Technabob » biofuel

Recycled Newspapers Could Be Tomorrow’s Fuel

Hazel Chua — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:00:20 +0000

A lot of time and resources have been devoted to finding an alternative means of fuel, since the world is fast running out of fossil fuels. Some say that we’re already past peak oil, while others say that we are quickly approaching such point before the rate of petroleum extraction enters a terminal decline.

The scientists and researchers at Tulane’s Department of Cell and Molecular Biology are well aware of this fact, which is why they’ve been working on using a specific strain of bacteria that feeds on organic materials, such as old newspapers, in order to produce biofuel.

The team of researchers, comprised of associate professor David Mullin, postdoctoral fellow Harshad Velankar, and undergraduate student Hailee Rask, have discovered a strain of bacteria they dubbed as “TU-103″ that can feed on paper wastes to produce butanol. The bacteria was first found in animal droppings and was cultivated so that it could be used for butanol production.

Velankar explains, “Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many.” And achieve that dream is what these scientists have been able to do. He also adds: “In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosic materials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out each year.”

The team conducted their experiments using old editions of The Times Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper. The patent for the process that they have developed for biofuel production is currently pending.

[via Physorg via Dvice]

Make Your Own Bio-Diesel in a Pretty Container

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:27:54 +0000

If you own a vehicle that runs on diesel fuel, you may have thought how cool it would be to make your own fuel at home using bio-diesel production methods. There are contraptions that you can buy for your home today that will make bio-diesel for you, but they look like moonshine stills and aren’t something you would really want around the house.

A designer named Ben Guthrie has come up with a concept bio-diesel production device that hides all the wires and cables the process needs inside a slick looking cabinet. The concept has a door on the top that the user would pour raw ingredients into and then the system goes to work in an automated process to make fuel.

The byproduct from the process is glycerin that can be made into soap or thrown away. The only thing the concept would need to operate is an electrical source, material to make into fuel, and a water line.

[via Yanko Design]

Brown Energy: Buses in Oslo to be Fueled by Methane Fermented From Human Waste

Lambert Varias — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:40 +0000

Did you know that a year’s worth of human excrement is equivalent to 2.1 gallons of diesel? Well it is. So says Ole Jakob Johansen, an officer at Oslo, Norway’s city hall. And Johansen isn’t just spouting random, disgusting trivia: in 2010 Norway’s capital will start rolling out buses fueled with methane, which in turn will be extracted from sewage. Obviously 2.1 gallons of diesel a year is an insignificant amount, but if you consider the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people pooping in big cities everyday, you will most likely vomit a little in your mouth. And then you’ll start to see that the Norwegians are on to something here.

For example, Johansen explains, if we multiplied the 2.1 gallons of fuel by 250,000 people, then the resulting amount would be “enough to operate 80 buses for 100,000 kilometres (62,000 miles) each.” The Agence France Presse article that talked about Oslo’s plan also adds: “In addition to being carbon neutral, it (biomethane) emits 78 percent less nitrogen oxide and 98 percent fewer fine particles — two causes of respiratory illnesses — and is 92 percent less noisy.” Producing biomethane from sewage is also cheaper than buying plain old diesel. But the project isn’t perfect: Anne-Merete Andersen of Ruter, the operator of Oslo’s public transport system, says that all in all the project will be 15% more expensive because of the cost of the new buses and their maintenance. Personally I think it’s worth it in the long run; having readily available biomethane will lessen Oslo’s dependency on fossil fuels and will lead to decreased pollution.

Will other cities emulate Oslo’s plans? Will pooping become a civic duty in the future? Is it appropriate to call poop power “clean energy”? Food for thought. Not really.

[via Slate]