ahh Doug... I *knew* we could count on you!
Let's not ignore temperature: my farts are a good 20 degrees F above
ambient (at present), and tend to rise before mixing into the
unfortunate nearby environs. And, just in case you were wondering
what the composition of a fart was:
The major components of the flatus, which are odorless, by percentage
are:^[4] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#cite_note-3>
* Nitrogen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen>: 20--90%
* Hydrogen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen>: 0--50%
* Carbon dioxide <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide>: 10--30%
* Oxygen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen>: 0--10%
* Methane <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane>: 0--10%
*4. ^ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#cite_ref-3>*"Human
Digestive System"
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-45361/human-digestive-system#294193.hook>.
/Encyclopædia Britannica/. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
While I still refuse to believe the myths about igniting one's own
petard (by which extra lift is gained beyond the mere ejection at high
velocity?) I'd never researched it this far but anecdotally assumed it
was the "methane" presumed to be flammable, but if this "recipe for a
petard" is accurate, it seems more likely to be the Hydrogen that one
would get their "lift" from.
Your recent silence online lead me to believe you were already
"putt-putting" your way toward Alaska on your yearly loop! Or are you
posting from the road?
The only factoid in the Flatulence FAQ that really caught my eye was
that NZ's GDP is so highly based in agriculture that they have a
"Flat"ulence Tax to offset the Greenhouse gas emissions. And
complementary to this, it was interesting to note that the majority of
Bovine Methane emissions are NOT flatulence but rather exhalations and
gastric belching (how many stomachs do they have again?)...
On the other hand, I do believe that methane production from cellulose
by anaerobic bacteria is a big deal, and I'm a little surprised that the
Bovine intestinal tract is not an obvious place for this to occur already?
I'm presuming that Hydrogen production is a byproduct of the very same
bacterium? Or perhaps it is a different one. I suppose it is also
possible that "biogas" production en vitro suffers from the difficulty
of *containing* hydrogen and perhaps that direct, immediate use of
"biogas" benefits from high H concentrations with the methane?
Too much to ponder on such a hot day!
Pull your own damned finger!
- Steve
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