A Flex Fuel Truck that runs on Wood?

renewable energy workshop in Perry Saturday, November 13

Taylor County Extension

203 Forest Park Drive

Perry, Florida 32348

http://taylor.ifas.ufl.edu/

$15.00 Registration Fee Required

To RSVP contact 850-838-3508

A Flex Fuel Truck that runs on Wood?

Clay Olson, County Extension Director, Taylor County

This truck can drive 2000 miles for $20 in fuel cost – 1 pound of wood per mile at 70 mph – one ton of ton (2000 lbs) - $20 retail FOB Perry. Believe it or not, this technology was used extensively in WWII in Europe when gasoline supplies ran out. It was also used in Korea until the 1980’s for taxi transportation.  Rising fuel prices and global warming have caused renewed interest in this almost forgotten technology.

Wood gasification is a process whereby organic material (in this case wood) is converted into a combustible gas through heat applied in a reduced oxygen environment. The first use of wood gasification dates back to the 1870’s when it was used as a fore runner of natural gas for street lighting and cooking. In the 1920’s German Engineer Georges Imbert developed a woo gas generator for mobile use. Combustible gases were cooled and filtered and fed into the vehicles combustion engine with some slight modifications.

During the Second World War the technology became common place in many European countries as the rationing of fuel occurred. In Germany alone, estimates are 500,000 producer gas vehicles were in operation by the end of the war. Altogether, more than one million producer gas vehicles were used during World war Two. After the war, with gasoline once again readily available, the technology fell into oblivion almost immediately.

Rising fuel prices and concerns with global warming have resulted in renewed interest in biomass as a direct fuel. The greatest advantage of producer gas vehicles is that a readily accessible and renewable fuel can be used directly without and previous treatment. A properly operating wood gas vehicle or generator produces less air pollution than a gasoline or diesel powered car. Wood gasification is considerably cleaner than wood burning: emissions are comparable to those of burning natural gas.

On the down side gasification can take up a lot of space in a pickup truck, as much as 1/3 of a the bed can be used for gasification equipment which can weigh 400-500 lbs. the size of the equipment is due to the low energy content of wood when compared to gasoline. The energy content of wood is around 5.7 MJ/kg and 44 MJ/kg for gasoline, and 56MJ/Kg for natural gas. Because of the high nitrogen content of producer gas the engine receives fewer combustibles which reduces the output of the engine by35%.

In spite of certain limitations, in the current economic downturn and the cost of energy, producer gas motors and generators are receiving renewed interest in the use of this power for transportation and fixed base applications from farming and residential interests.

 

 

Mary Beth Henry

Small Farms/Pesticide Licensing

Extension Agent I, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County

1702 HWY. 17 S, Bartow, FL 33831 T: 863.519.8677 x 102  F: 863.534.0001

mbhenry@ufl.edu     http://polksmallfarms.com http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/ 

No Farmers No Food

 

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