$7K Ethanol-at-Home Machine

Do you have a flexible fuel vehicle but can't find E85? The EFuel100 MicroFueler could produce it at home. Own a restaurant, bar, or winery and have waste alcohol beverages that cannot be sold? The MicroFueler could turn them into ethanol.

By the end of 2008, E-Fuel Corporation will start delivering the world's first portable ethanol micro-refinery system for home use. It can make ethanol and pump it directly into vehicles. All you need is sugar, yeast, water, and 110-220 AC power.

In the U.S., ethanol producers typically start with corn, and in the future, cellulose feedstocks like switchgrass or biomass waste. Using saccharification or hydrolysis of carbohydrates, starch and cellulose is converted into sugars that are then fermented into ethanol.

The MicroFueler starts with sugar that's mixed with a special EFuel100-EM yeast mixture and water in the MicroFueler to begin microbial fermentation. After fermentation, the ethanol mix is transferred to the distillation system where it is vaporized to remove water. Then it's processed through a membrane system for final conversion into ethanol. The company says its membrane technology allows ethanol to be produced on a much smaller scale. It also replaces dangerous combustion heating elements used in commercial ethanol plants, making the MicroFueler process a much safer way to produce ethanol.

One gallon of ethanol is produced from 10 to 14 pounds of sugar. Many feedstocks including cane and beet sugar as well as corn and cellulosic materials already converted to sugar can be processed using EFuel100-EM in the MicroFueler fermentation tank. The purer the sugar, the more ethanol produced. Dry table sugar works best as well as reduces the amount of water and power needed, odors, and solid waste. The MicroFueler can produce 5 gallons of ethanol per day using about 25 gallons of tap water.

The company will sell pre-mixed sugar and EFuel100-EM at authorized E-Fuel dealers. Users may also purchase the EFuel100-EM to mix with sugar that meets the quality standards for use in the MicroFueler. E-Fuel will offer a Carbon Credit Program to offset costs and assist in reducing carbon emissions. Owners will be provided with carbon credit coupons that can be exchanged for discounted sugar feedstock. The program is modeled on the "cap and trade" system of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol offering financial incentives for reducing C02 emissions.

The MicroFueler has a distillation-only mode to convert discarded beer, wine, or distilled drinks into ethanol. Any combination of discarded clean alcohol up to 250 gallons can be poured directly into the MicroFueler fermentation tank. Here the yeast is not needed since it has already been fermented.

It is legal to make up to 10,000 gallons of ethanol annually - that is, ethyl alcohol - in the U.S. This requires a permit from the Department of the Treasury. There are also local and state requirements. Federal law requires ethanol production outside the home and government regulations require all fuels to be stored outside of living structures.

Fifty feet of retractable hose comes with the MicroFueler so the unit doesn't have to be located directly beside a vehicle for fueling. There is an LCD touch screen like those at gasoline stations. An electronic key lock pump, mechanical hose locking apparatus, and motion sensor prevent unauthorized operation and tampering. The MicroFueler produces 100% ethanol (E100) that can be blended with gasoline to make E85 or other blends at the point of use. Vehicle owners can optimize the fuel blend to achieve the best performance for a specific vehicle.

The MicroFueler's suggested list price is $9,995. However, customers may be eligible for a 30 percent federal tax incentive that reduces the actual cost to $6,998. Individual states may also offer additional rebates. E-Fuel says, perhaps optimistically, that ethanol can be produced for about a dollar a gallon and points out that ethanol can also be produced from discarded alcohol beverages for as little as $0.10 per gallon.