I wrote:
> [Oil] will synthesized locally, on demand, from garbage and water, or coal > and water, or from air and water. > Oil is already synthesized from garbage using depolymerization. This will be very attractive with cold fusion for two reasons: 1. The producer is paid on both ends; paid to take the garbage, and paid again for the oil. It is as if people paid Exxon Mobil to come to their land and pump out the oil. 2. The main cost of depolymerization is for energy. The other equipment and overhead is about the same as for refining oil from the ground. Depolymerization could not supply all of the oil we now consume. But, oil used for non-energy purposes is only around 20% of the total. Depolymerization and other synthetics plus recycling could easily supply this much. There would be no need for oil from the ground. It would soon be much more expensive, especially when it has to be shipped from the Middle East, as it would for countries such as Japan. Also, the infrastructure of wells, oil tankers, refineries and so on is built for the present demand level. It would not be economical used to supply only 20% of that demand. You need smaller units for that, such as small, fully automatic machines that produce plastic feedstock hydrocarbons from air and water right in your factory. - Jed
