Biofuel

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Saw a special last night; they demonstrated a CA-only vehicle with a 120 mile range, and a compressed air/gasoline hybrid (when gas is activated, it both drives the car and refilled the compressor) with a range over 600 miles on a small tank of gas. One of the biggest discoveries was finding a drive configuration for the pistons that reduced wastage... if I'm not mistaken, these use a radial form that is quite ingenious. Top speed of 70 mph, although no rapid acceleration - which I like, to be honest.


M.

edit:


http://www.pickensplan.com/media/?bcpid ... 1650060434


this guy sound about right?

Hmm, it's possible that biofuels may make more sense in the future. Some Geneticists have been working on crops specifically designed to be turned into fuel, and it's possible someone will figure out how to create fuel using cellulose, which would let people use any kind of plant material instead of just using high sugar crops like corn and sugarcane. Right now it's not practical though, and really shouldn't subsidized.

My vote for the fuel of the future is batteries though, combined with smart power grids to help balance the power demands. Smart power grids would also help to offset the slow reaction time of nuclear and the unreliability of renewables. It's a really cool idea.

Are you telling me its conceivable to run my car on food? Is it cheaper than gas?

It's idiotic to use biofuels (ethanol etc.), because it's taking corn from people's mouths into other's cars, and it's also partly responible for the high corn prices, which lead to higher prices for many other things.

Algae is about the only biofuel I see having any merit - but the bigger issue is that burning fuels have emissions, and continued over a span of time those changes can affect on the grand scale. Anything will have an effect, it is just a matter of finding the least offensive routes.


M.

In some things, I'm an idealist... I'd like to see some degree of a carbon-negative effect developed. You make an interesting point, one that I don't know enough about to know how exactly that works out, but it is worth looking into further. Thank you.


M.

What about biodeisal from hemp oil? That shouldnt affect the food supply.

Here in the Netherlands they say in 10 years large numbers of people wil be driving electric cars.
I like many others find it difficult to afford gas with the 1.50 euro per litre price we currently have.
Wich is in the top 3 of highest prices in the world if i remember right.
I don't really care about the envirement, as long as it becomes afordable to drive again.
All this stuff about CO2 emissions is bullcrap in my opinion.
They say cows emit much more CO2 and that cars only acount for 10%, so the only way these hippies can stop theyr imaginary global warming is by killing all the cows.
With imaginary i mean the false claims about humans having an effect on the temperature.

Well, I'll throw in a few thoughts before my sleeping pills kicks in and I pass out.

First off, I'm a relatively recent graduate of the Oregon State University Chemical Engineering program. Mind you, Chemical Engineers are the ones that are doing the research for biofuels, some of my professors had large grants for doing research in it, and about 70% of our senior projects had to do with it (there's a large market in Oregon).

Ethanol from corn or switchgrass: No good. It may have a small market (i.e. booze), but it won't come anywhere close to providing enough energy, and, as mentioned, the more ethanol produced, the less food produced.

Biodiesel from algae: Our best shot. A professor in Texas or Arizona (can't remember) has developed a method that uses a rotating bag system that allows the production of around 1,000-100,000 gallons per year per acre. The best part about this is that it works best in deserts, so no cutting into land used for food, like some other forms of algae biodiesel.

Biodiesel from hemp: I've never heard of this method from an acredited source. While I admit I may be wrong in this case, whenever someone says "it can be made from hemp!", all that I hear "I don't actually care about what hemp can be made into, I just want it legalized so that it'll be easier for me to get stoned".

What I've gleamed from my own thoughts and the opinions of all of the professors doing the research is that not even all of the renewable energy methods (ethanol, biodiesel, solar, wind, hydro, or buoy) combined are nearly enough. The only real option is currently nuclear, and a lot of countries are actually realizing this. Westinghouse Nuclear's been getting a crapload of orders for new plants (the first new ones since the 70's). I only know this because I'm applying to work for them, there's about 5 reactors that are going to be built in the US (Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina with orders from Texas and Florida expected), 2 in Japan, 4 in China (they want two dozen operational by 2020), and then several European countries like the UK, Spain, Germany, France, etc.

The real problem? Too many damn people in the world. Some videos I'd suggest looking up on Youtube are the ones from Albert Bartlett, though they're split up and all. I was fortunate to attend his lecture when he was a surprise guest for our Senior Chemical Engineer Lab lecture. Overall, I think the world population is going to be forced down to about a tenth of what it currently is, eventually (unless we get the Tokamak reactor working).

Now, if you'll excuse my potential typos for a while, I'm going to go fall asleep, finally.

Electrical automobiles would be a good idea--if we switched over to nuclear power plants. Otherwise, fossil fuels will be burn at the power plants. "Alternative" electricity just can't cut the muster. There isn't enough "alternative" to go around.

Cut subsidies. When people actually have to pay an unsubsidized price, then there will finally be clamor for greater efficiency of use and development of viable alternatives. Subsidies are nothing but a way to conceal real cost from the average, uneducated person. Likewise, government subsidy of "alternative" energy sources only encourages putting too much effort behind inefficient methods that will never be self-sustaining.

Subsidies remove incentives to produce better alternatives. Instead, what we get are halfway measures that make everything worse.