Re: [Biofuel] Alum as coagulant
IIRC, aluminum soaps will thicken fuels, and that was a early way to make napalm. I'm not saying that alum would do this, but, it should be something to keep in mind, as, soap is a byproduct of biofuel production. You would not want a tank full of a flammable sticky gel that does not flow. Greg H. - Original Message - From: Doug Turner [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 8:06 Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Alum as coagulant Hi Wes: Thanks for the information. I was wondering if you have determined if adding alum has any impact on processing the WVO into BD. My weak, old, and somewhat suspect knowledge of chemistry tells me that alum will dramatically alter the pH of unbuffered solutions and that some metals (not sure about aluminium) will hasten oxidization rates in vegetable oils, shortening their shelf-life. I don't know enough to figure out for myself if there would be an impact on processing. Any ideas? TIA Doug Turner - Original Message - From: Wes Moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Monday, November 14, 2005 7:38 AM Subject: [Biofuel] Alum as coagulant After a few months of experimenting with Alum (1 liter test batches) I have concluded that Alum is effective to congeal water and most of the black sludge in used cooking oil. By adding about 1 teaspoon of alum to a liter of dirty oil, stirring and leaving to settle for a day or two, there is an obvious clarity to the oil and a layer of sediment at the bottom of the container. To make this process even more attractive, by adding more oil after pouring the clarified oil off the top, the alum seems to be able to clarify the next couple of batches without adding more alum. Adding powdered bentonite seems to help, although I have not tried to separate the effects of each. I would be interested to hear the experiences of others. Wes ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Drying KOH
Why Butyl? I was thinking Buna-N but butyl is not a problem. It's out of 1/8 steel. A small CO2 scrubber is easy to make and I have plenty of sodasorb/sofnolime available. It won't take much because I am not opening it often and it is a very small volume. I can even put in some desicant to know if the moisture level is low enough before opening the bag. I'll just hope for the best from the CO2 scrubber I don't feel like buying a CO2 meter, but I could potentially use a Argon or dry nitrogen purge also. Any thoughts? Logan Vilas The cabinet should be metal and aim for a temperature of -60 Deg. C with the peltier stack to get the ppm levels of water down. Oh also make sure the seals are of Butyl rubber not neoprene or buna and the gloves too. If this seems like a lot of work then consider getting a vacuum pump. Put the KOH in a bell jar and pump out all the air. Gentle warming while pumping may even remove adsorbed water and the vacuum will keep out the nasty CO2's as well. Cheers. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Overpopulation Off Limits?
On Nov 14, 2005, at 5:33 AM, Keith Addison wrote: There is no overpopulation problem as such, it's just a side-effect of some of the things Lydecker says it causes.. An interesting view -- I'll read the references you gave, and I won't belabor an issue that's already been discussed here. Just curious, tho. Do you and the sources you mention see ANY limit to the carrying capacity of the planet? Many estimates suggest world population will peak somewhere around 10-13 billion, at which point disease and ecological collapse will limit further growth. Do you see THAT level of population also being sustainable, assuming the inequities of distribution could be addressed? Along with many others, yes. There's plenty of land and other resources for that many people and more, using currently available farming methods and without bringing new land into agricultural production. But I don't really believe the estimates. The current economic and other inequities are not sustainable, but many future population growth estimates are based on that paradigm anyway and therefore don't mean much, whereas trying to calculate population growth in a more equitable world that is sustainable is not very easy. Population growth slows in direct response to improving economic conditions (that's real conditions, not meaningless figures like national per capita income and so on). THE best way to decrease population growth is to improve the economic situation of the women. But nobody wants this to happen - or rather everybody does, but not those who profit from the current inequities. But then they're not sustainable either. Not sustainable simply means no future. Best Keith -K ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power
Truckers Choose Hydrogen Power http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 Hundreds of semitrailer trucks zipping along North American highways are now powered in part by hydrogen. These 18-wheelers make hydrogen as they go, eliminating the need for high-pressure, cryogenic storage tanks or hydrogen filling stations, which, by the way, don't yet exist. These truckers aren't just do-gooders. They like Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Injection, or HFI, system because it lets them save fuel, get more horsepower and, as a bonus, cause less pollution. We're saving $700 a month per truck on fuel, said Sherwin Fast, president of Great Plains Trucking in Salinas, Kansas. The company tried the HFI system on four trucks and has ordered 25 more. Drivers like the increased power and noticed there is a lot less black smoke coming out of the stacks, said Fast. HFI is a bolt-on, aftermarket part that injects small amounts of hydrogen into the engine air intake, said Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Steve Gilchrist. Fuel efficiency and horsepower are improved because hydrogen burns faster and hotter than diesel, dramatically boosting combustion efficiency. You get more work from the same amount of fuel, said Gilchrist. This is not a new idea. