[Rhodes22-list] The Hydrogen Economy

[brad haslett]

Roger,

The Dec/Jan issue of Biodiesel Magazine (which just
arrived yesterday) had a short article on a new plant
coming on line in Moscow, TN, which is on my route to
the lake.  This plant is using used cooking oil as its
only feedstock.  As you say, there isn't enough used
fry oil to make a dent in the fuel balance.  However,
it smells better on the boat.  My biggest concern is
stability (I use less than 10 gallons per year) and
biodiesel is so highly detergent that if used at 100%
in an old engine it loosens all the "crud" in the
tank/lines/injector pump and clogs the injectors. 
I'll probably start with about a 20% mixture at first
and see how it goes.  When fuel costs stabalize around
$2.50 per gallon I'll start shopping for another
diesel car. The problem is, if everyone traded their
gas guzzlers for diesels and hybrids tomorrow, it
would be four years before any net savings would take
place since that's about the break-even for the energy
required to build a new car.  The most energy
efficient decision any consumer can make is to drive
their current vehichle until the wheels fall off  and
then scrap it.  The Chinese are anxious for the scrap!

Brad Haslett
"CoraShen"
--- Roger Pihlaja <cen09402 at centurytel.net> wrote:

> Saroj,
> 
> Actually, collecting the dirty spent cooking oil
> from restaurants and
> commercial food processing centers, filtering out
> the old bits of French
> fries, onion rings, and fish, and converting the
> cooking oil into diesel
> fuel is a pretty good disposal option for these
> materials.  Of course, the
> amounts of cooking oil involved are so small that
> this process doesn't
> affect the overall US diesel fuel mass balance in
> any significant way.  But,
> it's a much better use for these waste materials
> than landfilling,
> incineration, or dumping them down the sewer.   It's
> a piece of low hanging
> fruit that we might as well take advantage of right
> now.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Saroj Gilbert" <saroj at pathfind.net>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 11:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] The Hydrogen Economy
> 
> 
> > There's a guy in Norfolk or nearby who has
> invented a few parts that will
> > convert the average diesel car engine to run on
> any old oil and uses
> > discarded kitchen oil collected from grease
> traps... not a practical
> > solution for the masses, but pretty neat... takes
> him an hour an a half or
> > so to do the conversion.
> >
> > Saroj
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "brad haslett" <flybrad at yahoo.com>
> > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 8:10 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] The Hydrogen Economy
> >
> >
> > > Roger,
> > >
> > > Unfortunately for you, most big businesses
> operate
> > > under the principle of "it's easier to ask
> forgiveness
> > > than permission" and that includes universities.
>  The
> > > Wright brothers didn't patent the airplane, they
> > > patented the three axis of flight and then spent
> the
> > > remainder of their lives unsuccessfully
> defending the
> > > patent.  I think the bio-mass fuel market will
> follow
> > > a natural oligopoly pattern just as petroleum
> refining
> > > has.  ADM and Volkswagon are already doing joint
> > > research.  The big grain processers will also be
> the
> > > big bio-fuel producers for obvious reasons.  For
> the
> > > time being there are a few mom-and-pop operators
> but
> > > they won't last.  The problem with biodiesel as
> jet
> > > fuel is the low temperature jelling issue.  If
> that is
> > > solved, there is no reason biodiesel won't work
> in
> > > jets.  Gas turbine engines aren't too fussy
> about fuel
> > > until the ambient temperature gets below
> freezing.
> > > Dr. Diesel designed the engine to run on peanut
> oil
> > > but crude based diesel came along and that was
> the end
> > > of it, or not!
> > >
> > > Brad Haslett
> > > "CorsShen"
> > >
> > >
> > > --- Roger Pihlaja <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
> wrote:
> > >
> > >> Brad,
> > >>
> > >> The whole issue of how Dr. Schilling and I are
> > >> coinventors on a patent that
> > >> is mostly "owned" by Saginaw Valley State
> University
> > >> (SVSU) and partly by
> > >> The Michigan Corn Growers Association has been
> > >> covered before on the list.
> > >> SVSU's intellectual property policy only grants
> a
> > >> small royalty stream to
> > >> the inventors.  Dr. Schilling isn't interested
> in
> > >> anything but the royalty
> > >> stream.  But, I've been trying to negotiate an
> > >> exclusive license to practice
> > >> my own invention from SVSU since last April. 
> SVSU
> > >> is pursuing bigger fish,
> > >> like the Archer Daniels Midland Corp. in an
> attempt
> > >> to maximise the royalty
> > >> revenue stream to the university in as short a
> time
> > >> frame as possible.
> > >> Without the exclusive license to practice, it's
> > >> nearly impossible to attract
> > >> the required start-up capital.  In addition the
> > >> risks involved starting up
> > >> my Bio-Energy Corp. are much greater if SVSU is
> free
> > >> to license the
> > >> technology to anyone that waves a large pile of
> cash
> > >> in front of their nose.
> > >> Basically, it feels as if everyone owns a piece
> of
> > >> my patent except me & I'm
> > >> pretty raw about it.
> > >>
> > >> Since I can't get the university to negotiate
> in
> > >> good faith, I figured the
> > >> next best thing was to leverage the research
> into a
> > >> job with one of the
> > >> major players in the industry.  Last fall, I
> sent
> > >> information packets
> > >> marketing my idea and myself to the top 10
> companies
> > >> in this industry.  So
> > >> far, the only response has been from Broin &
> > >> Associates, Inc. in Sioux
> > >> Falls, SD.  They're the #2 player in this
> industry.
> > >>  I hope to know by the
> > >> end of next week if I got voted off the island
> > >> before the next round of
> > >> interviews with Broin.  Stay tuned!
> > >>
> > >> Why won't biodiesel made from soybeans or rape
> seeds
> > >> work with aircraft
> > >> turbine engines?  The viscosity & vapor
> pressure of
> > >> biodiesel are about
> > >> right & I don't think there's alot of organic
> sulfur
> > >> compounds or anything
> > >> like that which might harm the turbine blades.
> > >> What's the problem?
> > >>
> > >> Roger Pihlaja
> > >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> > >>
> > >> ----- Original Message -----
> > >> From: "brad haslett" <flybrad at yahoo.com>
> > >> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> > >> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > >> Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 8:10 AM
> > >> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] The Hydrogen
> Economy
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> > Roger,
> > >> >
> > >> > Hopefully you've patented your process,
> you're on
> > >> to
> > >> > something.  The demise of easy oil has been
> > >> predicted
> > >> > since Col. Drake's first well and
> Rockefeller's
> > >> > monopoly but this time it looks for real. 
> Hubbert
> > >> was
> > >> > dead on the money about when US oil
> production
> > >> would
> 
=== message truncated ===



		
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