Second thought about hybridizing the diesel tree (in the era of
genertic engineering)...
Wouldn't the ideal solution be a "diesel grass" instead of a
diesel tree?
i.e. a "mowable" but high-yield grass or cane, which can be cut -
and the sap filtered for diesel fuel - following which - in a
second step, the remainder cellulose is fermented and converted to
ethanol.
Tapping trees for fuel [as is done for rubber] is labor intensive
and not easily mechanized. Mowing is so simple that it is even
amenable to robotics - eventually. Plus genetically engineering a
species for frost-tolerance, that is: just for the roots - is
probably easier than for the entire exposed tree (this is a
guess). Is that doable?
Imagine a species of bamboo, or sugar cane, which is crossed with
the diesel tree by genetic engineering. On the farm or plantation,
this cane is grown all summer and cut at the start of winter, and
converted to fuel. A portion of the mixed fuel is diesel and the
rest is ethanol and mixed esters made from fermenting the
cellulose, and then by enriching the ethanol content of the
fermented mash without distillation. The roots survive yhe winter
so that replanting the cane in the Spring is avoided.
Since diesel fuel and ethanol are not only compatible, but
mutually beneficial [i.e. the diesel component provides the
lubrication capability, which is absent in ethanol, while the
ethanol lowers the compression-pressure needed for ignition] -
this seems to be a match made in biofuel heaven.
Especially if and when the distillation-free ethanol enrichment
techniques are perfected (soon) for that component of the scheme.
Actually the oldest of all distillation-free enrichment processes
was used by the early settlers for "hard cider" made from apples.
In winter, ice is removed from a barrel of fermented apple mash,
resulting in a more potent "biofuel" and one fit for human
consumption.
BTW - to the cynics amongst us - isn't it a bit curious that the
price of oil in the USA has been falling in the past few weeks -
somewhat in timing with the recent announcements about biofuels
(Cilion/Virgin) and the other promising biofuels announcements.
Coincidental ? Probably coincidental this time, but shouldn't we
keep it that way?
It would surprise no one to learn that gasoline prices can be
manipulated to squelch competetion - and that is why we need a
substantial tax on petroleum which does not go to governement -
but instead goes directly to alternative fuel producers.
- [Vo]: Re: I Think that I will never see... Jones Beene
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