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology published research on the uses of hydrogen as a combustion-enhancing agent in the early 1970s. But the ability to make hydrogen on the go is novel. The sticking point for hydrogen has always been getting it. Unlike crude oil, natural gas, wind or solar energy, hydrogen doesn't exist freely in nature. It costs $5 a gallon to make hydrogen from natural gas. But the HFI system uses electricity from an engine's alternator to power the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen as needed from small amounts of distilled water. That's a big advantage and a bit of a novelty, said Venki Raman, an expert on hydrogen-energy applications who started Protium Energy Technologies. HFI's manufacturer guarantees 10 percent fuel savings, which likely won't interest car companies or consumers, Raman said. But a reduction of pollution emissions could spur broader use. Trucks with the HFI system produce half the amount of particulates -- microscopic, unburned bits of diesel. The system also reduces nitrogen-oxide emissions, which are major contributors to harmful air pollution, by up to 14 percent, according to Canada's Environmental Technology Verification Program. The HFI units are relatively small and cost between $4,000 and $14,000, depending on the size of the vehicle. It looks like a good transition technology to hydrogen fuel cells, which are still at least 15 years away from commercialization, said Raman. It will take at least until 2040 before fuel cells begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Hydrogen Association, Gilchrist pointed out. We vehemently disagree with governments picking the fuel cell as the single path to a cleaner environment, he said. Gilchrist recently argued just this point in meetings with California officials, who are considering buying prototype fuel-cell vehicles that will cost more than $1 million each. That money could buy many HFI systems, which would provide 300 times the air-pollution reductions of one fuel-cell vehicle, he said. http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 Get your daily alternative energy news Alternate Energy Resource Network 1000+ news sources-resources updated daily http://www.alternate-energy.net Next Generation Grid http://groups.yahoo.com/group/next_generation_grid/ Tomorrow-energy http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tomorrow-energy/ Alternative Energy Politics http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Alternative_Energy_Politics/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power
Okay, I can buy the reductions in emissions from some hydrogen injection, and maybe by causing more complete combustion it could increase efficiency a bit, but the first law of thermodynamics remains. Using generous efficiency numbers: You take energy out of the engine from the alternator -- 80% efficiency. Turn it to hydrogen via electrolysis -- 65% efficiency. Turn it back into rotational energy -- 40%. So your net input of energy back into the engine is about a quarter of what you took out. If it boosts ccombustion efficiency of the diesel alot, maybe you do get a net gain. But it's still not being powered by hydrogen -- all of the energy crossing into the system boundries is diesel -- they've just found a roundabout way to get more energy out of the diesel. This is the same issue I have with hybrid cars -- they are not powered by electricity (aside from the plug in hybrids). The only energy input to the system is gasoline. They have a really neat transmission system that involves electricity at points, yes, but they are no more powered by gasoline and electricity, than a regular car is powered by both gasoline and rotating gears. Okay. End rant about sloppy use of thermodynamics nomenclature. Zeke On 11/15/05, Alt.EnergyNetwork [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Truckers Choose Hydrogen Power http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 Hundreds of semitrailer trucks zipping along North American highways are now powered in part by hydrogen. These 18-wheelers make hydrogen as they go, eliminating the need for high-pressure, cryogenic storage tanks or hydrogen filling stations, which, by the way, don't yet exist. These truckers aren't just do-gooders. They like Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Injection, or HFI, system because it lets them save fuel, get more horsepower and, as a bonus, cause less pollution. We're saving $700 a month per truck on fuel, said Sherwin Fast, president of Great Plains Trucking in Salinas, Kansas. The company tried the HFI system on four trucks and has ordered 25 more. Drivers like the increased power and noticed there is a lot less black smoke coming out of the stacks, said Fast. HFI is a bolt-on, aftermarket part that injects small amounts of hydrogen into the engine air intake, said Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Steve Gilchrist. Fuel efficiency and horsepower are improved because hydrogen burns faster and hotter than diesel, dramatically boosting combustion efficiency. You get more work from the same amount of fuel, said Gilchrist. This is not a new idea. