Re: [Biofuel] Methanol as a motor fuel
Tom: Thanks for the abundant knowledge in your post. I am most certainly not a chemist, but have always considered liquid methanol a very interesting candidate for energy storage. Since it can be made from a variety of renewable and non renewable means (wood, coal, biogas, etc) it seems like an easier economic target to produce than pure hydrogen. Transprots and pumps well, compared to what would be needed for compressed hydrogen gas. What to do with it once you make it? The indirect methanol fuel cell, if developed further looks promising. Thanks again for the conversation! From: Tom Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 5:33 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org Aaah, methane is intriguing. Biogas is a metabolic product of one of the most ancient life forms, the methanocreatrices. Anaerobic chemoautotrophic bacteria so different from others that many would assign them to their own kingdom. As to methane being easily transported consider where propane and natural gas can be compressed to liquids, greatly increasing energy density, methane resists liquefaction, requiring tremendous pressure. This seems to be the fly in the ointment. Unliquefied, a tankful of methane doesn't go far. Methane has value as a renewable fuel. It is captured and used at waste treatment plants to generate electricity. Methane is currently being captured at landfills and used to generate electricity. I know of a dairy farm that harvests methane from the manure the cows produce. They use the methane to generate electricity. The heat from the generators heats the water used to sanitize the milking area. They don't use the methane in their cars or farm machinery however. Relatively safe.Hmmm Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Ocean burps from vast storehouses of methyl hydrates/clathrates have been credited with contributing significantly to the end of the last ice age. The release of methane from thawing peat bogs is a part of the cascade of events that is accelerating global warming. Gasoline was once considered a waste product of oil refining, dumped into rivers. When it was pointed out that it could replace ethanol as fuel for internal combustion engines the waste became valuable. Imagine what might happen if methane gas presented the same financial opportunities by its use as vehicle fuel a renewable fuel. Do we dare the oil giants to tap the vast stores of methane currently trapped safely under the ocean? It's already being proposed. They can do it safely, right? Have you seen the data about leakage from pipelines compressed gases seem to find their way out. Not so good in the case of methane. Capturing methane at its source and using it close to where it's produced to generate electricity seems appropriate. Sorry to carry on, but you did say methane was intriguing. Best, Tom -Original Message- From: John Jaser j...@jaser.net Sent: 11/26/2014 2:50 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Methanol as a motor fuel Hi Tom: Sorry should have added the context. Intriguing as perhaps a better common denominator than hydrogen itself. e.g. can be easily transported; can be made from biogas; can power a fuel cell directly or indirectly; relatively safe From: Tom Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 2:49 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org What is it about the number of hydrogens per molecule that intrigues you? Methane: CH4, Methanol: CH3OH both have 4 H's per molecule, as would Methanoic Acid. Ethane: C2H6, Ethanol: C2H5OH each have 6 H's per molecule. Is there something about the number 4 itself, or is it the number of H's per Carbon atom? Methane: 4:1 vs Ethane: 3:1 with a decreasing ratio as we increase the size of the carbon chain. Just wondering, Tom -Original Message- From: John Jaser j...@jaser.net Sent: 11/26/2014 12:58 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Methanol as a motor fuel Methanol is super intriguing… the amount of hydrogen per molecule. From: Darryl McMahon Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2014 12:06 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org Jan, thanks for the quick response. Not scaring me off. I have read something which suggests adding methanol to gasoline has some potentially beneficial combustion effects. Lower energy content was known and accepted. I generally use synthetic lubricating oils anyway - better lube properties, longer life. Don't know what the implications of methanol use are on synthetic lubrication oils. So, still curious. Not a front-burner issue for me. So 3 lines of research at this point. 1) what are enviro pros/cons of using home-brew wood alcohol
[Biofuel] Bio-Fuel Powered Electric Triplane Launches On Kickstarter | TechCrunch
http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/27/bio-fuel-powered-electric-triplane-launches-on-kickstarter/ [images in on-line article] Bio-Fuel Powered Electric Triplane Launches On Kickstarter Posted 3 hours ago by Mike Butcher (@mikebutcher) We thought Triplanes disappeared after World War One. But a new startup aims to bring them back in a new hybrid electric aircraft, powered by biofuel. FaradAir is now raising money on Kickstarter to achieve its initial funding goals for its plane. The Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft or BEHA for short, aims to be the world’s first ‘Hybrid’ eco-friendly aircraft, but won’t take to the skies until 2020. The Anglo/US venture involving several technology partners, including the renowned aviation engineering university at Cranfield, UK. We thought Triplanes disappeared after World War One. But a new startup aims to bring them back in a new hybrid electric aircraft, powered by biofuel. FaradAir is now raising money on Kickstarter to achieve its initial funding goals for its plane. The Bio-Electric-Hybrid-Aircraft or BEHA for short, aims to be the world’s first ‘Hybrid’ eco-friendly aircraft, but won’t take to the skies until 2020. The Anglo/US venture involving several technology partners, including the renowned aviation engineering university at Cranfield, UK. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
