Clipmarks | Ethanol Clips

From Algae to Oil - A tasty conversion

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:46:31 GMT

clipped by: bookchick49
clipper's remarks: Hmmm... I don't know if I should be saying "Yum" instead.

Similarly, I wonder how the cholesterol count adds up. LOL

Clip Source: www.goodcleantech.com

Monday July 21, 2008

OriginOil Transforms Algae into "New Oil"

Sapphire Energy isn't the only company developing an algae-to-oil technology. OriginOil also has its own proprietary technology to transform algae into what the company calls "new oil," which will be a direct competitor to petroleum.

OriginOil, by the way, uses low-cost and energy efficient oil extraction method by pre-cracking algae cell walls through microwaves and then using Ultrasonic Quantum Fracturing to separate oil from mass.

The oil, for example, could be used directly as a straight vegetable oil, although it could also be refined into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil. Additionally, it could be made into solvents and plastics. The algae biomass, on the other hand, could be made into ethanol, methanol, hydrogen, and other alcohol-based fuels. In short, no part of the algae is wasted--everything could be made into fuel.

When Good Lizards Go Bad

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:38:39 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT
clipper's remarks: Read the whole article. It's just the latest example of ignorant pseudo-science do-gooders wrecking the planet. So-called 'environmentalists' feel that they have to ruin everything, including the environment, to 'feel good' about themselves. From organic food, to ethanol, to anti-hunting laws, these nutjobs think they are 'helping' when they are doing the exact opposite.

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

These locals have long viewed the dragons as a reincarnation of fellow kinsfolk, to be treated with reverence. But now, villagers say, the once-friendly dragons have turned into vicious man-eaters. And they blame policies drafted by American-funded environmentalists for this frightening turn of events.

"When I was growing up, I felt the dragons were my family," says 55-year-old Hajji Faisal. "But today the dragons are angry with us, and see us as enemies." The reason, he and many other villagers believe, is that environmentalists, in the name of preserving nature, have destroyed Komodo's age-old symbiosis between dragon and man.

"People are scared because, every day, the dragons come down and eat our goats," complains Ibrahim Hamso, secretary of the Kampung Rinca village. "Today it's a goat, and tomorrow it can be our child."

A year ago, a 9-year-old named Mansur was one such victim.

Tags: environment, science, children, animals

Biodegradable Planet-friendly Plastics -Poised to Become a Commercial Standard?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:32:24 GMT

clipped by: vk2yoc

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Unwanted plastic buildup is so severe that governments across the globe have passed laws banning free plastic bags, and because the average supermarket chain is slightly less rich than a petrochemical country these laws are actually enforced. Millions who've had to balance precarious piles of groceries on the walk home might be pleased to hear about the biodegradable plastic being researched at the University of Hawaii.

Fermenting corn run-off with bacteria might sound like something farmers would do during Prohibition (or in Alabama), but it could be major commercial process in the future. The billion-scrabble-points

polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA to its friends) isn't just biodegradable - it can be made by recycling the waste products of corn-ethanol production, the process releases a quarter of the CO2 of regular plastic production and requires only half the energy.

The CO2 reduction is a major media-friendly point

Obama and Iowa

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:23:57 GMT

clipped by: Andrew Gillies
clipper's remarks: In this week's National Journal, the magazine's regular "Insider's Poll" asks Democratic and Republican luminaries (pollsters, strategists, and so on) which state is Obama's top pickup opportunity. Iowa ranks at the top for both groups. In the clip, James Barnes fleshes out a bit why. Note the importance of ethanol.

Clip Source: www.nationaljournal.com

Iowa: Where Politics Is Personal

by James A. Barnes

As Obama begins trying to flip Iowa--the only state other than New Mexico that switched from the Democratic to the Republican column in the 2004 presidential election--his personal connection to the state and the surge in Democratic voter registration fueled by the record-breaking attendance at the party's presidential caucuses are two key factors in his favor.