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology published research on the uses of hydrogen as a combustion-enhancing agent in the early 1970s. But the ability to make hydrogen on the go is novel. The sticking point for hydrogen has always been getting it. Unlike crude oil, natural gas, wind or solar energy, hydrogen doesn't exist freely in nature. It costs $5 a gallon to make hydrogen from natural gas. But the HFI system uses electricity from an engine's alternator to power the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen as needed from small amounts of distilled water. That's a big advantage and a bit of a novelty, said Venki Raman, an expert on hydrogen-energy applications who started Protium Energy Technologies. HFI's manufacturer guarantees 10 percent fuel savings, which likely won't interest car companies or consumers, Raman said. But a reduction of pollution emissions could spur broader use. Trucks with the HFI system produce half the amount of particulates -- microscopic, unburned bits of diesel. The system also reduces nitrogen-oxide emissions, which are major contributors to harmful air pollution, by up to 14 percent, according to Canada's Environmental Technology Verification Program. The HFI units are relatively small and cost between $4,000 and $14,000, depending on the size of the vehicle. It looks like a good transition technology to hydrogen fuel cells, which are still at least 15 years away from commercialization, said Raman. It will take at least until 2040 before fuel cells begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Hydrogen Association, Gilchrist pointed out. We vehemently disagree with governments picking the fuel cell as the single path to a cleaner environment, he said. Gilchrist recently argued just this point in meetings with California officials, who are considering buying prototype fuel-cell vehicles that will cost more than $1 million each. That money could buy many HFI systems, which would provide 300 times the air-pollution reductions of one fuel-cell vehicle, he said. http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 Get your daily alternative energy news Alternate Energy Resource Network 1000+ news sources-resources updated daily
[Biofuel] Tool list for biodiesel reactor building
I think I have all of these. WORKSHOP TOOLS DRILL PRESS : A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your tea across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted motorcycle part you were drying. WIRE WHEEL : Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned work calluses in about the time it takes you to say, Ouch ELECTRIC HAND DRILL : Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age. PLIERS : Used to round off bolt heads. HACKSAW : One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. VICE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. OXYACETYLENE TORCH : Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your workshop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of. WHITWORTH SOCKETS : Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK : Used for lowering a car to the ground after you have installed your new disk brake pads, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper. EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4 : Used for levering a car upward off a hydraulic jack handle. TWEEZERS : A tool for removing wood splinters. PHONE : Tool for calling your neighbour to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for getting dog-shit off your boot. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR : A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps off in bolt holes you couldn't use anyway. TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST : A tool for testing the tensile strength on everything you forgot to disconnect. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER : A large pry-bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle. AVIATION METAL SNIPS : See hacksaw. TROUBLE LIGHT : The home mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, it's main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER : Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. AIR COMPRESSOR : A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last over tightened 58 years ago by someone at ERCO, and neatly rounds off their heads. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. HOSE CUTTER : A tool used to cut hoses too short. HAMMER : Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE : Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. EXPLETIVE : A balm, usually applied verbally in hindsight, which somehow eases those pains and indignities following our every deficiency in foresight. Use liberally with all of the above. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Tool list for biodiesel reactor building
WORKSHOP TOOLS DRILL PRESS : A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your tea across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted motorcycle part you were drying. Also useful for spraying cutting oil all over the clothes you forget to change... WIRE WHEEL : Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned work calluses in about the time it takes you to say, Ouch Makes nice little flakes to fly into your latest batch... ELECTRIC HAND DRILL : Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age. Also speeds up when you lest expect it - flinging Methoxide suffused oil where it shouldn't go.. PLIERS : Used to round off bolt heads. Also pinch fingers HACKSAW : One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. Also shatters just as the hardware store closes VICE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. Also