Filed under: Biodiesel
Busting myths about biodiesel
MythBusters is easily one of the best shows on television right now and over at the Green Options blog, Clayton has started a myth busting series of his own taking on green topics. In the first installment he takes on some misconceptions that some people might have about biodiesel. If you are reading ABG on a regular basis, you probably already know most of what Clayton has to say on the matter, but it's still worth a click and read.
[Source: GreenOptions]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike Z 10:43AM (4/11/2007)
Myth: Biodiesel is a solution
Fact: There is not enough acreage to produce enough biodiesel to make a meaningful impact on our petroleum consumption.
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Howard Lee Harkness 11:14AM (4/11/2007)
"Fact: There is not enough acreage to produce enough biodiesel to make a meaningful impact on our petroleum consumption." -- Mike Z
If you are restricting yourself to canola or soybeans, that might be true. However, algae-biodiesel can replace all of the petroleum used for surface transportation, using a tiny fraction of the land available in the US, and that doesn't have to be land that is suitable for other agriculture.
http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
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Mike Z 11:24AM (4/11/2007)
I agree partly. I've researched algae a lot and came to the conclusion that its feasibility is not a sure thing. Its has tremendous upside; however there are significant issues with temperature control, co2 injection, nutrient mixing, etc. I would say that there is a 25% chance of algae biofuels becoming economically feasible. The upside scale however will be limited by the availability of co2.
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Tim 12:09PM (4/11/2007)
Mike Z- We must replace petroleum with other renewable liquid fuels and electricity. However, no ONE feedstock will do it all! Not even electricity with the new batteries, but they all will help. Right now we have gasoline and diesel IC engines. These will be around for the foreseeable future while the existing rolling stock ages and in PHEVs. In the states, we have many more gas than diesel engines. Since biodiesel is easier and cheaper to make than ethanol or butanol and it has a higher energy content, this will change.
Algae Biodiesel and Cellosic Butanol (not ethanol) from switch grass are the most promising renewable liquid fuels yet found because of the high yields and lower cost (less fertilizer, water etc.) on currently unusable (and cheap) lands. However, it will be several years for these technologies to mature to the point where they make a dent in petroleum.
Please be aware that hydrogen is just big oil’s attempt to addict the gullible to another one of their products because it comes from un-natural gas at 25% of the efficiency of electrolyzing it from water.
Personally I like the fact that Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) is FREE at most US restaurants. Yes it only burns in diesel engines and some vehicle modifications are necessary, but it also costs money to set-up a biodiesel homebrew system and transesterification cost about $.50.gal.
There is lots of good info on the internet about WVO
One step at a time makes a dance.
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Mike Z 12:59PM (4/11/2007)
I'm quite aware of the different technologies out there. I'm actually an small-investor in the area and have even looked at opening a small biodiesel refinery.
My personal test for a new liquid transportation fuel is if it can displace 5% of petro consumption. Biodiesel currently does not seem to clear that hurdle.
I'm following research into algae; however, I'm somewhat skeptical. Cellulosic (both Ethanol and Butanol) Are interesting--I think strong acid hydrolysis might make a comeback as a processing method.
I'm also starting to look into pyrolysis oil, which seems interesting.
Overall however, WVO is niche product. There already reports of restaurants charging money for WVO--so the free part will end soon. And don't forget that Methanol is (used in processing biodiesel) is also made from natural gas.
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Tim 1:29PM (4/11/2007)
With the 2nd death of the dinosaurs, energy finds itself in a VERY transitional situation. Don’t worry. The snow in the globe will settle. Ultimately feedstock will be varied and energy distributed by what is most economically feasible for each locality. Make it here, use it here. Energy diversity is what GMs e-flex is all about. You can use what you have. Think enhanced energy security with reduced transportation costs and related dangers.
When investing, you may want to think and act locally. The most difficult part of all this is using your crystal ball to initially determine the best technology and feedstock for your local market and best position yourself to make changes as opportunities present themselves. “May you live in interesting times” is a curse or an adventure depending on how you look at it.
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Mike Z 1:50PM (4/11/2007)
To be honest, I don't see the local approach working--even with higher energy prices, the savings of global supply chains more than make up for it. What I'm more interested in is regional plays that let a energy supplier focus on a target consumer vs. a target area.
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Tim 2:35PM (4/11/2007)
The words "local" and "regional" are subjective. I believe that we agree on the basic premise of lowering feedstock, production and transportation costs while producing products that are appropriate and competitive for the target market.
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Liam Rattray 11:48PM (4/11/2007)
A big problem with fuel algae farms is that they are not very profitable compared with medicinal algal production. However, perhaps if algae fuel production were coupled with CO2 fertilization, like they do in the EU, the farm could also profit from CO2 credits! We just need to get this cap/trade thing up off the ground in the US, and we'll see the American entrepreneurial attitude take it away.
-Liam Rattray
http://www.citizengreen.com
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Guenther 9:24AM (4/12/2007)
Mis-information is another big problem. Bio diesel is an excellent solvent, and as such will dissolve any rubber components in your fuel system. It can take a while, but it does happen. No warranty on that either.
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Toy Yoda 12:03PM (4/12/2007)
Mike. If they can bring the cost of the following down, we can get our fuel from biowaste too and solve two problems at once:
http://www.changingworldtech.com/
http://discovermagazine.com/2006/apr/anything-oil/
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