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Solved: Biomass plants generate electricity from waste
Chapter 6, Problem 153P(choose chapter or problem)
Biomass plants generate electricity from waste material such as wood chips. Some of these plants convert the feedstock to ethanol \(\left(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right)\) for later use as a fuel. (a) How many grams of ethanol can be produced from 1.0 ton of wood chips, if 85 percent of the carbon is converted to \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\)? (b) How much energy would be released by burning the ethanol obtained from 1.0 ton of wood chips? (Hint: Treat the wood chips as cellulose.)
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Biomass plants generate electricity from waste material such as wood chips. Some of these plants convert the feedstock to ethanol \(\left(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\right)\) for later use as a fuel. (a) How many grams of ethanol can be produced from 1.0 ton of wood chips, if 85 percent of the carbon is converted to \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{OH}\)? (b) How much energy would be released by burning the ethanol obtained from 1.0 ton of wood chips? (Hint: Treat the wood chips as cellulose.)
ANSWER:Step 1 of 3
Here, we calculate the amount of ethanol and energy released in the combustion of ethanol.
From the given data, Treat the wood chips as cellulose.
So, the molecular weight of the cellulose molecular formula 
In the molecular formulae of cellulose have six carbon atoms.First we, determine the carbon percentage in the cellulose.
To calculate the carbon percentage in the cellulose is as follows.
Caron percentage =
= 44.4%
44.4% of carbon is converted to tons 0.444grams.
1.0 ton of wood chips have 0.444 grams of carbon.