Behind the project is the EU (European Union), requiring all its member countries (of which Italy is a part) to substitute and increase its current automotive fuels from fossil fuels to bioenergy. The recent issues that have arisen with land based biofuels (agro-fuels) have left Italy very little option than to investigate the potential of algael oil to fuel.

Here is the link you may watch it and decide for yourself.  My colleagues and some of our students in the automotive department were a big help! Thanks go to Instructors: Grant Swaim & Rankin Barnes, and students Ernest Farr, John Bolander,and Brian Pumphrey.

http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=2350907C5420ED9D5D468C67F75741BD?contentId=6948772&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

I have continued running biodiesel with absolutely no problems. I changed the fuel filters as part of a regular maintenence service on the car. I cut them open afterwards and found no real debris at all the filters probably could have gone another 25,000 without being replaced.  I am getting ready to start a brand new series of cold weather tests with some new additivies on the market.

2010 VW super efficient diesel gets over 200 MPG

If you’re wondering why I began with diesels, it was the simple fact that I have a lot of experience with them.  After I had such good experience with my 1999 Volkswagen beetle, my wife and I purchased a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with an automatic and just recently we purchased a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta TDI with a standard transmission for my stepdaughter.

The second reason that I chose to speak about diesels first is because diesel engines are superior to gasoline engines in many ways. They have fewer moving parts and are much more efficient than gasoline engines. Diesel engines are also built with sturdier parts to withstand higher compression pistons that are used in the engine design. These facts enable the average diesel engine to last much longer than an average gasoline engine. Volkswagen’s diesel engine longevity is legendary.  Some members of the TDI club have over 500,000 miles on their engines.

According to Wikipedia “Diesel-powered cars generally have a better fuel economy than equivalent gasoline engines and produce less greenhouse gas emission. Their greater economy is due to the higher energy per-liter content of diesel fuel and the intrinsic efficiency of the diesel engine. While petrodiesel's 15% higher density results in 15% higher greenhouse gas emissions per liter compared to gasoline,[6] the 20–40% better fuel economy achieved by modern diesel-engine automobiles offsets the higher-per-liter emissions of greenhouse gases, and produces 10-20 percent less GHG emissions than comparable gasoline vehicles. Biodiesel-powered diesel engines offer substantially improved emission reductions compared to petro-diesel or gasoline-powered engines, while retaining most of the fuel economy advantages over conventional gasoline-powered automobiles.”

In addition to greater efficiency, back in 2002, Volkswagen created an experimental car that got over 285 MPG. Volkswagen was shooting for the car to go 100 kilometers on one liter of diesel.   When tested however, it only took .89 liters to go 100 kilometers (or around 285 MPG).  Here’s the math:

3.78541178 liters is equal to one gallon, to go 100 kilometers and one kilometer equals 0.621371192 miles, 100KM would equal 62.1371192 miles (or 235.22 MPG).

 

[caption id="attachment_52" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="VW concept 1 litre concept car exceeds 285 MPG"][/caption]

 

 

 

Remember, this concept car was developed in way back in 2002 and it actually got better fuel economy, than anticipated scoring a sweet .89L/100km in VW testing or closer to 285 MPG. The production car due in 2010 is supposed to get more like the 235 MPG number.  I don’t know about you but I’d like to have one of those to go to works or just cruise around.

 

You can see details at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_1-litre_car

and http://www.supercars.net/cars/1935.html You can see pictures of the production model at: http://gas2.org/2008/05/07/vw-confirms-1l-concept-will-become-reality-in-2010/

 

O acordo, que dá início ao desenvolvimento do Projecto Belém, resulta de um memorando de entendimento assinado em 18 de Maio de 2007 entre as duas empresas, aquando da visita a Portugal do presidente brasileiro Lula da Silva.

O Projecto Belém prevê a produção de 600 mil toneladas por ano de óleo vegetal no Brasil, destinado à produção de 500 mil toneladas por ano de biodiesel de segunda geração (Biodiesel 2G).

