gasoline from WOOD and cellulose corn stover etc...

[sdowney717]

came across 2 companies with big plans on growing our own oil
some good videos explaining the process. The reactor runs continuously feed stock in one end, and oil products come out another end.
seems much better than fermenting process from yeast, less water is needed. Catalyst is common and cheap.

http://www.anellotech.com/press7.html
http://www.kior.com/content/?s=11&s2=27&p=27&t=Significant-Cost-Advantages

10 to 30$ per barrel oil equivalent.
could possibly supply 60% of oil used in the usa.

[sdowney717]

interesting maybe we can get some real competition with crude oil that can work in the marketplace versus subsidized ethanol which forces up food prices and creates barely more energy than is used to make it.

http://www.anellotech.com/press14.html

In Massachusetts, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst recently granted a biofuels startup company, Anellotech, exclusive global rights to the university's catalytic fast pyrolysis technology developed by chemical engineer and UMass Amherst faculty member George Huber for producing clean, green "grassoline." Huber will serve as chairman of Anellotech's scientific advisory board.

Anellotech will offer a low-cost, single-step process for turning forest residues and waste biomass into gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and renewable chemicals including benzene, toluene and xylenes.

Nick DeCristofaro, director of the UMass Amherst Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, said, "Huber's new technique has been the most sought-after technology the campus has licensed to date. We've noted unprecedented interest from a number of quarters. Also, we salute Anellotech's choice of David Sudolsky to lead the new firm through its next phases, including development of a pilot production plant. This is a very solid business decision."

Anellotech said that its technology would produce commercial amounts of biofuel at price parity with gasoline by 2019. The company is developing a 2 ton per day pilot project and raising Series A venture capital. The first plant is scheduled to complete construction by 2014, according to the company's website.

[pookiebear]

very cool.

[sdowney717]

http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/switgrs.html

finally to me switchgrass makes sense, if you add in these new conversion processes.
switch grass is a well known to farmers, fast growth plant, grows up to 10 feet high.
also think if Brazil took its leftover sugar cane stalks and used this process, they could make more fuel than what comes from the sugar.
I have no doubt that currently, the whole sugar cane plant is used, likely to fuel the boilers used to distill the alcohol.

[Cuddles McKitten]

http://www.anellotech.com/press7.html
http://www.kior.com/content/?s=11&s2=27&p=27&t=Significant-Cost-Advantages

10 to 30$ per barrel oil equivalent.
could possibly supply 60% of oil used in the usa.

The first article is over two years old. If they could produce fuel at those costs, someone would've done it by now given the HUGE cash incentive to do so. I'm guessing that this process is a bit more expensive than that estimation.

Still neat stuff though.

[lz1dsb]

I wonder if this could ever work at all. Do they take into account the fuel that is needed for running the whole farm? Do they take into account the chemicals used to grow the plants? Do they take into account the area needed to grow the plants? And what would be the effects if they grow for example genetically modified organisms? I wonder if this is efficient enough to be used commercially... I thinks algaes are much more prospective. And even though they aren't efficient enough still...

Cheers...

[lz1dsb]

I wonder if this could ever work at all. Do they take into account the fuel that is needed for running the whole farm? Do they take into account the chemicals used to grow the plants? Do they take into account the area needed to grow the plants? And what would be the effects if they grow for example genetically modified organisms? I wonder if this is efficient enough to be used commercially... I thinks algaes are much more prospective. And even though they aren't efficient enough still...

Cheers...

[lz1dsb]

I wonder if this could ever work at all. Do they take into account the fuel that is needed for running the whole farm? Do they take into account the chemicals used to grow the plants? Do they take into account the area needed to grow the plants? And what would be the effects if they grow for example genetically modified organisms? I wonder if this is efficient enough to be used commercially... I thinks algaes are much more prospective. And even though they aren't efficient enough still...

Cheers...

[handy]

I think that the algae solution is the most promising that I have seen in this regard:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/13/algae-solve-pentagon-fuel-problem

[inobe]

hydrogen fuel cells

[Paqman]

I think that the algae solution is the most promising that I have seen in this regard:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/13/algae-solve-pentagon-fuel-problem

+1

I'm not a big fan of the idea of using crops as fuel. It'll either result in further loss of natural habitat, higher food prices, or both.

[Cuddles McKitten]

hydrogen fuel cells

Those are, like springs or batteries, just a way to store energy -- not create it. Some energy source (such as a power plant) still has to charge them up initially.

[inobe]

Those are, like springs or batteries, just a way to store energy -- not create it. Some energy source (such as a power plant) still has to charge them up initially.

GM designed a hydrogen vehicle some years back, completely sustainable, in fact it could power a city block.

it's just no one wants us to have them.

the hy wire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAIexlT-gkY

enjoy

[alexan]

Those are, like springs or batteries, just a way to store energy -- not create it. Some energy source (such as a power plant) still has to charge them up initially.

That's exactly the power of the hydrogen: it can convert nearly any power source into hydrogen. The "basic" stuff you need is commonly water.

It take several advances, there are tons of example; ie:


find a more cheap way to produce hydrogen == every hydrogen engine on planet is more cheap to run

[inobe]

bio fuels along with any petro fuel, or any other alternative is a distraction from the obvious.

no other solution would be as plentiful when hydrogen is in the mix!

it's why no one wants you to know, how would pe tro companies profit from such a thing, they simply won't and that's a problem.

edit: it's only the beginning, hydrogen can be produced with wind, solar, biologically, electrolysis etc....

stay with what works and avoid investing in rubbish.

[Paqman]

no other solution would be as plentiful when hydrogen is in the mix!


Hydrogen is far from perfect as a fuel. It's more dangerous than most, requires very low temperature storage and has low energy density. All this makes it very expensive, and that's not likely to change soon.

It'd be nice to see more use of hydrogen, but i'm extremely skeptical it will completely supplant other fuels.

[inobe]

Hydrogen is far from perfect as a fuel. It's more dangerous than most, requires very low temperature storage and has low energy density. All this makes it very expensive, and that's not likely to change soon.

It'd be nice to see more use of hydrogen, but i'm extremely skeptical it will completely supplant other fuels.

it started with a horse an carriage, it was refined, steam engines refined, the gasoline engine was born, it was refined, need i go on ?

the fella footing it jaw wagged about the carriage and the steam engine, the carriage man jaw wagged about the gasoline engine...........

somehow many believe that petro/ fossil fuel supplies are endless and no harm can be done consuming it, many also believe they have enough wood, whatever.

the fact remains water is everywhere and cannot be depleted.

if all the scientists in our world will forget about wood, algae blah blah things will change fast.

could you possibly be saying it's not possible ?

[Paqman]

could you possibly be saying it's not possible ?

Oh no, it's possible. There's just some major practical problems to overcome first. It may well turn out that those problems are so difficult to solve that other options become more attractive.