Anything into Oil
-
Steve:
I thought you might like to take a look at this article - it's very interesting about turning anything into oil.
http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/2003/Anything-Into-Oil1may03.htm
We haven't heard much about this in the NEWS!
-
Wow, that is very interesting. It doesn't seem to give great specs on the process in terms of energy required vs energy received, but it seems somewhat self sustaining.
This would be an interesting idea in many places that could use heating oil. Build small plants to deal with waste, another problem we face.
-
Yes - think of it this way; replace all our landfills with small refineries. No longer do we have a need for a landfill or have to ship tons of waste out into the ocean to be dumped.
I've seen another article about it that basically stated they can produce a barrel of oil for $8.00, and the plant runs off the natural gas that it generates. I forget the exact numbers about number of gallons of diesel it will produce, as well as number of pounds of by product which is used in fertilizer.
If you do a search on the web for this guy there are several articles he has produced.
Anyway, I thought you would like it since I saw your post regarding the Hybrid Civic -- a co-worker has one and loves it. Actually, I've been trying to find a Hybrid Accord myself. Every little bit helps.
-
This type of oil production is getting a lot of press lately and I think its a good idea, but burning oil from waste vs burning oil from the ground, still produces emissions. So we may be extending our oil reserves, but still poluting our air.
Why is it we drive everywhere? We drive to the gym to workout??? What happend to self transportation walking, biking ... I bike to work every day and all my co-workers and neighbors are amazed. It seems with global obesity and air polution being huge health problems that people would put 1 and 1 together and integrate exercise with transportation.
Sorry I'll get off my soap box and back to T-SQL.
Brian
-
I don't think it's a soap box Brian and you've made some valid points. And I personally think that a lot of the blame lays with Western civilization. We have it so good, we're just wasteful by nature.
Nothing impressed this fact on me more that travelling recently to Colombia where my wife's family is from. They waste little or nothing there. If you go to out to eat, and ask for a paper napkin (servieta), you get one small piece of paper, not a pocketfull like you would here. I'm not necessarilly saying that they are more environmentatlly conscious than us as I feel it's more of a question of economics. But the end result is still that people in less rich countries simply do not have the disposable mentality that we do in the West and especially in the U.S.
Another thing that bears this out some: Has anyone seen the program 30 days? This is done by the guy who filmed 'Super-Size Me' and it's basically a reality show (I know
, but bear with me) where people are put into different situations for 30 days at a time. Anyway...long story short, on a recent edition of the show this couple living in Manhattan were surveyed by an ecological group that looked at how much energy they used, how they shopped, how they used their cars, etc. The bottom line of the survey is that if everyone in the world lived the same way this couple did, it would take 12 and 1/2 planets to support their energy and resource consumption.That was astounding to me. And I think as one of the world's leaders we have a responsibility to start setting an example for responsible resource utilization and shed our disposable mentality. If we don't there won't be any resources left to argue over before too long.
And thanks to the original poster for the link. If this pans out, it looks like very exciting technology. Here in South Florida, the only 'mountains' that we have are the local landfills and it makes me feel better to think that one day this refuse could possibly be recycled in a meaningful way instead of sitting there rotting away.
My hovercraft is full of eels.
-
The planet has more than enough energy for thousands of times the current population, were sitting enough thermal energy in the molton core that will last til the sun goes super nova or the planets spin or changes in our orbit chagne the mean temp either way.
Space wise. The province I live in, Ontario, is bigger than texas with say tops five million in here and thats one province out of 10 and the rest have even lower population densities. Canada's at least 2 times the size of the states and could comfortably fit 3 times the current american populations. Thats not even trying.
Go to Nevada, wyoming, or Utah, three states alone with sparse populations.
In India the densed populations on the planet with immense forests.
I have a hard time buying this energy / population crisis, only a crisis of unimagination. No slight intended.
Hope I've allayed any fears.
Oh and we have a couple of dozens Islands each bigger than England with 10 or less people on them at time. (and yes I mean the number 10 not 10 k or such).
The planets thermal energy is the sure solution. As for storing the heat, there are CO2 storage techniques by pumping it back into the crust and mixing it with brine that are in use now. With a small percent increase of production costs, small numbers really. Check out the most recent SCIAM.com for the details
Cheers.
-
KSumner - I didn't read the entire article but it did take me back to my days in India where I would watch the villagers pick up cow dung, pat them into "cakes" - dry them in the sun and then use them to light the fires for their cooking.....