good to braze to your generator trolley OXYACETYLENE TORCH : Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your workshop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of. See above WHITWORTH SOCKETS : Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes. See old spanner, or for those of us in the Colonies, Lucas, the Prince of Darkness HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK : Used for lowering a car to the ground after you have installed your new disk brake pads, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper. Also good for making big humps in the floor of your car. Drink the pints after... EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4 : Used for levering a car upward off a hydraulic jack handle. TWEEZERS : A tool for removing wood splinters. PHONE : Tool for calling your neighbour to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for getting dog-shit off your boot. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR : A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps off in bolt holes you couldn't use anyway. See drill press TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST : A tool for testing the tensile strength on everything you forgot to disconnect. Also good for bending that big steel beam in your roof. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER : A large pry-bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle. AVIATION METAL SNIPS : See hacksaw. Loose bolt at the locus TROUBLE LIGHT : The home mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, it's main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading. Always needs a new bulb. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER : Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. AIR COMPRESSOR : A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last over tightened 58 years ago by someone at ERCO, and neatly rounds off their heads. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. or the skin off your knuckles HOSE CUTTER : A tool used to cut hoses too short. HAMMER : Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. MECHANIC'S KNIFE : Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. EXPLETIVE : A balm, usually applied verbally in hindsight, which somehow eases those pains and indignities following our every deficiency in foresight. Use liberally with all of the above. ___ Biofuel mailing
Re: [Biofuel] Pelly's Model A
Keith, I too am having trouble getting in touch with Mike. Are you aware if he still plans on selling the Model A processor? If so, I'll just keep trying to get in touch. However, if not, are you aware of a similar, mobile, smaller-scale (1200gal/day is perfect) turnkey process? Thanks, Joey Edmonton, AB -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Keith Addison Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 9:10 AM To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Pelly's Model A Hello Juan Hello everyone, I have been looking to all the reactors and model that exists in the JFC website. I finally manage to get high quality BD. So the next step is to make BD in big quantities. I have a farm that uses about 5000 Gallons of petro diesel a week so I want to change that. I want to build something like the Pelly's Model A. But I did not find that much info in the website. The rest of the pages in the Processor section at JtF are all processors you can build, with details and instructions. The page for Mike's Model A simply introduces it and provides Mike's contact details. Mike and his company will be selling the reactors, not providing plans for people to build them themselves. It's not very big though. Best wishes Keith I would like to know whether someone has built something that big . how difficult it is and how much would cost? thanks Juan ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] Worldwatch Institute on renewables and biofuels
Worldwatch Institute: November 15, 2005 Renewables 2005: Global Status Report Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30 billion in 2004, according to a report produced by Worldwatch Institute for the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro now provide 160 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity, about 4 percent of the world total, the report finds. Renewable energy has become big business, said Eric Martinot, lead author of Renewables 2005: Global Status Report. Martinot, who is a Senior Fellow at the Worldwatch Institute and a Lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing, notes that renewable energy is attracting some of the world's largest companies, including General Electric, Siemens, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell. The report estimates that nearly 40 million households worldwide heat their water with solar collectors, most of them installed in the last five years. Altogether, renewable energy industries provide 1.7 million jobs, most of them skilled and well-paying. Read the press release. Download the Renewables 2005: Global Status Report. (PDF) Download the notes and references for the report. (PDF) Favorable Policies Spur Biofuel Growth Vital Signs Fact Production and use of biofuels—fuels derived from crops and agricultural wastes—advanced rapidly in 2004, spurred by agricultural, environmental, and consumer interests. Brazilian and U.S. government efforts to provide alternatives to high-priced oil helped grow the market for ethanol fuels in the 1980s, but it then languished for much of the 1990s. Since 2000, however, rising environmental concerns, new technologies, and the desire to find new income streams for farmers have provided a large boost. The European Union is the third-largest producer of biofuels but the leading manufacturer of biodiesel. With the help of tax breaks for diesel fuel, nearly 1.6 billion liters of biodiesel were produced in Europe in 2003, a 43-percent increase over 2001. Many European vehicle manufacturers have approved the use of 100-percent biodiesel in their engines. The growth of biofuels may accelerate even further as more countries introduce favorable policies. Read the full summary, download a free PDF of this Vital Sign, or purchase Vital Signs 2005 in our Vital Signs Facts Online Feature. __ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] Scientists Identify Corporate Structure as Bad for Public Health
