Ethanol from coal
Encyclopedia
Ethanol from coal is the ethanol
produced using coal
as its carbon source. The anaerobic bacterium Clostridium ljungdahlii
produces ethanol and acetic acid
from CO, CO2, and H2 in synthesis gas. Early studies with C. ljungdahlii showed that relatively high concentrations of ethanol were produced. This process involves three main steps:
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
produced using coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
as its carbon source. The anaerobic bacterium Clostridium ljungdahlii
Clostridium ljungdahlii
Clostridium ljungdahlii is an anaerobic, motile, gram-positive bacterium. It can be used in the fermentation process for second generation biofuels....
produces ethanol and acetic acid
Acetic acid
Acetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CO2H . It is a colourless liquid that when undiluted is also called glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar , and has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell...
from CO, CO2, and H2 in synthesis gas. Early studies with C. ljungdahlii showed that relatively high concentrations of ethanol were produced. This process involves three main steps:
- Gasification: Thermal gasification at temperatures of up to 2,200°F in a reducingRedoxRedox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
, very low oxygen atmosphere transforms organic materials into simple CO, CO2 and H2 gases. - Fermentation: The acetogenic C. ljungdahlii convert the carbon monoxide into ethanol.
- Distillation: Ethanol is separated from hydrogen and water.