Making Ethanol from Office Paper - CopyEthanol : DigInfo

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JUON has developed CopyEthanol, an ethanol generator that makes ethanol without burning copy paper or disposing paper in landfills.
Because it doesn't burn paper, CopyEthanol produces zero CO2 emissions and is gentle on the environment. In addition, plant derived ethanol is not converted into CO2 emission equivalents.
Using CopyEthanol is easy. You merely insert shredded paper into the machine, turn on the switch, insert some more paper into the tank, and then let it sit for three days, during which time a fermentation solution is made. Ethanol is produced by distilling this fermentation solution at the end of the three day period.

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News & Politics

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• diginfo
• copyethanol
• ethanol
• juon
• japan
• recycle
• office
• paper
• copy
• energy
• co2
• emission
• environment
• renewable
• resource

[FSEffect]

Technically the CO2 produced would be neutral; the CO2 burned will be taken in again by the trees used to make the paper.

This is not true for fossil fuel since they are carbon sources built up from millions of years.

However some sources of ethanol fuel are only technically carbon neutral, since the use of fertilizers, transporting the fuel etc contribute to additional GHG release.

Recycling material like this is far more desirable but I do wonder whether enzyme breakdown is efficient enough

[MondoBeno]

How many sheets letter-size (A4) paper would it take to make 1 liter of ethanol?

[Crushedknee]

The Enzyme "Amalaze B" used to break down cellulose..In paper, wood and grain chaff to sugars..It Is produced by bacteria,,Horse Poo has a lot of the right kind of bacteria..More than ruminants like Cows..Ruminants use a multi step process in 4 stomachs, bacteria fermentation , acid's and mechanical breakdown to convert cellulose to sugar..Horses rely on just the bacterial so they have more of the right bacteria..

[Johnlismore]

@alancj05 @flyingpigstuff

I also wonder if the 'enzymes' they use to convert the sugar to ethanol produce CO2. When yeast-cell-produced enzymes convert sugar to ethanol, a huge amount of CO2 is released as a by-product. I'd love to find out what enzymes they're using, and if they are in fact nothing more than some strain of saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewer's yeast)...plus the energy needed to generate heat to run the distillation would, I think, nearly negate the ethanol fuel energy created...

[neil9327]

now we have the real reason for the gatherings around the office photocopier...

[alancj05]

@flyingpigstuff you answered your own question. the ETHANOL comes from the sugar.. from the paper... from the tree... from the CO2 in the atmosphere, all powered by the sun. That's what carbon neutral means, it's a cycle, so it doesn't count as a "CO2 emission equivalent." Distillation energy is a fraction of the value of the ethanol. You can use any stationary heat source.

[alancj05]

@flyingpigstuff you answered your own question. the ETHANOL comes from the sugar.. from the paper... from the tree... from the CO2 in the atmosphere, all powered by the sun. Thats what carbon neutral means, it's a cycle. Distillation energy is a fraction of the value of the ethanol. You can use any stationary heat source.

[datzfast]

@beingther wal-mart had them on sale but they only had 15 and they were gone the first hour. ok im lying you cant buy them ever never not even the one he has.

[flyingpigstuff]

Um, how does it reduce CO2 when Ethanol is a component of the CO2 available in paper? Also what did you use to distill the methanol from the mash, magic heating fairies that use no energy? So when you burn the methanol does it not produce CO2 that originated in the tree that became paper?

[avitech77]

Where can I buy one of those?

[wileycoyotengineer]

If you get electricity from solar it would be better to use it to make ethanol or hydrogen.. Around here sunlight comes and goes. Ethanol or hydrogen is in a store-able state to be used when needed. Not just when the sun shines.

I think hydrogen is best. It can be made from salt water an sunshine. The two most abundant things on the planet.