Every see the bumper sticker: "Its Amino World without
Biochemists"
CAVEAT: the American Petroleum Institute and even the National
Biodiesel Board strongly warns against average_Joes even reading
the following...
...they do not want you to know about *cellulase* which is a key
enzyme in final development by NREL - just waiting for the other
pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to come together.
That would be the puzzle entitled:
"A Renewable Energy Future for the USA, NOW".
Here are some possible calcs for Fred to improve on - based on a
carbon-neutral, renewable energy future plan - year 2010 and
beyond - should that puzzle come together by then, and it can...
If you need to drive about 18,000 miles per year - 1,500 miles per
month and your advanced hybrid diesel with HydroBooster gets near
80 MPG (doable even *without* plug-in option)... obviously you
will need around 200 gallons of fuel.
By 2010 gasoline or diesel will probably be pushing $6 gallon at
the pump or about $1200+ for a year's worth.
Is there a home-grown option in biodiesel or even (nondistilled)
ethanol? Hmm... maybe... but not unless the technology to convert
"suburban biomass" and non-food ag-waste such as grass and tree
clippings, food and packaging waste etc. comes along. And it is
almost ready.
After all, at 7.5 pounds per gallon, that 200 gallons is only ~3/4
of a ton of waste. A couple of good sized oak trees and a half
acre of lawn (replanted with saw-grass <g>) can be trimmed/pruned
of that much biomass every summer month. Even a four car family
will probably have enough raw biomass available - should they
choose to process it. But far closer to reality is the likelihood
that every farmers co-op in the USA will go immediately into
this - using biowaste - not food crops for tractor fuel.
What is needed, technology-wise? Probably the most advantageous
single advance would be a single "bug" an Algae (single-celled
bioengineered lifeform which can turn ground-up raw mixed
cellulose directly into biodiesel.
That is probably too much to ask for in the short term, so we will
probably need two different strains - one to digest the cellulose
and another strain to convert that pre-digested goop immediately
into biodiesel. The total fermentation time should be hours - not
days. Bring a dry ton of ag-waste in today and get back 200
gallons of biodiesel tomorrow.
Well, it turns out that the technology has already been (nearly)
developed for the cellulose part -even on the meager NREL budget:
http://www.sdsc.edu/Press/2005/10/101305_biomass.html
Yes. With the necessary will-power we CAN have a carbon-neutral
and oil-free future starting within 5 years - its all a matter of
national priority (starting with regime-change, when necessary, to
rid government of the Petrocracy). An excess-profits tax on big
oil can bring in the annual 20 billion yearly necessary to finance
this effort.
It would take much longer to totally change the infrastructure,
but for now, getting a strong start with local farm co-ops into
the biodiesel business using left-over biomass (corn husks instead
of corn) is a good place to start. Next will be commercial
trucking, corporate automotive, public transportation and lastly
the family car. Unless you are so adventurous (and otherwise
unemployed) to do it yourself.
Once the farmer's co-op starts making its own tractor fuel - the
auto companies will be forced to produce cars with this more
efficient small diesel engine with hydro-booster - which in hybrid
form (non-plug-in) and with the hydro-booster WILL achieve 80
MPG... This has actually been demonstrated in a non-hybrid
already.
Jones
Why a "non-plug-in" hybrid ? Ans: unless we add more
nuclear/wind/solar -we cannot guarantee a carbon-neutral solution
with a plug-in hybrid - only biodiesel with no grid-charging will
do that.