[Biofuel] RRFD expands its collection of waste vegetable oil - Nogales International: News
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/rrfd-expands-its-collection-of-waste-vegetable-oil/article_a0681e4a-74b1-11e4-8b40-83062b17b58d.html RRFD expands its collection of waste vegetable oil Posted: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 7:44 am | Updated: 5:36 pm, Tue Nov 25, 2014. Nogales International | 0 comments The Rio Rico Fire District is now collecting waste vegetable oil on a year-round basis, with designated collection areas in place at all three district fire stations. RRFD processes the waste oil into biodiesel, which is used in 60 percent of its vehicles. The collections also help to keep vegetable oil out of the Rio Rico Landfill. “Although our highest rate of collection is over the Thanksgiving and winter holidays, RRFD still receives donations throughout the year which has moved us to become a year-round collection depot for area residents,” said RRFD Senior Advisor Frank Granados. Residents can drop off their used oil at RRFD Station No. 1, 1194 Pendleton Drive; RRFD Station No. 2, 957 Calle Calabasas; and RRFD Station No. 3, 822 Pendleton Drive. Since 2008, RRFD staffers have been cooking up thousands of gallons of biodiesel in a lab funded by a $90,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. In August, district administrative manager Marcela Ceballos estimated that RRFD had saved nearly $40,000 in fuel costs in the last three fiscal years alone as a result of the project. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
[Biofuel] Biodiesel Magazine - The Latest News and Data About Biodiesel Production
http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/246908/isu-researchers-develop-bio-adhesives-from-glycerin ISU researchers develop bio-adhesives from glycerin By Iowa State University | November 25, 2014 Researchers at Iowa State University are working to prove that adhesives made from a byproduct of biodiesel production can offer consumers a cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to the acrylic adhesives currently on the market. Their goal is to produce commercially viable bioplastic adhesives that will have uses from construction sites to elementary school projects, and it all starts with some of Iowa’s biggest commodities. “The basic feedstock is glycerin, a byproduct of the biodiesel industry,” said David Grewell, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. “We’re turning waste into a coproduct stream.” Eric Cochran, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering who also works on the project, said glycerin sells for around 17 cents a pound, much cheaper than the components of traditional acrylic adhesives. “It’s almost free by comparison,” Cochran said. “And it comes from Iowa crops.” The project recently received a grant of about $1 million from the USDA to show that the technology can be competitive in the marketplace. The third and final year of the grant will see the researchers begin production at a pilot plant currently under construction at the ISU BioCentury Research Farm. The pilot plant will be able to produce up to a ton of adhesives per day, Grewell said. “It’ll allow us to better understand the materials and the economics,” he said. Cochran said the adhesives under development will contain no volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. That means the adhesives won’t give off odors or have adverse environmental or human health effects. The ISU research team is focusing on developing products for three primary markets: construction, where the adhesives could be used to create fiber board or particle board; pressure-sensitive adhesives, such as those used on the back of sticky notes; and water-based rubber cement, which could be used to fasten the soles to shoes among other uses. The project has drawn from disciplines across the ISU campus, and Grewell said the interdisciplinary approach to the work strengthens the final product. In addition to agricultural and biosystems engineering and chemical engineering, personnel from the chemistry, civil engineering, chemical engineering and materials science departments have contributed to the project. But it all starts with proving that the products can be economically competitive with what’s already on the market, Cochran said. “In the end, we want our adhesives to have real economic advantages,” he said. “We want them to come from renewable resources, and we want them to perform well.” ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
[Biofuel] Valley Journal: Charlo Schools explore biofuel heating option