In May, McCain was one of 11 co-sponsors of legislation introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, calling for a freeze in the corn-based ethanol mandate in the renewable-fuels standard, which requires that refiners use 15 billion gallons of ethanol a year by 2015. Proponents of the Hutchison bill contend that increased ethanol production is raising food prices. But Iowa produces about one-quarter of the nation's ethanol, and the development of that industry is viewed as almost a godsend in a state seeking to diversify its economy and keep its young workers.

Bioethenal, good or bad?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:56:51 GMT

clipped by: jimmy123

Clip Source: www.futurecars.com

As a blended fuel, bioethanol reduces emissions of carbon monoxide a number of other pollutants by as much as 25% or more over conventional gasoline.

Advantages

• Bioethanol is already compatible, in low blends, with existing gas engines.

• Bioethanol is a high octane fuel with lower emissions.

Disadvantages

• Bioethanol can be corrosive to metals such as aluminum.

• Bioethanol may require the use of too much arable land (to grow the required crops) and too much energy input during production to justify it. As such, costs—financially, environmentally—are currently prohibitive (see below).

The Future …

The future of bioethanol lies directly with precisely what composes the biomass used in the production process. Many researchers believe its future is with cellulosic ethanol using biomass such as corn stover and switchgrass.

Tags: bioethenal, environment, energy crises

E85 knowledge

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:24:01 GMT

clipped by: progress clip

Clip Source: running_on_alcohol.tripod.com

National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition

http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/progs/afdc/search_type.cgi?1|E85_GSLN

http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/afdc/afv/models.html
Here is the root link for this site. http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/

http://www.thomasregister.com/olc/60852852/m_sieve.htm

Let Them Eat Rice: Washington's Unedifying Ethanol Food Fight

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:20:38 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: And what about the impact of the Chinese livestock and meat complex, alluded to
by Senator Grassley? According to China expert, Darrell Ray, Director of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, "China has not been importing corn to grow her livestock industry. China continues to export more corn that she imports. With regard to grains, China has been taking care of China as if it were a planet on to its own, completely independent of what is happening elsewhere. . . .To attribute today's international grain prices to China essentially assumes that beginning two years ago the market decided there may be a need for China to become a net importer of some corn in the future, say 2012, and so bid-up the price of corn by double."

As this "let them eat rice" soundbite made clear, the debate over the food versus fuel issue is about as undignified as a full out real food fight at a summer camp cafeteria.

Clip Source: www.weeklystandard.com

Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley is among the most vociferous. He's written letters to 13 Iowa companies that are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a trade association lobbying for changes in the RFS, which has hired a public relations firm for their campaign. Grassley refers to GMA as the

"Big Food" lobby. His letter states in part: "This smear campaign led by an organization of which you are listed as a member is harmful to an honest discussion and should be abandoned."

As for his contribution to intellectually honest and constructive discussion, Grassley was quoted by reporter Philip Brasher in the Des Moines Register saying: "If part of our problem is that the Chinese are going to eat meat and you've got to have corn and soybeans to feed the Chinese their meat, then why isn't it just as legitimate for the Chinese to go back and eat rice as it is for us to change our policy on corn to ethanol?"

Tags: sen grassley (r-ia.), renewable fuels standard (rfs), ethanol, grocery manufacturers association, china

EPA Refuses to Cut Ethanol Requirements

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:13:41 GMT

clipped by: Kelika
clipper's remarks: "Response to the decision fell along predictable lines:

The Environmental Working Group's director of government affairs, Sandra Schubert, called the mandate "misguided" and said it was "forcing farmers to plow up marginal land and wildlife habitat while increasing global warming and dumping toxic fertilizers and pesticides into our precious water sources."

"America should be focusing on viable clean energy solutions like conservation, solar and wind," she said.

The president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Jim Greenwood, said the decision sent "a strong message that we must continue moving forward toward sustainable production of advanced biofuels" to cut dependence on important oil and to increase biofuel production from non-food sources.

His organization represents biotech companies, among others involved in expanding the use of biofuels.""

Clip Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Increased ethanol in U.S. gasoline has been blamed for a wide swath of global ills -- not the least of them global warming and escalating food prices. Efforts to lower the amount of ethanol blended into the fuel supply brought the conservative Republican governor of Texas, Rick Perry, and several environmental groups into the same camp as they tried to persuade the Bush administration's Environmental Protection Agency to relax the ethanol-to-gasoline ratio.