Metade deste volume será produzida em Portugal e a restante metade em local a definir, com o objectivo de comercialização na Europa, com prioridade para o mercado ibérico.

O Acordo de Investimentos hoje assinado estabelece as normas de relacionamento entre as duas empresas, para o desenvolvimento do projecto.

Caso se confirme a viabilidade do projecto, será constituída uma sociedade com capital dividido em partes iguais entre a Galp Energia e a Petrobras.

Dinheiro Digital

Por William Taciro

Com a crise dos alimentos em 2008, governantes e empresários de várias partes do mundo relacionaram a expansão dos biocombustíveis com a alta no preço da comida. Como o mercado de energia abriga múltiplos interesses, dá para desconfiar das críticas. Mas até que ponto elas são pertinentes?

Em 2006, a produção mundial de etanol foi de 40 bilhões de litros e a de biodiesel, de 6,5 bilhões. Os EUA defendem seu etanol de milho ao afirmar que só 3% da inflação dos cereais é causada pelos biocombustíveis. Para a ONU, os biocombustíveis respondem por 10% da alta de preço da comida, e, para o Banco Mundial, por 75%.

Ao lado dessa polêmica, cresce o consenso de que biocombustível não é sempre igual. O impacto sobre o preço dos alimentos é bem diferente quando se considera o álcool combustível brasileiro, feito da cana, o etanol norte-americano, fabricadocom milho, e o biodiesel europeu, feito de grãos como o trigo. Nessa disputa, nosso país está bem posicionado.

OS GIGANTES DO ETANOL
Distribuição da produção mundial de etanol - 2007

Produção concentrada
Brasil e EUA concentram a produção de etanol. Os especialistas consideram que o etanol de cana, feito no Brasil, não ameaça a produção de alimentos. Já o etanol de milho exige que se desvie parte do cereal que iria para a mesa de milhões de pessoas,nos EUA e no México, onde o milho é a base da alimentação popular.

A EUROPA DOMINA O BIODIESEL
Distribuição da produção mundial de biodiesel, em 2006

Infografe

CRESCE A PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL
Milhares de toneladas equivalentes de petróleo

Infografe

Açúcar versus grãos
Compare este gráfico com o dos preços dos grupos de alimentos, na matéria O mundo vive rebeliões por fome. Repare como são diferentes as dinâmicas dos preços do açúcar e dos grãos (veja os gráficos na matéria Por que sobe o preço dos cereais). Enquanto os grãos subiram com os combustíveis, o açúcar se comporta de maneira mais livre.

A INFLUÊNCIA DO PETRÓLEO
Variação nominal da cotação do petróleo, em média, em dólar, e dos preços dos amimentos

Infografe

Comida no prato ou no motor?
A partir de 2005, os biocombustíveis feitos com grãos tornaram-se importantes para os países ricos. Lester Brown, fundador do Worldwatch Institute, prevê que daqui para a frente o preço da comida e o do petróleo estarão amarrados. Para ele, sempre que a cotação da comida for menor que a do combustível, os grãos e os recursos naturais seguirão para o setor energético.

COMPARE OS ETANÓIS

Infografe

Vantagens da cana
Para a ONG Oxfam, a política de biocombustíveis dos países ricos pouco tem a ver com questões ambientais ou de segurança alimentar, como alegam seus governos, mas, sim, com sua disputa por mercados. Como prova, a entidade cita as tarifas sobre o etanol do Brasil, cujo objetivo real é proteger as próprias produções.

After evaluating what was out there in the late 1990’s, (gas and diesels as hybrids and electrics were not even a choice) what I ended up doing was to buy a brand new Volkswagen New Beetle TDI (diesel) in February of 1999. The car was EPA rated 43/49 MPG and at the time diesel cost less than gas. It was the best choice at the time because it beat anything out there. Since I live in the upper Midwest, I had to read up about “gelling” fuel in winter because the temperature had dropped to below -25 degrees F and that is WITHOUT the “wind-chill” factored in. But this problem seemed to be conquered by the winter fuel additives.