Scientists Identify Corporate Structure as Bad for Public Health November 15, 2004 Corporate power is a major cause of health problems, according to the October/December 2005 special issue of the http://ga4.org/ct/Gp1KITK1izbh/International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. Contributions to the issue reveal how corporate structure results in pressure to influence science and place the public at risk from pesticides, lead, asbestos, toxic municipal sewage sludge, and other harmful substances. Occupational and environmental health diseases are in fact an outcome of a pervasive system of corporate priority setting, decision making, and influence, state guest editors David Egilman and Susanna Rankin Bohme. This system produces disease because political, economic, regulatory, and ideological norms prioritize values of wealth and profit over human health and environmental well-being. Skip Spitzer, Program Coordinator at PAN North America and a contributing author to the journal notes that, In market economies, private corporations play such a decisive role in the economic sphere that they are often able to secure more rights than people. Corporations deeply influence politics, law, media, public relations, science, research, education and other institutions. It's no surprise that corporate self interest routinely supersedes social and environmental welfare. In his article http://ga4.org/ct/F71KITK1izbi/A Systemic Approach to Occupational and Environmental Health, Spitzer describes how corporations are part of a structure of harm, meaning that the very way in which corporations are structured produces social and environmental problems and undermines reform. The pressure to compete in the marketplace and create demand for their products creates incentives for corporations to shape the political system, the mass media, and science for commercial ends. Corporations use this power to avoid taking responsibility for the larger environmental and social impacts of their actions (or externalities), including the public health impacts of developing dangerous new technologies. Spitzer quotes Reagan administration economist Robert Monks describing the corporation as an externalizing machine, the same way that a shark is a killing machine - no malevolence...just something designed with sublime efficiency for self-preservation, which it accomplishes without any capacity to factor in the consequences to others. This structure of harm creates incentives for corporations to seek political influence over institutions designed to protect and serve the public good. Corporations often use this power to influence scientific debates so as to avoid regulation and litigation. Science is a key part of this system, note Egilman and Bohme, there is a substantial tradition of manipulation of evidence, data, and analysis ultimately designed to maintain favorable conditions for industry at both material and ideological levels. Independent scientists whose findings counter corporate interests often face pitched battles to obtain funding, publish their research, and gain academic tenure. The corporate structure of harm undermines health protections not only domestically, but also by influencing the international agreements and treaties that shape the global economy. In her article http://ga4.org/ct/Fd1KITK1izb8/Who's Afraid of National Laws?, Erika Rosenthal, a frequent consultant to PAN in North, Central and South America, identifies how pesticide corporations are using trade agreements to block proposed bans on pesticides identified as the worst occupational health hazards in Central America. Through privileged access to closed-door negotiations, agrichemical corporations inserted deregulatory mechanisms into the draft Central American Customs Union and the Central American Free Trade Agreement. These agreements undermine health-based national pesticide registration requirements, weaken health ministries' role in pesticide control, block marketing of cheaper and less toxic pesticides, and have a chilling effect on future pesticide regulation. Rosenthal argues that as long as corporations have privileged access to trade negotiations and civil society is excluded, the resulting agreements will benefit special interests at the expense of public health. The editors conclude that corporate corruption of science is widespread and touches many aspects of our lives, as indicated by the range of articles in the issue. In http://ga4.org/ct/F11KITK1izbn/Genetic Engineering in Agriculture and Corporate Engineering in Public Debate, Rajeev Patel, Robert Torres, and Peter Rosset analyze Monsanto's efforts to convince the public of the safety of genetically modified crops. Other articles describe how industry pressure on government agencies such as EPA have influenced cancer research and resulted in approving toxic municipal sewage sludge as crop fertilizer.
[Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power
So, somebody else knows how to get something for nothing. Why won't they tell me how they do it? In my world, the energy to split the molecules on the go comes from the alternator, which gets its power from the fuel via the engine. How come it never works for me, whe nso many other people seem capable of breaking all the so-called laws of thermodyamics? Simon Fowler MADUR ELECTRONICS Voitgasse 4 A-1220 Vienna Phone: + 43-1-2584502 Fax: + 43-1-2584502-22 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Our homepage: www.madur.com, www.madurusa.com Message: 13 Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:37:11 + From: Alt.EnergyNetwork [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Truckers Choose Hydrogen Power http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 Hundreds of semitrailer trucks zipping along North American highways are now powered in part by hydrogen. These 18-wheelers make hydrogen as they go, eliminating the need for high-pressure, cryogenic storage tanks or hydrogen filling stations, which, by the way, don't yet exist. These truckers aren't just do-gooders. They like Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Injection, or HFI, system because it lets them save fuel, get more horsepower and, as a bonus, cause less pollution. We're saving $700 a month per truck on fuel, said Sherwin Fast, president of Great Plains Trucking in Salinas, Kansas. The company tried the HFI system on four trucks and has ordered 25 more. Drivers like the increased power and noticed there is a lot less black smoke coming out of the stacks, said Fast. HFI is a bolt-on, aftermarket part that injects small amounts of hydrogen into the engine air intake, said Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Steve Gilchrist. Fuel efficiency and horsepower are improved because hydrogen burns faster and hotter than diesel, dramatically boosting combustion efficiency. You get more work from the same amount of fuel, said Gilchrist. This is not a new idea. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology published research on the uses of hydrogen as a combustion-enhancing agent in the early 1970s. But the ability to make hydrogen on the go is novel. The sticking point for hydrogen has always been getting it. Unlike crude oil, natural gas, wind or solar energy, hydrogen doesn't exist freely in nature. It costs $5 a gallon to make hydrogen from natural gas. But the HFI system uses electricity from an engine's alternator to power the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen as needed from small amounts of distilled water. That's a big advantage and a bit of a novelty, said Venki Raman, an expert on hydrogen-energy applications who started Protium Energy Technologies. HFI's manufacturer guarantees 10 percent fuel savings, which likely won't interest car companies or consumers, Raman said. But a reduction of pollution emissions could spur broader use. Trucks with the HFI system produce half the amount of particulates -- microscopic, unburned bits of diesel. The system also reduces nitrogen-oxide emissions, which are major contributors to harmful air pollution, by up to 14 percent, according to Canada's Environmental Technology Verification Program. The HFI units are relatively small and cost between $4,000 and $14,000, depending on the size of the vehicle. It looks like a good transition technology to hydrogen fuel cells, which are still at least 15 years away from commercialization, said Raman. It will take at least until 2040 before fuel cells begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Hydrogen Association, Gilchrist pointed out. We vehemently disagree with governments picking the fuel cell as the single path to a cleaner environment, he said. Gilchrist recently argued just this point in meetings with California officials, who are considering buying prototype fuel-cell vehicles that will cost more than $1 million each. That money could buy many HFI systems, which would provide 300 times the air-pollution reductions of one fuel-cell vehicle, he said. http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,69529,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_5 ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power
Simon Fowler MADUR-SALES wrote: So, somebody else knows how to get something for nothing. Why won't they tell me how they do it? In my world, the energy to split the molecules on the go comes from the alternator, which gets its power from the fuel via the engine. How come it never works for me, whe nso many other people seem capable of breaking all the so-called laws of thermodyamics? This process does not violate thermodynamics, and may POSSIBLY result in a small improvement in overall efficiency. A minor improvement in thermal efficiency using a 5% hydrogen supplement has been documented by scientists as renown as Sir Harry Ricardo. This is because hydrogen acts to speed up combustion, and gases that would otherwise continue to expand through the engine's exhaust port and manifold are hurried into producing work while still in the chamber. Now, whether or not this results in a net efficiency gain depends on how efficient the onboard electrolytic device happens to be. I have built several electrolyzers and I'm skeptical, particularly when I read the hype written into this article. A ten liter truck engine inhales an AWFUL lot of air, particularly under boost, so that electrolyzer would have to put out a fairly significant volume of hydrogen to make a difference. robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] Success! I think..