That effort came to naught today. The EPA announced that it would not lower the so-called Renewable Fuel Standard, despite concerns about emissions and food prices.

Perry had sought a 50% cut in the amount of ethanol to be blended into the gasoline supply.

The EPA said this couldn't be done in time to have an impact this year on corn, food or fuel prices.

E.P.A. Declines to Reduce the Quota for Ethanol in Cars

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:23:48 GMT

clipped by: JICWyllie
clipper's remarks: Let them eat gas. At least, cake can be eaten.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The Environmental Protection Agency rejected on Thursday a request to cut the federal government’s quota for the use of ethanol in cars, concluding, at least for now, that the national goal of reducing oil use trumps any effect on food prices from making fuel from corn.

The agency’s administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, said the mandate was “strengthening our nation’s energy security and supporting American farming communities,” and that the mandate was not causing “severe harm to the economy or the environment.”

Recently, high oil prices have led to even more ethanol production than the quota required. On the other hand, rising corn prices made some ethanol operations unprofitable, especially as oil prices started to fall.

“The food inflation that you’ve seen now, at least in the meat and poultry sector, probably is mild compared to what may be coming in the future,” said Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation.

Legislators from farm states applauded the ruling.

Tags: energy, renewables, biofuels, i-policy, i-subsidy, i-consequences

106 mpg "Air Car" Creates Buzz.. & questions

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:06:38 GMT

clipped by: WomanInTheMoon11
clipper's remarks: The concept is similar to how a locomotive works, except compressed air -- not steam -- moves the engine's pistons, said Shiva Vencat, vice president of MDI and CEO of Zero Pollution Motors.
Gas still plays a role

The six-seater planned for the U.S. market would be able to reach speeds of more than 90 mph and have a range of more than 800 miles thanks to a dual energy engine, Vencat said..
The design calls for one or more tanks of compressed air under the car's floor, as well as a tank holding at least 8 gallons of fuel.
Whether the engine uses just air or both air and fuel would depend on how fast the car is going. It would run purely on compressed air at speeds less than 35 mph, Vencat said.

Since the car could only go a short distance when using just air, fuel is needed to get the full range, he explained.

"Above 35 mph, there is an external combustion system, which is basically a heater that uses a little bit of gasoline or biofuel or ethanol or vegetable oil that wil

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

106 mpg 'air car' creates buzz, questions

The compressed air car planned for the U.S. market would be a six-seater, a New York company says.

(CNN) -- You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "fill it up with air."

That's the idea behind the compressed air car, which backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.

Plenty of skepticism exists, but with many Americans trying to escape sticker shock at the gas pump, the concept is generating buzz.

The technology has been the focus of MDI, a European company founded in 1991 by a French inventor and former race car engineer.

New York-based Zero Pollution Motors is the first firm to obtain a license from MDI to produce the cars in the United States, pledging to deliver the first models in 2010 at a price tag of less than $18,000.

Tags: cnn, air car, alternative fuel

gas

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:11:02 GMT

clipped by: dakingero

Clip Source: www.chevrolet.com

Imagine: A daily commute without using a drop of gas.

The extended-range electric vehicle is no longer just a rumor. We have put tremendous design and engineering resources in place to make this vehicle a reality.

The Concept Chevy Volt, with its revolutionary E-Flex Propulsion System, will be different than any previous
electric vehicle because it will use a lithium-ion battery
with a variety of range-extending onboard power
sources, including gas and, in some vehicles, E85
ethanol(1) to recharge the battery while driving.

When it comes to plugging in, the Volt will be designed to use a common 110–volt household plug. For someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.(2) For longer trips, Chevy Volt's range-extending power source kicks in to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack as required.

EPA Rejects Ethanol Waiver For Texas Cattle Ranchers

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:56:15 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Scott Faber with the Grocery Manufacturers Association says more than a third of the corn crop now goes to fuel and that increases the cost of food.

Faber says food prices have already risen around 6 percent and critics say ethanol hasn't lived up to its promise. It was supposed to cut pollution and reduce demand for oil.

