Science Forums 2

[Michaelangelica]

I'm still not sure if I believe it but how can the web be wrong?
http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguide...9/b0909501.asp

some of the latex-producing plants of families Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Sapotaceae, Moraceae, Dipterocarpaceae, etc. are petroplants. Similarly, sunflower (family Composiae), Hardwickia pinnata (family Leguminosae) are also petroplants.
Some algae also produce hydrocarbons.

(b) Euphorbia : Different species of Euphorbia (Fig. 9.3) of family Euphorbiaceae serve as the petroplants. Dr. M. Calvin (1979) was the first to collect the hydrocarbons from plants of Euphorbiaceae.
He suggested that these can be the renewable substitute for the conventional petroleum sources.
Latex of Euphorbia lathyrus contains fairly high percentage of terpenoids.
These can be converted into high grade transportation fuel. Similarly the carbohydrates (hexoses) from such plants can be used for ethanol formation.

Some old pricing here on Mole plant Euphorbia lathyris
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/d..._lathyris.html

Harvesting
At Davis, drying the petroleum plant is more difficult than drying oil seeds. Plants harvested and left in early October were not dry enough for milling and hexane extraction by early November.
Yields and Economics
White et al. (1971) reported seed (or fruit) yields of more than 3 MT/ha from Beltsville (annual precipitation ca 10 dm, annual temperature ca 13°C). The seeds contain nearly 50% oil, suggesting a potential seed oil yield of 1.5 MT. In Sun Times (October, 1980) we read that Diamond Shamrock hopes to set 25 barrels of oil per acre from the latex. "Cost estimates for oil from gopherweed range from $20 to $60 a barrel, compared to the current oil world price of $32 a barrel." The bottom line, from an energy point of view, may rest nearer. Sachs et al. (1981) who conclude that hydrocarbons from Euphorbia lathyris would have to sell for $150 to $200 a barrel to be a practical source of fuel. They got lower yields with propotionately higher biocrude contents on their unirrigated plots. McLaughlin et al. (1982) report biomass yields of 14 MT/ha/yr with 8% biocrude for a biocrude yield of 8.6 barrels per hectare at a cost of $104/barrel ($31/GJ).

They talk about energy used in recovery. Still nothing on HOW? Maybe traditional distillation? as for essential oils?

Energy
There is a bewildering array of reported yields for the petroleum plant, 22 MT DM/ha (Nemethy et al., 1980), 19.8–24.7 barrels/ha/yr (mentioned by Sachs et al., 1981), 16.3–19.3 MT DM/ha/yr (irrigated, Sachs et al., 1981), 10.3–14.7 MT DM/ha/yr (fertilizer tests, Sachs, et al., 1981), 20–25 barrels/ha/yr (Calvin, 1980). Calvin's early estimates of supplying gasoline sufficient to satisfy U.S. requirements by planting an area the size of Arizona to Euphorbia lathyris (40 barrels per acre). None of the estimates published in the 80's approach that yield. Sachs et al. (1981) realized yields were closer to 5 barrels per hectare, suggesting it might take 20 Arizona's not one, to satisfy U.S. petroleum needs, if planted to Euphorbia lathyris. According to Nemethy et al. (1980), the heptane extract has a low oxygen content and a heat value of 42 MJ/kg which is comparable to those of crude oil (44 MJ/kg). Perhaps they are also optimistic in suggesting that the potential Euphorbia lathyris yield is equal to that of sugar cane (11.7 x 104 MJ ha/yr) adding the oil yield (6.5) and the alcohol yield (5.2 x 104 MJ ha/yr).
Still, in the Sun Times (October 1980, p. 15) an anonymous source says, "Melvin Calvin, Nobel laureate in chemistry, believes that the U.S. could produce more than 2 million barrels a day of gopheroll by 1985.
The Department of Energy has granted Calvin $250,000 to continue his research. Marvin Bagby, head of the Agriculture Department's hydrocarbon-plant research project, thinks that gopherweed is the leader among forty-five hydrocarbon-bearing plants that have commercial promise.
McLaughlin et al (1982) project a biocrude yield of 41.8 GJ with a bagasse yield of 216.4 GJ/ha/yr.
Assuming a 300,000 MT/yr processing facility, the total energy requirements would be 1285 x 1012 J, the gross production of biocrude 895, the net electricity production 1343 for a total net energy production of 953 x 1012 J at a cost of $28/GJ or $104/bbl for the biocrude. The biocrude energy yield is exceeded by the energy requirements, but the bagasse yield more than compensates.

maybe you make a stew?
This guy likes long involved sentences.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4338399.html

Process for recovering hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing biomass
Document Type and Number: United States Patent 4338399
Link to this Page: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4338399.html
Abstract: A process for enzymatically converting whole plant biomass containing hydrocarbon-containing laticifers to soluble sugars and recovering hydrocarbons in increased yields which comprises hydrolyzing whole plant cellulosic material in the presence of enzymes, particularly cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase, to produce a hydrocarbon product and recovering from the hydrolysis products a major proportion of the cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase enzymes for reuse.
At least some portion of the required make-up of cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase enzymes is produced in a two-stage operation wherein, in the first stage, a portion of the output sugar solution is used to grow enzyme secreting microorganisms selected from the group consisting of cellulase-secreting microorganisms, hemicellulase-secreting microorganisms, pectinase-secreting microorganisms, and mixtures thereof, and in the second stage, cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase enzyme formation is induced in the microorganism-containing culture medium by the addition of an appropriate inducer such as biomass.
The cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase enzymes are then recycled for use in the hydrolysis reaction

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Amazing petrol from plants; who would of thought it.

There are at least two botanical names for Gopher plant.