E85: Holden & Coskata To Establish Australia's First Cellulosic Ethanol Plant

[Rick_VT]

Just found this on a site here in australia, good to see Holden taking alead with this here, no doubt the work betweeen GM and Coskata is goin well enough for them to look at a plant here in Aus. Full article at link.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=682972


A major investment in ethanol fuel production in Australia and a range of greener vehicles underpin Holden's bid for a greater share of the eco-friendly motoring market from early next year.

Managing director Mark Reuss says Holden is in talks with American firm Coskata to establish Australia's first plant to produce cellulosic ethanol, made from non-edible plant material, for use in motor fuels.

By 2010, Holden will also produce locally-built cars that can run on E85 fuel - fuel made up of 85 per cent ethanol - in an effort to encourage widespread use of ethanol-rich fuel in Australia.

E10 fuel - with 10 per cent ethanol - is widely available in Australia and is compatible with a range of modern vehicles.

The fuel would be cheaper, largely renewable and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Mr Reuss said.

Little start-up investment would be needed to sell commercially, he said.

"We have always said we would take a leadership position on ethanol and we're going to provide the vehicles to do that," he told a dinner in Melbourne on Thursday.

"We already have Saab bio-powered E85 vehicles on the market but there is obviously greater market pressure required to stimulate infrastructure, fuel production and policy in Australia."

Holden will modify fuel systems and recalibrate engines in its cars to run on E85 fuel and will develop cars powered by other alternative fuels, Mr Reuss said.

[RedVee8]

Good, I think .

I do like the bit about the ethanol coming from non-edible plant materials. Maybe all those wood chips we'vwe been sending offshore can stay and have have value added in Australia?

[Kamshaaft]

Can the VE run on E85, or just E10?

[johnstarnes]

I think of Australia as dry and badly drought-ridden, so I am curious as to what the feed stock for this ethanol plant would be.

[Slick_Holden]

Can the VE run on E85, or just E10?

They say yes going on ad's and badges i have seen on cars..




Will be good to see Holden go dedicated gas and improve the engine for it. Would reduce weight and might ad to it's performance and economy..

[Kamshaaft]

They say yes going on ad's and badges i have seen on cars..




Will be good to see Holden go dedicated gas and improve the engine for it. Would reduce weight and might ad to it's performance and economy..

The old man's got a VE, but he's always run it on Premium w/o any ethanol blend, so I couldn't remember. Only seen one Ethanol blend fuel pump anyway.

[mikmak]

I think of Australia as dry and badly drought-ridden, so I am curious as to what the feed stock for this ethanol plant would be.

Whilst that is essentially true, there are still many areas that can grow dedicated crops for ethanol. For example, my FIL used to grow sugar cane. Once the local mill closed (bought out for its real estate value), the cane industry became unsustainable. Due to the land's proximity to the sea (it's right along side an inlet and major river, the high salinity makes crop selection very limited. This land can't be used to grow much else, but by diversifying its return (CCS for sugar and green waste for ethanol), the industry may well return to sustainability.

There are some more factors involved now, such as dormant machinery now needs replacing. If the Feds had have acted earlier, perhaps viability would have been more convincing, but our previous PM and his party dragged their feet on oil dependency (I believe because Gdubya threw him a bone: "He's a man of steel" )

Now it's all finnigan beginagain.

[johnstarnes]

Whilst that is essentially true, there are still many areas that can grow dedicated crops for ethanol. For example, my FIL used to grow sugar cane. Once the local mill closed (bought out for its real estate value), the cane industry became unsustainable. Due to the land's proximity to the sea (it's right along side an inlet and major river, the high salinity makes crop selection very limited. This land can't be used to grow much else, but by diversifying its return (CCS for sugar and green waste for ethanol), the industry may well return to sustainability.

There are some more factors involved now, such as dormant machinery now needs replacing. If the Feds had have acted earlier, perhaps viability would have been more convincing, but our previous PM and his party dragged their feet on oil dependency (I believe because Gdubya threw him a bone: "He's a man of steel" )

Now it's all finnigan beginagain.

Thanks....what is "FIL"?

[Rick_VT]

Long term this could be a money spinner for Holden if it takes of, but since the Commodore is the only one that is likely to use E85 i think it would take a while, but who knows if the plant becomes big enough and they make enough maybe exports of it??

[mmciau]

Thanks....what is "FIL"?

Father-in-Law

[RedVee8]

The old man's got a VE, but he's always run it on Premium w/o any ethanol blend, so I couldn't remember. Only seen one Ethanol blend fuel pump anyway.

I think the VE can take E10 at the moment, with upto E85 coming with an upate. The Brazil Omegas take around E20-E25 as their standard.

I think an E85-LPG dual fuel could be an economical (to run) device, hopefully stem some of the sales decline.
I wish they'd go LPG on the V8 as well.

[Slick_Holden]

The old man's got a VE, but he's always run it on Premium w/o any ethanol blend, so I couldn't remember. Only seen one Ethanol blend fuel pump anyway.

I know E10 is fine but E85 is very hard to find. I thought inside the refiller it said E10 ?.
A friend of mine called from WA and asked me was it ok to run E10 in his bosses VN V6. I said go for it but i wouldn't do it all the time only 1 tank here and there. But new cars i think are pretty easy going with it.

Honestly i wouldn't run it in my old cars.

[Baz]

Don't put E85 in a non E85 car. Simple as that. Won't end well.

[mikmak]

My understanding is that E10 is fine in most cars made after 1986 (coinciding with ULP?). But E85? Yeah, leave that to the professionals

[mikmak]

Managing director Mark Reuss says Holden is in talks with American firm Coskata to establish Australia's first plant to produce cellulosic ethanol, made from non-edible plant material, for use in motor fuels.

They'd better hurry......

Commercialising second generation ethanol production technology

Ethtec has a world-wide exclusive license to further develop and commercialise patented, laboratory-proven technologies for the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic material such as wood, bagasse (waste from sugar production), crop stubble and municipal green waste. This is generally referred to as "cellulosic ethanol".

Link