Efficient biofuel? Too good to be true?

#51
#51
oklavol said:
Been doing some research about the guys who started this company. They seem incredibly bright and on the up and up. It seems legit. It will change the world we know. :crossfingers:
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Sounds like something I'd invest money into, if I had money to invest.
 
#52
#52
oklavol said:
Been doing some research about the guys who started this company. They seem incredibly bright and on the up and up. It seems legit. It will change the world we know. :crossfingers:
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I hope you are right. Think of the savings we would have from energy independence. The military savings alone would be huge because we wouldn't have to police the Middle East as much. Not to mention the fact that we could stop a major source of funding to nations that don't care for us very much.
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#53
#53
Why don't we just try to get away from fuel all together and use electric and hydrogen power. I know it will take some time to get the kinks worked out (and for the love of God stop making electric cars look like space ships!) but that would fix most of the issues we are having with the middle east and at the pump if we just didn't use oil.
 
#54
#54
mreed90 said:
Why don't we just try to get away from fuel all together and use electric and hydrogen power. I know it will take some time to get the kinks worked out (and for the love of God stop making electric cars look like space ships!) but that would fix most of the issues we are having with the middle east and at the pump if we just didn't use oil.
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It just isn't that simple. Kinks are more complicated than four letter words.
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#56
#56
Plus Chernobyl was a horrific design, something the US will never allow. Even TMI is incredibly stupid compared to today's standards.
 
#59
#59
Me too. But I'm not going to pretend like it wouldn't be catastrophic if it happened. Nature bounces back, but it does so in a manner that wouldn't be an environment that humans can flourish in. We're a little more prone to problems than most animals, due to our longer life span and slower reproductive cycle, our place in the food web, etc.
 
#60
#60
mreed90 said:
Why don't we just try to get away from fuel all together and use electric and hydrogen power. I know it will take some time to get the kinks worked out (and for the love of God stop making electric cars look like space ships!) but that would fix most of the issues we are having with the middle east and at the pump if we just didn't use oil.
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I'm not sure how we get away from fuel altogether. How do you propose we get the hydrogen or the electricity? Unless we have sustainable fuels for those purposes, all we have done by going to hydrogen or electric cars is gained some thermal efficiency, some economy of scale, and improved local pollution such as smog. While all of that is fine, none address the real issue of a sustainable energy supply.
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#61
#61
VOLatile said:
Sounds like something I'd invest money into, if I had money to invest.
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JayVols said:
I hope you are right. Think of the savings we would have from energy independence. The military savings alone would be huge because we wouldn't have to police the Middle East as much. Not to mention the fact that we could stop a major source of funding to nations that don't care for us very much.
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The real question seems to be whether they can scale up production from their lab model and how they can efficiently harvest the biodiesel their microorganism produces. On the outside, these don't seem to be as difficult to overcome as developing the microrganism to generate diesel was. :twocents:
 
#62
#62
IPorange said:
Me too. But I'm not going to pretend like it wouldn't be catastrophic if it happened. Nature bounces back, but it does so in a manner that wouldn't be an environment that humans can flourish in. We're a little more prone to problems than most animals, due to our longer life span and slower reproductive cycle, our place in the food web, etc.
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of course it's be catastrophic, but so would thousands of other things that have almost zero chance of happening that we'd ignore on a regular basis.
 
#63
#63
droski said:
of course it's be catastrophic, but so would thousands of other things that have almost zero chance of happening that we'd ignore on a regular basis.
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The only reason this even came up was just because someone mentioned how well "nature" was rebounding around Chernobyl. Yes, there are trees and grass, and yes, there are birds and small mammals around. That doesn't change the fact that humans will be suffering from the events there for another 200 years or more, and the core itself will be a liability for whatever government holds power there for thousands of years.

That's all I'm saying.

It's funny how these things that have zero chance of happening: gulf oil spills, nuclear accidents, economic collapses, etc. -- all happen anyway. "Zero" isn't what it used to be.

I'm not advocating getting away from nuclear power at all. Far from it. It's the cleanest and most sustainable thing we have right now. We just need to do it with open eyes and stay vigilant. France is actually a good model for this. Although I have no idea what they do with all their waste.
 