I have here an extract from one of the sites on animal dung as fuel:
"Gobar is the Nepali term for manure. An effort is underway to spread a design method of converting this manure into methane to use as cooking fuel. A circular pit made of concrete is sealed and manure is added over time. Pipes lead from this container into the house, where gas is emitted at the cooking location. Residue from the combustion process comes out at a different location in a concentrated form and is used for fertilizer. Human waste may also be used with the addition of an outhouse, but this is sanitarily unfriendly to the Nepalis, even though the bacteria is killed in the combustion process.
The government and certain non-governmental organizations are trying to spread these gobar gas plants throughout the country. But even with low interest loans for their construction, it is still beyond the economic means of most families."
And however much our aesthetics are repulsed by the sound of that how much more effective can recycling ever be ?!
And sswords - you're SO right about the waste in this country - I still continue to be shocked at how much people take for granted here as well as how much they waste - I know that India can feed off the garbage cans of the U.S alone...forget about loans from the World Bank...growing up we learned to switch off the lights if we ever left a room - here I see huge buildings all lit up all through the night...
But then for the most part this is the only world many of the Americans have ever known - so how can they ever develop a social conscience about matters like these anyway ?! Everything is disposable so everything gets disposed - splly. when it's cheaper to buy something new than getting it fixed...
oh dear - I feel a diatribe coming on, so I'll quit before I'm overcome...
sswords
on an aside) - I lived in Colombia for 2 months and loved it - I'm a travel freak and my only ambition in life is to see as much of the world as possible before the clock stops ticking for me...
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!** -
Well, here I go off topic yet once again...
But I've been fortunate enough to have travelled to Colombia several times over the last 3 years and I'm always very impressed each time. And I always promise myself that I'm going to try to waste less when I get home, but old habits die hard as they say.It's a real shame that Colombia gets all the bad press that it does. Especially in the US media, you normally only hear about the bad things. And these are mostly due to a very small percentage of the population which originally started a civil war 40 years ago, but now are nothing but criminals and thugs controlling much of the narcotics traffic. This current president (Alvaro Uribe) has done an excellent job of securing much of the countryside and Colombians by an large have a lot more freedom to move about than they did during previous administrations.
Sushila, I'm curious to know where you stayed when you were there. We spent 2 weeks on the coast last summer in Cartegena and Santa Marta and I just fell in love with it. I don't think the beaches are quite as nice as what we have in Florida, but everything else about it was just so amazing, especially the people. I've also spent a lot of time in the north section of Bogota where my in-laws live. What I like most about that area is that it's very modern and you can walk or cycle just about everywhere. Malls, shops, pubs, and restaraunts are all within easy walking distance of my mother-in-law's apartment. Quite a difference from here where we jump in the car just to pick up a loaf of bread.
Oh well, I'd better stop now before I jump on Orbitz and buy a couple of tickets.
¡Vive Colombia y vive Colombianos! Hasta mas tarde.My hovercraft is full of eels.
-
Hasta "now"....was in Bogota for the most part - did visit Cartagena for a week - must tell you that there were little kids peddling dope - & quite openly - was quite shocking...in Bogota - was very close to that huge big mall - (forget the name) -
I have very close Colombian friends who moved here about 10 years ago because the husband and his father were kidnapped (some financial deal gone wrong) - & they were wiped clean - had to restart Life all over again! And much of the time in Bogota I did hear many stories of daily muggings...
But then this was over a decade ago when Escobar was King....
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!** -
"...this couple living in Manhattan were surveyed by an ecological group that looked at how much energy they used ... how they used their cars, etc. ..."
WHAT! As a former Manhattanite, I'm SHOCKED that anyone would keep a car while living there.
-
Well that part has changed quite a bit and as I say, this president and the Mayor of Bogota have both done excellent jobs during their tenure. I'm not saying that crime and corruption are non-existant, but the country is vastly improved from where they were a decade or so ago. And you can actually drive in the country now in most places which simply was not done 5 years ago. Not perfect, but vastly improved. The rebels still refuse for the most to negotiate with the government but the paramiliatries are disarming and that's a big step forward.
I'm guessing that in Bogota you were maybe near Unicentro? There are several large malls there but this one is perhaps the best known. If so, that's an easy walk from our family's place.
La musica, la comida, las campas y los gentes...me gusto mucho la paiz.
My hovercraft is full of eels.
-
Unicentro - THAT's it!
ps:"La musica, la comida, las campas y los gentes...me gusto mucho la paiz"...Omar Khayyam said something quite similar - except in his case I think it was "wine, women and song..."
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!**
Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply