[TheForge] OT biodiesel

[debmiller at fuse.net]

Burning oil is not the long term answer. In my view the long term answer centers around a Hydrogen fueled economy. Electrolysis generated hydrogen, embedded in catalytic beads, burned in engines and producing water as emissions. The power to perform the electrolysis would be nuclear, either fusion energy, if we ever get serious about it, or graphite core pebble bed reactors.

The oil concerns would be reduced to secondary markets as suppliers of non-synthetic lubricants..........

Ray
Cincinnati

> 
> From: Ries Niemi <rniemi at fidalgo.net>
> Date: 2005/05/25 Wed PM 01:17:08 EDT
> To: John switzer <switz at mindspring.com>, 
> 	Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] OT biodiesel
> 
> 
> I gotta say, I am suspicious of this whole biodiesel thing-
> As far as french fry oil, I cant imagine there is enough used cooking 
> oil in the average town to supply 1/100th of a percent of the current 
> diesel fuel consumption.
> So for a few guys who feel like spending lots of time instead of money, 
> french fry oil will work- but it sure isnt a solution to oil 
> consumption.
> 
> And from what I have read, at current prices, it costs more to make 
> biodiesel from plant material like corn than it does to buy diesel fuel 
> from refineries.
> There are only two reasons so many biodiesel refining plants are being 
> built- government subsidies, which means we all pay extra so some 
> farmers can burn more diesel to farm, and scams- it seems there is a 
> company in Minnesota that develops and builds biodiesel refining 
> plants-- using NONE of their own money- they go into a town, convince 
> all the local farmers to mortgage their farms and houses to become 
> "investors" in this big growth industry, then they pay themselves to 
> build and manage what are money losing businesses. Once a critical mass 
> of farmers and locals have their futures tied up in these plants, they 
> start to lobby the state government to REQUIRE biodiesel for many state 
> vehicles, give it tax breaks, etc.
> There are currently something like 50 of these plants either built or 
> under construction in the midwest, and not a single one of them was 
> built by big business- kinda makes you think somebody knows something. 
> Well, I heard Archer Daniels Midland did build one or two, but totally 
> paid for by government grants- none of their own money on the line.
> 
> If all the gas and oil was used up, then biodiesel would make sense as 
> an alternative, but right now, there is a lot of smoke and mirrors 
> around this one- its kind of like the 150mpg carburetors.
> 
> ries
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________
> 
> 
>