The bug has plenty of power, hauls four passengers comfortably and it was the cheapest car that I could find to operate. There was a cost “penalty” for buying the diesel version car and at the time was about $650 over the equivalent model powered by gas. I don’t know what the cost difference is today but they are cleaner (they even pass the extremely strict California standards), faster and there is a $1300 tax credit available if you buy one today.

As for my own personal experience in my stock New Beetle (no modifications), on the hottest day in summer going 85 MPH down the highway with the air on full the worst I ever got was 43MPG (EPA nailed it for once and then some). On the other end, once I began to stick to the posted speed limits (this is a really hard one for me) started to anticipate and slow down for stoplights, coast down hills in neutral shut, park in parking spots that I can drive straight out of (backing up is a waste of fuel) and turn off the engine at long stoplights railroad crossings, etc. (don’t even think about going through the drive through anywhere), I have consistently gotten over 55 MPG. My best tanks are usually around the 57-62MPG range. Keep a vigilant eye on your tire pressure as well.

After joining the local TDI club (yes there are most certainly local TDI clubs in your area) in Madison, Wisconsin, I learned the many tips out there like the overflow tank tip. There is also a tremendous website called Fred’s TDI Page and the TDI Club.

Here is one of the tips that I learned almost immediately: I you own a classic car or remember the old cars, on a hot day the gas would expand and they would frequently start leaking gas out on the cap. The auto makers came up with an elegant solution; they installed an overflow tank. In my car it is 2.2 gallons. There is a little button is depressed when you put the gas cap on. Diesel doesn’t expand as much as gas so if you hold the little button down with the fuel nozzle, you can get an extra 2.2 gallon in your tank (you fool it into thinking the gas overflowed into it. Using this practice I’ve been able to get around 800 miles to a tank. Think about it, you even save fuel because you don’t go to the gas station as often. I would go two to three times more often with the Subaru that the bug replaced.

I had planned to experiment with alternative fuels but could not do anything until the generous 10 year/ 100,000 mile warranty ran out. I hit the 100K mark in August, 2005 so the warranty was up. After this, I started to use biodiesel and biodiesel blends with no problems whatsoever. And by the way, this car will also burn straight vegetable oil (or SVO). Yes it’s true and any oil will do; you can use straight corn oil, soybean oil or get some right from the fryers of your local fast food giants (McDonalds, Burger King, etc.). I like the concept but I’d have to buy a heater tank kit (Google it on the internet) that would take up most of my baggage compartment but you need it to make sure the oil is liquid before it reaches the fuel filter. These tank conversion kits are readily available and expensive but I think they would pay for themselves fairly fast if the fuel prices stay up there. In any case (or at least in my case), these kits are better suited to a larger vehicle like a diesel truck or SUV because I just can’t sacrifice the space in my Beetle. You just can’t put it in when you want to and take it out when you need the space. I think that a clever engineer could make tons of money creating an easily removable tank unit (I’ll have to start working on it).

Another alternative is to cook your own biodiesel (kind of like your own meth lab) there are plenty of websites out there that will step you through the process or sell you a do it yourself kit. Just Google biodiesel or shoot me an email (or comment).

Today, since we have all been hurting from the high fuel prices, let’s talk about fuel and the alternatives out there for transportation. I’ll talk about what I think and what I’ve done about it. That being said here are the alternatives that you can choose from (did I miss any?):

• Gasoline powered vehicles
• Diesel powered vehicles
• Hybrid powered vehicles
• Electric powered vehicles
• Train
• Bus
• Walk
• Bike (human powered vehicles)

Let’s just begin with the first few and see how far that I can get today.

Gasoline powered vehicles

• Pros: roads are heavily subsidized, infrastructure already in place, can use alternate fuels, can use hypermiling,
• Cons: dangerous, costly, inconvenient breakdowns (part failures, flat tires, bad fuel), inefficiency

Diesel powered vehicles

• Pros: roads are heavily subsidized, infrastructure already in place, more efficiency, can use hypermiling, can use alternate fuels, more efficient that gasoline power, fewer moving parts
• Cons: dangerous, costly (insurance, fuel parts), inconvenient breakdowns (part failures, flat tires, bad fuel), inefficiency, fewer stations carry diesel, may gel without additives in cold climates.