Right, so, I think I may be successful here! Have a batch that I mixed up a few days ago, using a modified for local materials version of the Test Batch processor on the site. Good clean separation of the two layers when I let it settle in a translucent HDPE container. (I have a dozen of them now... I love working in the restaurant industry!). Took 20mL of the top layer, 20mL of room temperature water, stuck them in a 50mL vial, and proceeded to shake the crap out of it. Shook it up like that for a good 7-10 minutes, enough that I was positively certain everything was really mingling about and getting social in there. Set it up on top of the desk shelf over the computer, and set the timer for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, and thirty minutes. Ten minutes passed, and there was visible separation. Cloudy water on the bottom, a kinda thickish white layer in the middle, and amber-yellow non-hazy liquid at the top. Fifteen, and the layer in the middle was quite almost gone. After thirty, it's only barely thicker than paper thin. However, there is a band of hazy amber-yellow liquid on top of it; it's thin too. Is this normal? So, have I done it, or do I still need to tweak? Peace -Kurt ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] 2 articles -- hybrid vehicles - energy efficient computer
On 11/15/05, Chip Mefford [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
-Like many technological improvemenets. I wonder about theactual environmental savings of replacing old vehicles withnew, as opposed to, say, moving to alternative fuel sources,with a closer carbon cycle.
What if you moved to a new vehicle designed to run best on alternative fuels?
On the one hand, these new vehicles, with their absbrake systems, airbags, and such are pretty nice
compared to having a nasty accident in an oldpickup. But, what is the /real/ envionmental costof manufacture?An old, second or more hand, vehicle is alreadypaid for in the resource extraction sense. Paid
for with a credit card ;) but paid for. Demandfor new vehicles on the other hand is resourcedebt not yet expended.
Those features are nice, but they come at the expense of having to
worry about increased maintenance, higher maintenance bills, less
ability to do basic service yourself; in other words, they end up being
more expensive, from what I've seen. More and more resource debts you
keep incurring.
However... in my experience, at least, a lot of modern cars have a lot
of features I /don't/ want, and very few of the ones I do. I like
things like airbags for both the passenger and the driver, and ABS is
an awesome invention, but do I really need dual climate control or
color-coded door handles? Keyless entry? Remote starting?
Nope.
If it were possible, I'd just get myself a nice, solid, already paid
for classic and refit it. Put a better engineered {but not
computerized} engine in it. A more efficient transmission. Add an ABS
and two airbags and you're good to go.
You now have a vehicle that is pretty well paid for (Already is
environmentally if you get the transmission and engine used), safe,
effective, and in general very useful. You can do most if not all the
repair work on your own if you are so inclined, without having to be
both a mechanics whiz and a computer genius.
But that's just me. I believe firmly in the value of retrofitting.
Peace
-Kurt
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Re: [Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power
I have been wondering what the rate of water usage is. Greg H. - Original Message - From: robert luis rabello [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 19:37 Subject: Re: [Biofuel] truckers choose hydrogen power This process does not violate thermodynamics, and may POSSIBLY result in a small improvement in overall efficiency. A minor improvement in thermal efficiency using a 5% hydrogen supplement has been documented by scientists as renown as Sir Harry Ricardo. This is because hydrogen acts to speed up combustion, and gases that would otherwise continue to expand through the engine's exhaust port and manifold are hurried into producing work while still in the chamber. Now, whether or not this results in a net efficiency gain depends on how efficient the onboard electrolytic device happens to be. I have built several electrolyzers and I'm skeptical, particularly when I read the hype written into this article. A ten liter truck engine inhales an AWFUL lot of air, particularly under boost, so that electrolyzer would have to put out a fairly significant volume of hydrogen to make a difference. robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
