regarding the gasification of biomass by partial oxidation for biomethanol production has been developed and is being evaluated at the 'Norin Green No. 1' test plant in Nagasaki, Japan. To determine a useful protocol for producing biomethanol, various kinds of biomass resources, such as sawdust and bark of Japanese cedar, chipped Japanese larch, salix, cut waste wood from demolition sites, head and foliage of sorghum, grass hay, bran, straw, and husks of rice were evaluated for their potential biofuel-use characteristics. From the analysis, lignocellulosic resources (wood materials) and rice bran are estimated to produce a high methanol yield (55% by weight), whereas rice straw and husks returned 36% and 39%, respectively. Each of these products is a clean material, easily obtained and highly useful for biomethanol production. Developing nations that are interested in constructing a national energy policy focused upon the establishment of a biofuel-based economy. Recycling of byproducts of agricultural and forest industries has been previously shown that they could reduce the demand for fossil fuels and provide for a more ecologically friendly energy resource. Our research suggests that an additional possibility for biomethanol production could be developed through the utilization of cellulosic and lignocellulosic resources as raw materials