A Box to Make Biofuel From Car Fumes

Reuters: A box to make biofuel from car fumes

This is very, very promising. The only question is whether this magic 'box' is energy efficient.

QUEENSFERRY (Reuters) - The world's richest corporations and finest minds spend billions trying to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but three fishing buddies in North Wales believe they have cracked it.

They have developed a box which they say can be fixed underneath a car in place of the exhaust to trap the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming -- including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide -- and emit mostly water vapor.

The captured gases can be processed to create a biofuel using genetically modified algae.

Dubbed "Greenbox", the technology developed by organic chemist Derek Palmer and engineers Ian Houston and John Jones could, they say, be used for cars, buses, lorries and eventually buildings and heavy industry, including power plants.

"We've managed to develop a way to successfully capture a majority of the emissions from the dirtiest motor we could find," Palmer, who has consulted for organizations including the World Health Organisation and GlaxoSmithKline, told Reuters.

The three, who stumbled across the idea while experimenting with carbon dioxide to help boost algae growth for fish farming, have set up a company called Maes Anturio Limited, which translates from Welsh as Field Adventure.

Militant Environmentalism

CBSNews: Eco-Vandals Attack Hummer In D.C.

On Monday, two masked men were seen taking a bat to every window [of the Hummer], knifing each tire and scratching a message into the body — "For The Environ."

"The thought of somebody vandalizing it never crossed my mind," Groves, who lives in an upscale northwest Washington neighborhood with his mother, told the Washington Post. "I've kind of been in shock."

"I'd say one in five people who come by have that 'you-got-what-you-deserve' look," said friend Andy Sexton, 27, who is visiting from Arkansas and has been helping Groves deal with fallout from the crime, told the Post.

Police say they haven't seen vandalism so severe with a clear political message in recent years. Investigators say they don't have many leads.

Another Look at Nuclear Power - Nuclear Waste

A while back, there was a post here at Thoughts on Global Warming about nuclear power. It concluded with this paragraph:

Nuclear power, if used carefully, could power most of the world’s energy needs. Of course, it wouldn’t be able to power all needs (i.e. cars). France can be a role model—80% of energy consumed there is nuclear. In contrast, 20% of energy consumed in the U.S. is nuclear. Nuclear energy, along with other non-fossil fuels could power the future.

Maybe it’s time to take another look at that.


Nuclear power has one big drawback: waste disposal. Producing power at a nuclear facility creates huge amounts of radioactive waste. According to Wikipedia, waste produced from nuclear power plants accounts for 95% of the total radioactivity produced in the process of nuclear electricity generation.

How can you get rid of the waste?

Some countries have tried to recycle this waste and reprocess it, with some success. The United States doesn’t reprocess for security reasons; reprocessed material can be made into nuclear weapons.

Consequently, the U.S. has had to alternative methods. A permanent underground storage facility at Yucca Mountain has been proposed to store all of nation’s spent fuel. Another idea is to bury the fuel in a subduction zone.

Some have proposed that the spent fuel be sent into space. However, the prospect for disaster is very high. Terrorist attacks, failed launches, rocket malfunctions, etc.

Possibly the best approach is known as “Remix and Return”. By mixing the waste with other radioactive objects, it returns the level of radioactivity to the original level of radioactivity of the uranium ore.

Anything else I should know?

It’s interesting to note that coal-burning plants put more radioactive waste into the environment than nuclear plants. Still, nuclear plants produce more solid waste.

Conclusion

Nuclear power will be a great power source, once we figure out what to do with the waste.

More Alternative Energy Series:

Why Corn Ethanol is Bad
The Temporary Solution: Coal
Nuclear Power: Energy of the Future or As Bad As Fossil Fuels
5 Reasons Solar Power Works
The Wind Power and Solar Power Combination
Another Look at Nuclear Power - Nuclear Waste
What's So Special About Hydropower and Hydroelectricity?
Top 5 Advantages of Geothermal Power

Bottled Water Graph

This is an interesting graph from the New York Times, comparing bottled water and tap water along with other drinks:



Bottled water is a huge waste of resources and time. It also contributes to global warming.

Scientists Invent Device to Stop Global Warming

I'm not completely sure this would work, but it's a great idea. I thought the carbon cycle ensures that there is always the same amount of CO2 on Earth, wherever it is (i.e. 'in' oil).

Scientists invent device to stop Global Warming

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have created a device that uses sunlight to transform harmful CO2 gas into fuel that could replace all the gasoline used in transportation.

Clifford Kubiak, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Aaron Sathrum have developed a prototype device that can capture energy from the sun, convert it to electrical energy and “split” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen.

The amazing process produces CO (carbon monoxide) which can be processed by bacterial fermentation to produce ethanol, and massive amounts industrial chemicals used to produce plastics. By splitting CO2 you can save fuel, produce useful chemicals and eliminate global warming greenhouse gases.

