--- In [email protected], akasha_108 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], off_world_beings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > --- In [email protected], "Alex Stanley" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > --- In [email protected], off_world_beings > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > I think that it is inevitable that everyone will have to live > > > > off the grid with some minimal use of machines, but limited > > > > usage of machines and very low-impact environmentally. > > > > Otherwise Earth will throw us off. I am aiming to live off the > > > > grid quite soon. But I will keep my car, which is a drug to us. > > > > Hopefully cars will be non-polluting and non oil based one day. > > > > > > IMO, a good start would be to extract ourselves from addiction to > > > foreign oil, and one potential technology is thermal > > > depolymerization, which can take any carbonaceous feedstock > > > (agricultural waste, animal guts, sewage, trash, etc.) and turn it > > > into oil and other byproducts. The benefit of such technology is > > that > > > it would use the existing fuels infrastructure (as opposed to > > > hydrogen, which will require both generation and distribution > > > infrastructures be built from the ground up). Although it is still > > a > > > carbon based fuel, at least it doesn't release any more fossil > > > carbon. See: > > > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization > > > > > > http://www.changingworldtech.com/ > > > > > > Alex > > > > > > > > > > Sounds like a great solution. > > Thanks for posting this. I have been thinking about this a lot > > lately since I heard one state was doing it but forget where. I > > think turning trash and sewage into oil (with zero-emmisions energy > > plants, as I believe they are) is one of the most promising things > > to happen in a long time. Couple that with low emission autos and it > > will solve a lot. > > > > I think these plants could be a very good business for people, since > > many states are desperate to know what to do with trash (no-one > > wants it in their home town anymore), not to mention the selling of > > the oil that is produced. > > Thanks again for posting this ! > > > from the first cite: > Final cost is $80 a barrel, making it uneconomic compared to > conventional diesel selling for about $50 a barrel. > > Bio mass projects generation projects have been subsidized and > promoted in california, and elsewhere, since the 70's. However, absent > large subsidies, its not cost-effective compared to other generation > fuels. > > At least until fossil fuels are priced appropriately -- that is to > include all their externalities -- that is the additional costs that > the market does not capture -- such as pollution, mining degradation, > safety risk (explosion, terrorists, etc), national security and > defense, trade deficits, etc. > > However, natural gas is the fuel of choice for most new electric > generation -- and has been for some time. It is relatively abundant > and has much lower externality costs than oil. So even true pricing of > NG with externalities, will probably not make bio mass competitive > with it for electric generation. > > As a gasoline substitute -- a lot of interesting work is going on like > use of disgarded fat fryer oil used in making french fries. And the > exhaust smells like french fries. (Though "promoting" deep frying of > food and the horrendous effect the resulting trans-fatty acids have on > the body is not exactly a panacea.) > >>
There are a lot of people driving vegetable oil cars round here, and they are very non-polluting compared to gasoline cars. And they work just great. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