Frank O'Donnell is with Clean Air Watch. It's not often he agrees with Texas, but he does today. He says the EPA got it wrong.

Frank O'Donnell: We are actually seeing more air pollution this summer than last. Now, maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not, but we've got more ethanol and we've got more smog.

Groups against today's decision plan to lobby Congress to ease the ethanol mandate.

Clip Source: marketplace.publicradio.org

In the heated battle over fuel versus food, you can chalk one up for fuel.

A tank holding ethanol at a fuel tank farm in the Global Petroleum

It takes more than 20 pounds of corn to make a gallon of ethanol, so you can see where I'm going. Texas and other states blame the ethanol requirement for sky high corn and food prices.

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency told Texas Governor Rick Perry that it's not going to let him cut the amount of ethanol Texas has to put in its gasoline. The energy bill Congress passed in December said states have to blend 9 billion gallons of ethanol into their fuel supplies this year.

Janet Babin: The Environmental Protection Agency said any decision it made on ethanol production now wouldn't bring down prices in Texas.

Jon Doggett with the National Corn Growers Association agrees with the EPA decision.

Jon Doggett: Many things have influenced the price of corn, not least of which is ethanol production.

Tags: epa decision, corn ethanol, texas governor rick perry, cattle ranchers, feed stock, food cost inflation, global food shortages

Agave makes Ethanol?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:36:55 GMT

clipped by: EmilyZuelzer

Clip Source: www.treehugger.com

In the past few weeks stories about new potential ethanol feedstocks have come rolling in with a predictable regularity. As the realization that converting crop lands from food to fuel production probably isn’t such a good idea begins to sink in, more and more non-food crops are investigated. It’s interesting then that Mexico has begun small-scale testing of the viability of using Agave to produce ethanol.

Renewable Energy World reports that, according to preliminary estimates, Agave tequilana weber could yield up to 2,000 gallons of ethanol per acre per year. That figure could rise to 12,000-18,000 gallons per year if the plant’s cellulose were used.

Peppermint Improves Digestion, Relieves Headaches and Kills Fungal Infections

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:58:59 GMT

clipped by: SenorCoconut

Clip Source: www.elements4health.com

Indigestion (dyspepsia)
An herbal preparation consisting of peppermint oil and caraway has been shown to alleviate pain associated with dyspepsia, and a reduction in other gastrointestinal symptoms.
The peppermint oil and caraway combination appears to be as effective as Cisapride (withdrawn because of harmful side effects) in relieving dyspepsia.

Headache
At the Neurological Clinic at the University of Kiel in Germany, a topical application of peppermint oil and ethanol produced a reduction in sensitivity to headache.
Another study has shown that a topical application of peppermint oil and ethanol combination rubbed on the forehead and temples to be just as effective in alleviating tension headache as acetaminophen (Tylenol).

Athletes Foot
A study at the University of Novi Sad in Yugoslavia has shown peppermint oil to have greater fungicidal activity than the commercial fungicide Bifonazole, which is used to treat the fungal skin infection athlete’s foot.

Tags: peppermint health benefits, nutrition, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, shingles, anti cancer, anti candida, athletes foot

Environmentalism killing the Gulf of Mexico

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:22:48 GMT

clipped by: n2sooners

Clip Source: thefastreport.com

Today the Washington Post reported the compelling story of an ever growing ”Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico; however, only something akin to journalistic malpractice could have kept them from reporting all the facts. Those facts put environmentalists and over-zealous DC regulators squarely in the middle of a widening blight of “dead” water in the gulf off of America’s southern coast.

He said a major factor is intensified corn production, which relies heavily on fertilizer.

Perhaps this item will help you understand

Ethanol Reshapes the Corn Market
The expanding U.S. ethanol sector is stimulating demand for corn, …

you can also confirm here.

The United States fuel ethanol industry is based largely on corn.

The fact is, well-meaning enviromnentalists who purport to know the Earth so much better than the average citizen teamed up with over-zealous DC regulators to create a situation that has several negative implications for America

Tags: gulf of mexico, environment, politics, msm, bias