En concreto, la orden fijará un objetivo mínimo para etanol y biodiesel del 3,9% en contenido energético, inferior al objetivo global que establece la Ley, tal y como avanzó ayer el en el Congreso el secretario general de Energía, Pedro Marín. Estos objetivos mínimos por producto, combinados con el objetivo global, permiten a los agentes poder optar por diferentes combinaciones para el cumplimiento de lo establecido en la Orden.

El sistema de obligación se aplica a los mismos sujetos establecidos en el Real Decreto 1716/2004, de 23 de julio, por el que se regula la obligación de mantenimiento de existencias mínimas de seguridad.

La orden establece mecanismos de flexibilidad temporal para la contabilización de las cantidades de biocarburantes vendidas o consumidas, y contempla el establecimiento de un sistema de certificación y pagos compensatorios que será gestionado por la Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE) y que permitirá a los sujetos obligados la transferencia de certificados, al tiempo que servirá como mecanismo de control de la obligación.

Esta reglamentación desarrolla la Directiva 2003/30/CE, relativa al fomento del uso de biocarburantes y otros combustibles renovables en el transporte, traspuesta mediante la disposición adicional decimosexta de la Ley del Sector de Hidrocarburos, que estableció objetivos anuales de biocarburantes y otros combustibles renovables con fines de transporte para el periodo 2008-2010, expresados en contenido energético.

El objetivo del 2008 (1,9%) tiene carácter indicativo, mientras que los objetivos aprobados para el 2009 (3,4%) y 2010 (5,83%) son obligatorios.

Sasol recently discussed their succeeding in being listed in the Dow Jones sustainability world index and gave an overview of their focus.

On the biodiesel project they have been publicising with the Central Energy Fund for some years now they stated that "there is not a very certain government framework at this point in time, which makes finalising a decision not very easy" even though the crude price is multiples of what it was in the beginning!

A recent article highlighted the discontent of commercial maize growers with the South African Governments decision to only allow the production of ethanol from excess maize.

These two stories reinforce what was obvious at the time the Biofuels Strategy was being actively developed - no one was going to be able to make a profitable business out of it without significant subsidisation from government.

The concern is that South Africa can now move away from first generation biofuels, but Africa seems to be getting deeper involved although the constrains are obvious.

The article below by the US Department of Agriculture at the end of 2007 has a good overview, but concludes that maybe there is still room for government to adjust its position. This has apparently not happened to date.

Republic of South Africa Biofuels Situation Update - Get more Legal Forms

Africa Biofuels set out to find a biofuel process that did not compete for a food or use agricultural land. It looked for a product that could actually enhance the environment and benefit the people of the area.

It identified Croton megalocarpus, an indigenous tree, as its focus.

There is detailed discussion of the project under the explanatory and news section of the website that promotes its arguments in detail.

In a quick scan and search I was unable to identify how the byproducts (oil cake and glycerine) are to be used and what income they will generate. This "income" and the cost of manual collection from wild trees are critical to the viability of the process. In fact I not find any costing or economics on the site but am taking that up via email.

Aside from the Jatropha oil burning cleaner than fossil fuels, this initiative will create countless new jobs for the impoverished country sides of India. This is a prime example that meeting the world's power needs can also empower the people. Buy British Petroleum stock.

Publication date: October 7, 2008

When Greg Melville's wife Ann Marie suggested the family should buy a diesel car and convert to vegetable oil, he was reticent, to say the least.  But she managed to convince him:

"You'll be the only guy on the block with a veggie car," she argued. I didn't care. "You're always ranting about politics. Now you can walk the walk." All right, I was listening. "You'll save a lot of money." Very good point. Then came the kicker. "Dick Cheney will hate you for it." Done deal.