http://www.valleyjournal.net/article/11161/Charlo-Schools-explore-biofuel-heating-option Charlo Schools explore biofuel heating option Issue Date: 11/26/2014 Last Updated: 11/25/2014 5:08:04 PM | By Megan Strickland CHARLO – After at least six decades of using a traditional boiler to warm its school buildings, Charlo School Board voted Nov. 19 to utilize grant monies to explore whether or not it is feasible to use local biofuels for heat. The $3,500 grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will entirely pay for a feasibility study to see if wood chips or pellets are a viable heating source for the school. “I think this a great opportunity to look at potentially heating our school with locally-sourced products,” trustee Dave DeGrandpre said. “What we’re looking into is a really, really entry-level study. It’s a pre-study. Some of the questions we are asking will come along later.” In theory, the school would utilize a heating system powered by woodchips or wood pellets from Hunt’s Timbers in St. Ignatius. The school is currently searching for an alternative to its outdated boiler, which will need a new burner in the next few years. Replacing the boiler and/or the burner could cost more than $100,000, which led school officials to explore what a full replacement of the heating system would require. Other schools and hospitals in the region have made the switch to using biomass heating, Superintendent Thom Peck said. The grant administrator for Montana DNRC suggested the school board tour a heating facility for a Plains hospital or school in Darby. “(The grant administrator) feels strongly that the board actually go and see what those facilities look like at those sites,” Peck said. “She did suggest that even though the hospitals are closer, we look at other schools that have done this.” According to the Montana DNRC, the Darby Schools’ biomass project was completed in fall 2003. The school reported an annual savings of $160,000 for fuel costs. Montana DNRC reported that nine school biomass facilities had been completed as of 2010, with estimated fuel savings ranging from $12,500 to $160,000 per year. Depending on size, schools used between 60 and 1,900 tons of wood fuel per year. In a 2011 report about the biomass program, Montana DNRC also touted the benefits of the facilities to forests. The fuels to run the Darby Schools biomass facility were obtained through reductions of 70 acres of hazardous fuels to reduce the risk of wildfire. One concern the board members had was whether or not there is enough of a fuel supply in Mission Valley. Since Plum Creek closed the local timber mill a few years ago, Hunt’s Timbers is the major wood supplier in the area. “What if Mission (schools) decides to do this same thing?” Trustee Art Soukkala said. “Then we’ll be in competition for that limited supply.” The study approved by the board will address those questions, as well as provide a cost analysis for the school district. CTA Engineering was chosen to conduct the study. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
[Biofuel] SAS signs agreement for regular biofuel powered flights | Biomassmagazine.com
http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/11248/sas-signs-agreement-for-regular-biofuel-powered-flights [article mentions a 50% biofuel mix] SAS signs agreement for regular biofuel powered flights By SAS | November 25, 2014 SAS has, along with the Lufthansa Group and KLM, signed an agreement with Statoil Aviation for a regular supply of biofuel at Oslo Airport. SAS was first off the ground in Norway and from Stockholm Arlanda in Sweden with a biofuel mix and this agreement shows the airline takes its corporate social responsibility seriously in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Via an agreement signed with Avinor and the above named airlines, Statoil Aviation is to supply 2.5 million liters (660,430 gallons) of biofuel to the refueling facility at Oslo Airport. With a 50 percent biofuel mix, this will fuel around 3,000 flights between Oslo and Bergen and make OSL the first major airport in the world to offer a regular supply of biofuel as part of daily operations from March 2015. “For the past ten years or more, SAS has been striving to accelerate the commercialization of renewable fuel, so this is an important concrete step in moving towards sustainable aviation,” says Rickard Gustafson, group CEO of SAS. Via a continuous renewal of its airline fleet and a comprehensive environment efficiency drive in the air and on the ground, SAS has reduced its total CO2 emissions by the airline by around 13 percent since 2005. The airline has also enjoyed an increase in production over the same period. SAS is also the first and only airline in Scandinavia whose fleet consists exclusively of next generation jet aircraft. From next year, the most energy efficient short and long-haul aircraft will be rolled out one after the other: Airbus 330 Enhanced, Airbus 320 Neo, followed by the Airbus 350. “At a time when we are investing in the very latest technology in the air that will help cut environmentally harmful emissions, we also need to reduce the negative environmental impact at an even quicker pace, of which the introduction of biofuel is the most important part,” says Gustafson. SAS aims to use synthetic fuel on an increasingly regular basis in the next few years, and expects biofuel to become competitive with the fossil fuel alternative. For this to happen, a general environment and tax policy will be required from governments, based on aviation being a form of internationally competitive public transport with thin profit margins. ___ Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel
