One more "candle" to light on the subject of an "easy" but almost
neglected (non-speculative) energy alternative.
R.C.Macaulay wrote:
The coal oil lamps in the Dime Box saloon must be replaced...
BTW for those who do not realize it, conversion of coal to oil goes back
a long ways in the USA, and before that in England to the 16th century.
Probably even the Romans knew one way to do it.
Before crude oil was dirt cheap, and before Germany developed their
desperation process which can use peat (Fischer-Tropsch) there was a
natural "coal oil" from candle coal which is still a viable product. The
first US patent was pre Civil War. We seem to have forgotten about it
for the most part, except in Colorado/Utah.
SIDE note: Now it looks like the Dem-wits in Congress, having ridden to
power partly on 'green' sentiment, are about to shoot themselves in the
proverbial foot - and are inadvertently - or more likely very
advertently [SIC]... [as in $$ick]... playing into the hands of the
PetroMafia:
http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_6247015
Anyway, enough poli-cynicism and now back to sci-cynicism: in the
original process, coal oil was made from a special coal called "candle
coal". In fact kerosene comes off easily from it, but it has drawbacks
for use in steam plants. Now called "Cannel coal," this variety is
similar to "oil shale".
Once the sand or shale is removed (often using steam), what is left
actually burns more cleanly than petroleum, leaving little ash.
Cannel coal is often is found at the top or bottom of other coal beds.
The excess of hydrogen which makes convertible to liquid is known as
"disposable hydrogen," and is a measure of the fitness of the coal for
use in oil or gas-making but the extra gunk - sand and shale - make it a
problem otherwise.
Even if it costs us double the cost of Arabian crude to convert, are not
those dollars better spent at home- keeping them from the enemy ???
It is a constant source of amazement to me that the geniuses in DC, on
both sides of the aisle - cannot see the obvious - that almost every
dollar we send to Arabia for grossly overpriced oil -- returns to haunt
us over and over.
... either by letting them buy-up our most valuable corporations, or
else as 'coffin nails' for the boys sent over there in the horribly
misguided so-called 'war on terrorism' in which we are now the terrorists...
Had we spent a fraction of that trillion dollar war-fund on energy
alternatives - including even coal oil - dirty as that sounds (and we
have known how to cheaply convert coal to oil since Lincoln, at
least)... it could ironically have been a much cleaner world.
END of morning Poli/Sci rant...
Jones