After realizing that converting vehicles to run on vegetable oil wasn't just "something that only hippies do, when they're not making their clothes out of hemp," Melville cooks up the idea to drive his converted Mercedes from his home in Burlington, Vermont, across the country to the BioFuel Oasis in Berkeley, California. Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future is the story of that adventure.

Inspired by the travels of H. Nelson Jackson, the first person to drive cross-country in an automobile (he did it in 1903 and went west to east), Greg and his pal Iggy set out with a goal to cross the country fueled only by used fry-oil gathered from restaurants along the way (with a little help from fellow converted auto enthusiasts).  They agree that since H. Nelson Jackson undertook his journey in response to a $50 bet that he couldn't do it, Iggy would assign Greg errands inspired by their journey, and Greg would have one year afterward to complete the errands and win his own $50 bet.

Greg and Iggy's cross-country journey takes only eight days, so to fill out the book, Melville's chapters alternate between descriptions of the trip, one day at a time, and explanations of the errands and research he completed afterward to answer questions that came up along the way and satisfy the terms of his bet with Iggy.  The travel chapters are funny and lighthearted, as Greg and Iggy negotiate the logistics of sharing space for 192 hours straight, and the writing is conversational and easy to enjoy.  I loved it that Greg and Iggy invented a few words along the way: "blinkerbating" for flipping the broken turn signal up and down manually to make it flash and "redneck helmet" to describe a person wearing their sunglasses on top of their baseball hat.  Greasy Rider reads similarly to a Bill Bryson book, but it is not quite as funny or compulsively readable.  That isn't to say it's bad---Bill Bryson is just an awful lot to live up to.

The chapters describing Greg's errands are interesting and informative. He travels to Nashville in search of the ultimate green home (Al Gore's) and is disappointed to discover it's not quite as earth-friendly as he'd hoped. His trips to a Minnesota farm (where he learns about wind energy) and to Dartmouth (where he learns about cullulosic ethanol) are a bit dry but are very educational---I learned several new facts about alternative energy sources and concluded that Greg's errands were pretty worthwhile. I found it interesting, informative, and very timely when a researcher at Dartmouth told him that:

American foreign policy is largely dictated by protecting the resources we need, like oil. To kick the fossil-fuel habit by replacing it with a homemade solution is to strengthen national security.

The most interesting errand chapters describe a trip to the Google headquarters, where Melville is awestruck by the availability of expensive all-natural fruit juice and the extreme earth-friendliness that promotes employee well-being and is a very smart business move, and to Fort Knox, which is "one of the largest geothermally heated and cooled facilities in the world."  I was surprised to learn that.

A trip to a "green" Wal-Mart in McKinney, Texas, where the wind turbine in the parking lot stands as a solute to alternative sources of energy but doesn't actually work, makes Greg and Iggy suspicious that "the green initiatives seemed more like a PR ploy than part of some new, sincere push by Wal-Mart to create a sustainable future," and leads to a reflection on the open market and the ways in which business can profit by going green.

Greg and Iggy survive their journey and arrive at the Oasis with the car (mostly) in one piece, and Iggy assigns Greg his final task: to write a letter summarizing what he learned from the trip and from his errands. Greg sums it up this way:

It taught me that if two goobers like us can actually get in a car and drive across the country without fossil fuels or putting a lot of carbon into the air, the answers for sustainability are easier than people think.

He muses that

When the government musters the rare courage to act decisively on sustainability, the economy benefits as much as the environment does......

For too long, our country has tried to stop government from interference in big business, but ignored big business's interference in government.

And he calls on likeminded individuals, stating that:

We need to inspire, educate, proselytize, and most important, mobilize so the country is equipped to face the inevitable challenges ahead.

I thoroughly enjoyed Greasy Rider.  I was educated and informed, but I was also entertained. I was inspired by Greg and Iggy's journey and their growing commitment to going green, and I liked that Melville presented many ways average Americans can apply the larger concepts to our daily lives. This is a great read for environmentalists and skeptics alike, as Iggy began the journey rather hesitantly and changed his mind along the way, and it would be a great introduction to or further reading on alternative sources of energy and what we can do to save the planet

So head over to the bookstore this Tuesday (walk or bike, if it's close enough) and pick up Greasy Rider.  Just be sure to bring along your resuable shopping bag. I give this one 4.5 out of 5.

Visit the author's blog for more information.

Thank you to the Library Thing Early Reviewers program and Algonquin Books for this ARC.

BIODIESEL: China Shows Green Aspirations With New Algae Biodiesel Facility

BIOFUELS: Landfills to Fertilize Biofuel Crop With Trash-Juices, New Facility Uses Algae to Turn Coal Pollution Into Fuel

CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE: University of Calgary scientist Keith cracks carbon capture conundrum, Scientists Create Device to Remove Carbon Directly from the Air

CLIMATE CHANGE: Australians urged to eat kangaroo: An Australian government adviser on climate change has urged Australians to ditch beef and lamb for kangaroo steaks to help save the planet, Endangered Natural Wonders Worth Seeing

CONSERVATION: Ecosystem May Get Endangered Species Protection, No Joke: Bush Urges for Greater Protection of Ocean Areas, Extinct Galapagos Tortoise Could Be Resurrected

DEFORESTATION: Amazon Burned, Forest Loss Up, Oil Palm Plantations Are No Substitute For Tropical Rainforests, New Study Shows

DEVELOPMENT: Cities rethink wisdom of 50s-era parking standards

ECOTOURISM: Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort in Hawaii, Shark Fishers Try to Reel in Cash, Turn to Conservation

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric Car Conversion Gaining Buzz

ENERGY: World's First 100% Renewable Jet Fuel Created

EVOLUTION: 650-Million-Year-Old Reef May Offer Evolution Clues

FOOD: Where Does Our Happy Meal Come From?

FUEL ECONOMY: Fuel stretching Taylors get world record 58.82 mpg around the U.S.

GLOBAL WARMING: Earth's Air Divided by Chemical Equator, Rubber ducks help scientists understand global warming: Rubber ducks are being used to help scientists understand global warming and melting glaciers

GREEN CONSTRUCTION: The New Green California Academy of Sciences Unveiled!

GREENFREEZE TECHNOLOGY: First Greenfreeze Climate-Safe Freezer Launches in the United States

HIV/AIDS: AIDS Virus Traces Back 100 Years

HYBRID TECHNOLOGY: Paris 2008: Honda Insight LIVE REVEAL, Toyota confirms Prius-based Lexus hybrid for Europe

INVASIVE SPECIES: Dogs vs. Rabbits in Eco-War, Beetle Epidemic May Affect Weather, Air Quality

NEW SPECIES: Strange New Species Found on Great Barrier Reef, Hundreds of New Reef Creatures Found in Australia, 100+ New Sharks, Rays Named in Australia, New Iguana Found in Fiji

NOISE POLLUTION: Noisier Oceans May Be "Disaster" For Marine Animals, A New Kind of Ocean Pollutant: Noise

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION: Ocean Acidification Turns Up the Volume

OCEAN DEAD ZONES: Ocean Dead Zones May Be Worse Than Thought

OFF-GRID LIVING: Samso, the Danish island living off-grid

PESTICIDES: Pesticides Killing Flamingos?

RECOMMENDED IMAGE(S): Pictured: Inside the £800m Dubai hotel boasting a £13,000-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific

SCIENCE: Earth's Air Divided by Chemical Equator, Plastic-Munching Bugs Turn Waste Bottles Into Cash: New Bacteria-Driven Process Could Make Recycling Plastic Bottles More Attractive, Glowing Red Fish Discovered

SEA TURTLES: African Sea Turtles Tagged

SOLAR ENERGY: Scientists Create Energy-Producing Solar Paint, Cool Earth Solar Constructing First Solar “Balloon” Prototype Plant, Vatican Goes Solar

TIDAL POWER: Scotland Plans World’s First Tidal Turbine Farms: The two projects, which each include 20 underwater turbines, will be finished within three years and will provide power to 40,000 homes

TOYOTA: Toyota takes to the parks: Workers from San Antonio's Toyota factory swapped their torque wrenches and hard hats for shovels and paintbrushes Monday as they began a two-week citywide beautification effort

WATER AVAILABILITY: Iran Sinking as Groundwater Resources Disappear

WATER CONSERVATION: Washington State to Ban Home Car Washing?