The device designed by Kubiak and Sathrum to split carbon dioxide utilizes a semiconductor and two thin layers of catalysts. It splits carbon dioxide to generate carbon monoxide and oxygen in a three-step process. The first step is the capture of solar energy photons by the semiconductor. The second step is the conversion of optical energy into electrical energy by the semiconductor. The third step is the deployment of electrical energy to the catalysts. The catalysts convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide on one side of the device and to oxygen on the other side.

The US uses about 400 million gallon of gasoline a day and produces about 50 million tons of CO2. The goal now is to scale this process up to replace that amount of gasoline and convert most of the manmade CO2 gases in the US.

Global Warming Poll

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The Future of Solar Power: Rooftops

Reuters: Rooftops key to Florida green energy goal

A new initiative by the fourth most-populous U.S. state to get its utilities to generate 20 percent of their power from sun, wind and other renewable resources will mean wiring rooftops rather than building huge solar or wind farms.

Utilities say large solar power plants would simply not be cost effective.

"The cloud cover in Florida limits the amount of power that can be produced," said Mayco Villafana, a spokesman for Florida Power & Light, the state's largest electricity company.

But Florida has plenty of sunshine to power rooftop solar panels and renewable energy advocates are urging the state to help residents create thousands of mini power plants in their homes.

Gov. Charlie Crist announced this week that he wants utilities to generate one-fifth of their electricity from renewables to combat global warming -- joining several other states that have adopted measures to reduce greenhouse gases in the absence of action by the federal government.

Global Warming Pictures

The Wind Power and Solar Power Combination

Wind power is much like solar power; it’s a renewable resource, it’s pollution free during use, it can be stored locally, etc. But that means it also has many of the same disadvantages that solar power has—it’s not always there, during construction it may require fossil fuels, etc. But wind power and solar power combined together could be extremely useful.

Usually when the sun is shining, it’s not very windy. When the sun isn’t shining, generally it is windy.

Think about it. During storms when the sun is covered up (see picture), it is usually very windy. If wind power and solar power were united, energy could be produced almost continuously. One way this could be accomplished is by putting solar panels in the same area as wind turbines. Because of the massive size of wind turbines, they take up great swaths of land. The land in between the turbines should be used for agricultural purpose, some people have suggested. Instead, imagine putting solar panels in between them. The power produced would be enough to fuel many houses.

Wind power does have its disadvantages.

• Is it sunny or windy more often? Probably sunny.
• Some people find wind turbines “ugly”.
• The amount of wind can’t be accurately predicted.
• The wind isn’t constantly blowing.
• Wind turbines need some form of energy to be produced. Sometimes fossil fuels are used.


Overall, wind power combined with solar is promising. But once again, as said in 5 Reasons Solar Power Works, all alternative energy sources have to be combined with other energies to realistically power the world.


More Alternative Energy Series:

Why Corn Ethanol is Bad
The Temporary Solution: Coal
Nuclear Power: Energy of the Future or As Bad As Fossil Fuels
5 Reasons Solar Power Works
The Wind Power and Solar Power Combination
Another Look at Nuclear Power - Nuclear Waste
What's So Special About Hydropower and Hydroelectricity?
Top 5 Advantages of Geothermal Power

Alternative Energy Linkathon!

Enjoy!

Alternative Energy Mega Projects

I’m going to say it straight off the bat; I’m a greenie, I love my bike above all other modes of transport, our Earth is going to hell in a hand-basket, and it’s the rich and industrialized nations of the world that are doing it to us! My kids, and my kids' kids future may already be irrevocably screwed!.. That political statement out of the way though, I want to take a look at the latest alternative-energy projects , and how they can ensure our living on Earth without gills for as long as possible.

Ocean Waves Could Power the Entire Planet

The ocean occupies 70% of the earth’s surface and the waves that occur in them have the highest energy density. That means in a relative small area substantial energy can be generated making it the most viable and virtually inexhaustible energy source.

Alternative Energy - Things you didn't know

As our energy needs rise, as our supplies of fossil fuels run out and as the state of our planet become more precarious, we increasingly need to look at alternative energy sources to meet our requirements and to allow our modern lifestyles. Each of the methods below has been touted both a possible solution and as an environmentally friendly one

Jobs in Alternative Energy Industries are Taking Off

There has never been a better time for an alternative-energy-loving TreeHugger to get a job, according to a story at internet job-finder Monster.com. We've been asked about this before, and have touched on getting a good job that does good as well.

45 things we can do to save the environment

Here is a nice slideshow of 45 things that we can do to save the environment.

Global Warming Will Spark War

A number of recent studies have highlighted the danger that global warming could spark resource wars. One study, to be published in the August edition of Human Ecology, evaluated correlations between war and climate change between the years 1000AD and 1911AD. The study found that the occurrence of war was in sync with times of agricultural problems due to fluctuations in global temperature. With the UN warnings that desertification could displace up to 50 million does this mean war?

Solar Power from the Ocean, More Energy than We Would Ever Need.

