NSAP & Chevy_Rules: Alternative Fuels

[ChevyRules]

Originally Posted by racy

NSAP: This is a good article yet only touches the tip of the iceberg.

Hey, how about the other author of this editorial? ME! Seriously, yeah you're right. NSAP and I just touched the tip of the iceburg with alternative fuels.

[Ty_99]

All and all very well written and informative piece. The question is now it maybe a bit more costly but how long would it be til it would be economically feasible choice?

[Butz]

The govenrment should subsidize and push the development of all alternative fuels, and after reading about Butanol I beliebe the government and the industry should invest in it. If Butanol is made avilable at every pump, the US would be energy indpendent in the near future.

[pkd87]

Butanol, First I have herd of it. They all sound like good choices to replace fossil fuels.

[racy]

Originally Posted by Chevy_Rules

Hey, how about the other author of this editorial? ME! Seriously, yeah you're right. NSAP and I just touched the tip of the iceburg with alternative fuels.

Aaaack....sorry about that Credit where due !! Very nice article.

greg

[Randiglio]

Here's something else that was kinda interesting.
http://hytechapps.com/aquygen/hhos

[mgescuro]

At the moment, there is no silver bullet for the dependence on foreign oil;
However, American's best chance to wean themselves off it is Ethanol.

The infrastructure is further along than electricity and hydrogen. It doesn't cost a lot to put a conversion kit together for a car either.

People will point to the lower mpg and higher cost of Ethanol, but as economies of scale come into play, and using 6-spd transmissions, turbos, CVT's, DOD, hybrid technology in concert with Ethanol, you can achieve superior mileage. Plus you have the peace of mind that you're buying something that will add to foreign oil dependence... AND not polluting the air (as much).

[HoosierRon]

If you have handy this month's Motor Trend, you will see an article about "Oil From Anything!" According to the article, a company called Changing World Technologies (http://www.changingworldtech.com/inf...tantupdate.asp) has created a prcess where you can put anything from turkey guts to recycled auto fluff into a vat, add oil and water, cook it for 5 hours at 600 degrees, and you end up with a whole host of useful products including home heating oil, which can be refined into diesel. Better yet: all the nasty PCBs become harmless oxides rather than converting to dioxins. And here is the kicker: the process uses only 15% of the net energy in the end product.

Yes, I know, this sounds way too good to be true. But Motor Trend is not alone. Discover magazine ran an artile back in May 2003. (http://www.discover.com/issues/jul-0...hing-into-oil/)

According to CWT's website:

"Changing World Technologies’ waste-to-oil subsidiary, Renewable Environmental Solutions, shipped more than 440,000 gallons (10,476 barrels) of renewable diesel fuel in May 2006, representing approximately 50% of the plant’s capacity. The plant is expected to achieve full capacity in the near future."

There is no reason CWT could not build a plant next to every land fill in the country. Again, anything can be cooked into diesel. Given the temperature and time, the added oil breaks down any plastics in the mix and the added water provides the hydrogen molecules needed to break down the organic chains into short hydrocarbons. The process is called Thermal Depolymerization Process. Read more at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization).

[For some reason, the Wikipedia link is not working. But if you click on it, you can search for Thermal deploymerization, and you will get the article.]

[troll]

Butanol is made like ethanol, but with different digestive bacteria; Dupont and BP are building a butanol plant in Great Britain in conjunction with British Sugar to use DuPont's strain of bacteria and sugar beets to make butanol. Given that fuel in Europe is more expensive, the partners can perfect the process there and bring it here when economically feasible. Butanol that can be purchased on the market in the U.S. is made from petroleum at at least $3.50/gal.

[troll]

And, unlike ethanol, butanol can be used ounce for ounce as replacement for petroleum gas with no loss of milage, and can be run through petroleum pipelines, since it will not combine with water as does ethanol (think water in your Scotch)

[UNBLVER]

Originally Posted by motorman

what works in brazil will never work here because every man women and child over the age of 16 does not own or drive a car like here in the USA. also i bet there are very few people in brazil that have 2 to 4 cars in their garage. it would take one he-l of a lot of alternet fuels to run this country

What does having more than one car have anything to do with it? I have three cars and a motorcycle, but I can only drive one at a time.

[UNBLVER]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

The infrastructure is further along than electricity and hydrogen. It doesn't cost a lot to put a conversion kit together for a car either.

I agree on the hydrogen infrastructure, but last time I checked nearly every home in the US has 240 power. With an on board charger and a twenty dollar receptacle from a hardware store an electric car could charge just about anywhere.