WTF?: Extreme Piercing: Welcome to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival...

ZOOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: Odd Sharks Bred in Captivity

• i'm missing home like hell - mostly because i have 4 exams in the next three days and its saptami, ashtami and navami on those three days... may not even get to give anjali on ashtami... stupid exams :x
• first 'design and production' meet of biosynth 2008... feel aayi :) work to do - building a plant from scratch :D its gonna be awesome
• jealous of sunshine - he's home for pujo
• rediscovered 'music for an arabian night - orchestra by ron goodwin' - my childhood lullabies
• the weather has changed - watched the orange dusk sky two days in a row
• on a mission to lose 2 more kgs - already met 60 percent of my target
• the coming fortnight is going to be fun - LOTS of work :)
• scrubs is rubbing off me, as is how i met your mother or HIMYM for short
• mitika got eliminated from saregamapa challenge 2009 :( i'm sad
• had gone to pune on thurs and fri for 'save the world' - an idea presentation competition... the judges were both iitb alumni and loved our presentation... but we didn't get a postition
• i'm missing other people's blogs - cyber space has stagnated! :(

"Behind one of the buildings at Sotogrande International School (SIS) is a small machine, a number of dustbins, some plastic pipes and a dedicated science teacher.

This believe it or not is where the SIS produces its own diesel fuel. The scheme is the brainchild of science teacher Sean Johnson (photo). He has set up the equipment so that the school's pupils can learn about re-cycling in a very practical manner.

The used cooking oil from the school's kitchens is collected and the converted in to biodiesel. It is then used to fuel the buses that transport the children to and from the school.

The process to change the cooking oil into fuel is not only a simple one but very cost effective too. Innovation advisor, Vicent Von Néree, says it costs 25 céntimos a litre, 80 per cent less than at a petrol station.

Sean Johnson has for some time wanted to set up a unit within the school dedicated to sustainable development. The pupils learn about the need to find alternative fuels, the re-cycling of oil and clean energy. He admits to having used the diesel in his own car for several months and says there are many advantages, not just the savings."

Hi all ,

I am Ajeet Mishra,working as a Client Engagement Officer in west zone of Madhya Pradesh.

................I am still editing  and updating this blog.Hope i will come with something new...........

The event takes place from 10 a.m.-noon Friday at Winrock International here in Little Rock. Gov. Mike Beebe and Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Richard Bell will be among government officials there discussing alternative fuels -- including biodiesel, electric power and compressed natural gas -- and the future of alternative energy in Arkansas.

The event also features all manner of alternative fuel vehicles, so you'll get to sample some of the cutting edge technology in that field.

More on Alternative Fuel Vehicle Odyssey Day is available at its Web site, NationalAFVDayOdyssey.org.

(Tucson, Arizona) Parce qu’elles étouffent nos lacs et rivières, les cyanobactéries, ou algues bleu-vert, sont dorénavant les ennemis à combattre. Et pourtant, une équipe de recherche en ingénierie agricole et des biosystèmes, associée au Centre d’agriculture en environnement contrôlé de l’Université de l’Arizona, rêve d’en faire la culture à grande échelle. Les cyanobactéries posséderaient des vertus qui en feraient d’excellentes candidates pour créer des carburants verts et des plastiques biodégradables.

Ces chercheurs ont découvert que le CO2, utilisé en phase supercritique, dans certaines conditions de pression et de température, brise la membrane des algues et favorise l’extraction d’une huile qui pourrait servir éventuellement de biocarburant. Fait remarquable, plus la Botryococcus braunii, l’une des cyanobactéries étudiées par les chercheurs, rencontrée dans nos rivières et lacs, prolifère en eau froide, meilleur est son rendement en huile. Du simple au double! En contrepartie, son développement est plus rapide en eau chaude… Une production à grande échelle pourrait représenter une alternative intéressante aux hydrocarbures, notamment comme biodiesel.