The ocean holds 300 times the energy requirement of our population worldwide. The ocean stores 1,000 times more heat than the atmosphere. Most of this heat are contained in the upper layer of tropical oceans. OTEC uses this continuously renewing energy to generate electricity without oil, coal or natural gas. It only uses the temperature difference of the hot surface water and the cold deep water.

Carbon Tax: A Simple and Efficient Way to Fight Global Warming

Global warming is a serious threat to not only the United States of America, but to humanity as a whole. If the Earth heats to the dangerous level it is expected to, more than our national security is at stake. But the homeland will come under fire if something is not done to slow global warming. Droughts are becoming increasingly common, as are heat waves. The fight for water in poorer nations, such as those in Africa, is only aggravating conflicts there. As we saw around the turn of the century, countries in turmoil spawn frustrated, angry people that can turn in die-hard terrorists willing to do anything. Global warming has to be slowed.

Placing a small carbon tax on emissions will not amount to much to the average consumer, but it will to big emitters. They will realize that they must invest in renewable energy or nuclear power. Carbon taxes are one flat tax that is predictable and easy to implement. And the tax revenue, which will be a decent amount, can be used for research into renewable energy and nuclear power.

Plug In Hybrids in 5 to 10 Years

CNN: Ford sees plug-in hybrids in 5-10 years

ROSEMEAD, California (Reuters) -- Ford Motor Company Chief Executive Alan Mulally says he expects the company to sell plug-in hybrids in five to 10 years.

"Within five to 10 years we will start to see this technology in our hands," Mulally said on the sidelines of a press event to announce an alliance between Ford and utility Southern California Edison to test 20 rechargeable electric vehicles.

When asked if that meant plug-in hybrids would be available on showroom floors, Mulally said, "Yes. Sure."

The Car That Could Displace the Toyoto Prius

From CNN: Natural-gas guzzler


The new natural-gas-powered Honda Civic GX uses domestically produced fuel -- the same stuff your gas stove burns -- that costs as little as one third the price of gasoline. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy calls it the cleanest-burning internal-combustion vehicle on Earth.

[...]

But the recent release of the Phill home-refueling station, manufactured by Toronto-based FuelMaker, changes things. Now people who have the station installed at their house can refuel the GX overnight, since the system taps into natural-gas lines.

There are many potential benefits to using natural gas: It's the cleanest-burning fuel available, with virtually zero emissions; it's a domestic fuel source; and, when using the home station, fuel costs drop to approximately $1.30 per gallon.

FuelMaker, which developed the home-refueling system with support from Honda, provided a Phill unit for our year-long test and installed it at automotive editor Eric Adams's residence in New Jersey. Honda provided the Civic GX.

Although the retail cost of Phill is roughly $4,000, the final cost to consumers can be significantly lower, because (depending on where you live) state and federal tax credits can offset or even completely cover the initial purchase price.

Similar tax credits can offset the incremental cost of the natural-gas technology in the Civic, bringing the $24,000 purchase price -- again, depending on your state -- down to below that of the entry-level Civic's $16,000 sticker.

Man Converts Salt Water To Energy For Cars

Now this is pretty cool:

5 Reasons Solar Power Works

When most people think about solar power powering everybody’s everyday needs (say that 10 times fast), they are imagining centuries in to the future. Many people believe solar power is unreasonable; it could be cloudy, it doesn’t produce enough energy, etc. But they’re wrong. Here are five reasons why:


1. It never runs out
Solar power is essentially infinite, so it never runs out, unlike fossil fuels. The amount of solar energy intercepted by the Earth every minute is greater than the amount of energy the world uses in fossil fuels each year.

2. It’s pollution free during use
Converting solar energy into usable energy gives off no pollution.

3. It can (but doesn’t have to) be used locally
Not only can solar power can be produced and used locally, saving transportation costs and emissions, but also it can be used nationally if an area with little power needs more power (see #4).

4. It can be stored and used later
When the sun’s not out, stored energy can be used. Storing energy is more expensive, but still just as useful.

5. When combined with other technologies, solar power could be even more useful.

From Time:
In the developing world, LEDs paired with solar panels could provide a cheap, sustainable light source that doesn't need a traditional power grid.

From CNN:Solar-powered sensors monitor traffic flow

Combined with other technology, solar power could be used for small but important jobs. Solar powered cars (see picture) are even a possibility, even if their use would be limited.


In reality, solar power may not provide enough energy for ALL of our energy needs. But it could provide be a large percentage energy source. Coupled with nuclear power, wind power and water power, we could stop global warming. And as an added bonus, the U.S. with lose its dependency on foreign oil.

More Alternative Energy Series:

Why Corn Ethanol is Bad
The Temporary Solution: Coal
Nuclear Power: Energy of the Future or As Bad As Fossil Fuels
5 Reasons Solar Power Works
The Wind Power and Solar Power Combination
Another Look at Nuclear Power - Nuclear Waste
What's So Special About Hydropower and Hydroelectricity?
Top 5 Advantages of Geothermal Power