nightbat wrote in message ...
nightbat wrote

"Richard S. Westmoreland" wrote:

"beavith" wrote in message
news
ethanol? pretty much the only economical way. economic alcohol from
cellulose would be a major breakthrough.
the brazilians use bagasse (cane sugar waste) to make alcohol, but you
run into the same economics.

methanol from coal is doable, but its also an energy intensive
process.


Save the corn for the cows.

http://biotech.about.com/library/wee...romgarbage.htm

yeah, but you need garbage in the first place. you will always get
out less energy than the energy put in to make the product in the
first place.

http://www.iogen.ca/3000.html

http://www.oceanethanol.com/


Rick
If you're using enzymes/microbes to break down waste cellulose, that
otherwise would have been burned because of excess, then you're getting a
net gain of usable energy that you otherwise would not have had. And as far
as the OceanEthanol process, you could use wind and solar energy to separate
the hydrogen and oxygen from the water, then use carbon dioxide from exhaust
or the air to create the alcohol. It's easier to store than hydrogen or
electricity. The byproduct is oxygen. Can't beat that!

Rick

nightbat

Way to go Rick, enter the nightbat pointing remarkable Halo
bacterium, the little Nature's engineer's that can break down and eat
conservatively anything even iron and make it into stored fuel. Absence
of air, oxygen, or water, including extreme temp's don't phase them, for
they actually produce their own further more complex life supporting
gases. They are salt content self regulating, if the salt content drops
they stop replicating and become long term dormant until salt levels are
again adequately remaintained, rise, or are environment ascertained and
tapped. Heaven knows we have enough Earth based salt but it's cheap or
economic energy conversion and more stored fuel and production we need,
and these little micro busy bodies work for salt.


the nightbat


Hi nightbat (or should I say daybat, noting the time of your post),

Aren't you afraid the light of day filtering through could turn you
into a pile of dust? Ha ha!

And salt, isn't that a hazard for you as well?

So you think the Halo bacterium can be put to work for us consuming
salt and other basic mineral substances and producing fuel for our
21st century consumption. They don't mind working in sweatshop
conditions either.

Has anyone ever used them up till now to produce fuel in any useful
quantities? Would it be economically feasible? What would be the
byproducts of such a process?

If it all pencils out, why doesn't somebody start doing it?

Double-A