Le centre de recherche américain, en collaboration avec la firme privée Sadler Machine Company, construira au cours des prochaines années un système de culture d’algues bleu-vert. Les Américains ne sont toutefois pas les seuls à revendiquer la paternité de cette invention écologique. Une équipe de scientifiques de New Delhi a déposé en novembre 2007 un brevet de propriété intellectuelle sur un système similaire auprès de l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle.

Un solvant « vert »

Au-delà de 31 °C, son point critique, le gaz carbonique se transforme en fluide diffus qui s'apparente à un gaz. Ce CO2 supercritique gagne en popularité comme solvant alternatif dans beaucoup de champs industriels, notamment en agroalimentaire et en pharmaceutique, car il ne laisse pour ainsi dire aucune trace toxique dans l’environnement. Il pourrait remplacer les solvants actuels utilisés pour extraire la caféine des grains de café et des feuilles de thé.

PUBLICITÉ
Soutenez le Café-Graffiti, affichez vos couleurs.

Votre T-shirt Café-Graffiti pour seulement 9,95$. Disponible en rouge, noir ou blanc.

Par téléphone: (514) 256-9000, en région: 1-877-256-9009
Par Internet: cafegraffiti.net
Par la poste: Reflet de Société 4233 Ste-Catherine Est Montréal, Qc. H1V 1X4

Much of the world is still burning coal, petroleum and other highly pollutant fossil fuels... but what about the so called renewal energy sources we have all been pursuing???

• Solar panels are not very energy efficient at this point because they require a lot of electricity to manufacture.
• Wind mills are only good as a supplemental energy source because no one is willing to go without power on a mild and calm day.  Due to their locations (no one is going to locate it in the middle of a city), transmission losses can also be quite significant.
• Soy and Corn biofuels require a lot of fresh water and more importantly a whole lot of land to grow on.  Using these crops for food will also put a lot of pressure on food prices.

But what about algae biofuels???  Much of the literature I have read on the subject seems to suggest that this is perhaps one of the most promising energy sources we should be pursuing.

• Algae can be grown in salt water and thus will not hog important farm land
• Certain types of algae have a very high oil content
• Algae removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and grows well in sewage (thus helping clean it)
• Algae grows quickly and thus can quickly replenish itself

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/examine-possibilities-algae-source-fuel/story.aspx?guid=%7BF2D89FBA-B903-4537-BC50-CD54002F19B4%7D&dist=hppr

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/sturgis_1354002___article.html/algae_fuel.html

After a close examination of crude oil made from pig manure, chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are certain about a number of things. Most obviously, "This stuff smells worse than manure," says NIST chemist Tom Bruno. [...]

Makes a lot of sense.  Not the smell of course, but the fact that you could get biofuel from animal excreta.  Wonder why pigs though? The only rationale I can come up with is that farms have a lot of pigs and old-McDonald is always in a quandary about what to do with the, um, by-products.

But I wonder if it is a new thing .  I believe in some parts of the world, excreta have been used as a source of energy.  Quoting Steve of Anaerobic Digestion News

In China, Kenya and Tanzania institutions mix human and animal excreta, giving off good grade methane, while some institutions in China make biogas from only human excreta.

Odour notwithstanding, this beats getting biofuel from plant sources, which directly leads to deforestation.  We are still way behind in producing biofuel from dedicated plants like switch grass, and even if we DO, we will only be using up land with probably agricultural potential to produce the grass.  Unless of course, algae biodiesel delivers the promise shown.

Wonder what the economic benefits of developing such technology are.  I suppose considering the impending doom of dwindling fossil fuel the wind (pun unintended) will only favour such developments.

One positive outcome of the biofuel development will be that every time we answer nature's call, we can all proudly claim that we are fuelling our cars - "Excuse me.  I really need to fuel my car".