#64
#64
JayVols said:
That is truth. Is it Brazil that produces all their fuel from sugar cane derived ethanol? Whoever it is, they made a decision to break the oil addiction after the fiasco of the 1970's. Switchgrass is also more efficient than corn. But as you stated, can't cut big agribusiness subsidies.....
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Yep, but Brazil can sustain it. We can't.

droski said:
i'm willing to play the nuclear meltdown odds.
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As am I. Nuclear has been getting it done all over Europe and Japan for decades now. IMO our only current, real long-term solution for energy.

As for cars, worry not fellows, Honda is going to save us all:

Honda FCX Clarity Overview - Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle - Site

They are currently working through a bunch of ideas to support the infrastructure for this sort of thing.
 
#65
#65
You'd think economic conditions are favorable for a game-changer to emerge. And that's for the first time since the 70's.
 
#67
#67
IPorange said:
The only reason this even came up was just because someone mentioned how well "nature" was rebounding around Chernobyl. Yes, there are trees and grass, and yes, there are birds and small mammals around. That doesn't change the fact that humans will be suffering from the events there for another 200 years or more, and the core itself will be a liability for whatever government holds power there for thousands of years.

That's all I'm saying.

It's funny how these things that have zero chance of happening: gulf oil spills, nuclear accidents, economic collapses, etc. -- all happen anyway. "Zero" isn't what it used to be.

I'm not advocating getting away from nuclear power at all. Far from it. It's the cleanest and most sustainable thing we have right now. We just need to do it with open eyes and stay vigilant. France is actually a good model for this. Although I have no idea what they do with all their waste.
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i assume you realize the chances for oil spills and economic collapses are far greater than the chance of a Chernobyl style meltdown. worst case is probably a 3 mile island situation and even that wasn't all THAT bad. i'd be willing to bet that coal production produces enough harmfull efects to take that slim chance.
 
#68
#68
milohimself said:
Yep, but Brazil can sustain it. We can't.


As am I. Nuclear has been getting it done all over Europe and Japan for decades now. IMO our only current, real long-term solution for energy.

As for cars, worry not fellows, Honda is going to save us all:

Honda FCX Clarity Overview - Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle - Site

They are currently working through a bunch of ideas to support the infrastructure for this sort of thing.
Click to expand...
I completely agree on about the honda fcx, and I love that they're actually working on more than just the car itself.
 
#69
#69
droski said:
i assume you realize the chances for oil spills and economic collapses are far greater than the chance of a Chernobyl style meltdown. worst case is probably a 3 mile island situation and even that wasn't all THAT bad. i'd be willing to bet that coal production produces enough harmfull efects to take that slim chance.
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Me too. Doesn't mean we need to minimize the damage a meltdown causes.
 
#70
#70
milohimself said:
Yep, but Brazil can sustain it. We can't.


As am I. Nuclear has been getting it done all over Europe and Japan for decades now. IMO our only current, real long-term solution for energy.

As for cars, worry not fellows, Honda is going to save us all:

Honda FCX Clarity Overview - Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle - Site

They are currently working through a bunch of ideas to support the infrastructure for this sort of thing.
Click to expand...

Sweet. I just wish US manufacturers would be forward thinking to aggressively tackle fuel cell technology. I know they are tinkering with it, but we need an all out blitz. Shame too because they could really shore up their future by getting ahead of the rest of the world with this type of technology.
 
#72
#72
droski said:
i guess my issue is when one compares it to say a bp oil spill. it's far easier to stop a meltdown than plug a deep water well.
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Of course, the main negative effects of an oil spill are gone in 20 years, with all effects gone in say 50 years.

A meltdown has a shelf life longer than all of human civilization to this point.
 
#74
#74
JayVols said:
Sweet. I just wish US manufacturers would be forward thinking to aggressively tackle fuel cell technology. I know they are tinkering with it, but we need an all out blitz. Shame too because they could really shore up their future by getting ahead of the rest of the world with this type of technology.
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If US auto manufacturers stopped making everything but trucks tomorrow, the world would be better off for it.

They don't have the resources or capability of coming up with one good passenger car, let alone developing new fuel platforms.
 
#75
#75
milohimself said:
If US auto manufacturers stopped making everything but trucks tomorrow, the world would be better off for it.

They don't have the resources or capability of coming up with one good passenger car, let alone developing new fuel platforms.
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Trucks and SUV's are what sell in America. That's reality, even if you or I don't like it.
 
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