A laboratory of hot, bubbling jars of bacteria near London holds the key to curbing CO2 pollution from cars, says Hamish Curran, Chief Executive of Britain’s TMO Renewables.
“We have the organism people have dreamt of — it eats nearly anything and it makes ethanol really quickly,” he added.
Workers started pouring cement last week to lay the foundations for TMO’s demonstration plant, which should come on stream early in 2008, running at around 65 degrees Celsius and producing 1 million liters of ethanol a year.
There is more to TMO, however, than just one bacteria that eats woody waste and excretes ethanol.
“We have an interesting beasty that was found on the side of a volcano in Montserrat just before it exploded (in 1995),” said Curran. “That one eats vegetable oil, drinks methanol and shits biodiesel.”
Read through the whole article. Scientists like this scare the bejabbers out of the Oil Patch boys and their pocket pool politicians. They’re not only out to make a profit from renewables – they’re out to compete on price with fossil fuels.
money is the only thing that conservatives understand and so if you ever want to get the heroin of fossil fuels out americas veins, profit-driven processes such as this are the way to go.
Just watch the price of corn drop when these bugs are sold to our ethanol plants.
I just hope that the initial biomass being fed to these guys is not also food or something grown on arable land that could have been growing food. We don’t want biofuels that put food for poor people in competition with rich people’s fuel tanks.
We also need to watch carefully how much petroleum is going into the process to ensure that this is a significant win. Corn based ethanol, for example, in the best possible conditions, yields about a 30% improvement over just burning the petroleum used to produce it. And, these are ideal conditions. Mostly, it just gives large scale agribusiness a way to get tax dollars.
We want to avoid that type of situation. This certainly sounds better. But, we need to know all the details.
This appears to be the “Holy Grail” of eating our waste to create our fuel which would be an internally renewable resource. Seems to good to be true.
#4 …and it probably is.
This could be a big win for all (or most) if it can scale economically, but many “fossil fuel killers” in the past have not turned out to be scalable or energy efficient. I’ll withhold judgement until this test facility is up, running, and efficient.
1MM gallons is what percent of one minutes daily consumption of oil?
It must be calculated and sitting on some website==how much biomass is required to replace our use of fossil fuels? My gut says, theres not enough. We will need to do all the alternatives, plus more.
#4 and #5 – You guys are right… But all avenues are worth exploring.
#3 — Misanthropic Scott:
I wouldn’t worry about it. Last I saw some numbers on it (which admittedly was a while ago), “the west” has agricultural overproduction capacity enough to feed itself three times over. The problem is that, at those production rates, food would be so cheap that the farmers could no longer survive on what they could produce.
That overcapacity could probably be used for some other agrarian purpose (grown fuels etc.) and to feed some of the poor, if we really wanted to feel good about outselves.
Whether it would be an effective use of resources, and make sense economically, is a different question however…
Look, I know I will probably be dead in another 30 or 40 years, by I do hope that my grandchildren will have a resonably pleasant existance.
Oil is going to run out. Every drop in the planet is going to be pumped out and consumed. Whether it is in fuel for cars, or used in the petrochemical industry for plastics and fertilizer. I don’t know what the oil producers are worried about. Energy usage around the world is increasing with no chance of a renewable fuel alternative i the next couple of generations.
The only hope I see for long term survival at our current standard of living is fusion energy to produce unlimited amounts of electricity to power a hydrogen economy. Even then, I don’t know if hydrogen has the energy density to work as a jet airplane fuel. But I have hope that technology will figure that one out too.
This new ethanol producing bug is cool though, and may help slow down the eventual consumption of all the oil on the planet. I think the government should be investing 10 X the amount of money currently be spent on new energy research. Of course the petroleum industry would never allow that, now would they.
Don
Thats not too hard to find. Anyone know how many gallons of oil in a barrel? I thought 50 or 55 or maybe 60. Its 42 though. And that barrel of oil makes 20 gallons of gasoline–So “roughly” ethanol will have the numbers shown on the interesting chart here:
http://tinyurl.com/yuczcd
Nice to see our energy position displayed so dramatically?
Uh, #7 – this is talking about a pilot plant, after all. Get a year’s production out and analyze everything from product stream to logistics and traffic management.
Scaling up is the easier bit.
12–Moss==true enough. Just the case though that our energy needs are enormous. I’d just like to know==how much fuel could be produced if 100% of cellulose waste got converted?
Such a plant is good no matter what as a good way to handle waste, but something big, or many littler things, are going to be needed to replace oil.
#9 – Tippis,
Look at it from the larger view of the world. We (worldwide) are already producing less grain year over year for several years now. We have been getting reduced output year over year from ocean fisheries since 1983, despite improved fishing technology. Over a billion people rely on seafood for the bulk of their protein. Nearly everyone relies on rice, corn, or wheat for the bulk of their caloric intake.
We are past peak food, but not past peak human population. This is a very real problem. Unless you’re planning to liposuck the world’s 1.2 billion overweight or obese people and feed their fat to the 1.2 billion chronically hungry or starving people, where are you planning to get food to support all the people we already have, let along the extra billion and a half or more to come?
This is not a minor issue.
#13 – bobbo,
I’d expect many solutions. We need more than one replacement for a robust solution anyway. Further, you left out conservation of energy. In the U.S., in particular, we could be a lot more energy efficient than we already are.
Imagine if everyone were driving the most fuel efficient vehicle that meets their needs. Imagine if 5% of our total power were not spent on vampire power*. Imagine if we stopped heating to 78 degrees in winter and cooling to 68 in summer. Imagine if stores on 5th Avenue (and elsewhere) didn’t leave their doors open in summer to create that cool breeze on the sidewalk to attract customers.
* Vampire power is the power that various appliances use to shine their clocks at us and be available when we want to turn them on by remote control. Currently, about 5% of the nations power gets used just to keep our TVs ready to be turned on by remote so we don’t have to get off our fat asses to turn them on.
I’ve plugged my TV, DVD, cable box, and stereo into a power strip and turn if off when not in use. I do the same for my cable modem and WiFi transmitter. I’ve also made a number of other changes, like CFLs and other things and reduced my electricity use by over 16%.
And, I did it with no significant impact to my lifestyle.
15–Scott, we’re on the same wavelength. Distributed power production is a must along with conservation/multiple use like those colored water pipes?
Lots of savings in changing growth patterns so that eventually some day more people could walk to work (yes, if not just turn on the computer). And hey–save energy, lessen congestion, increase physical health==lots of ways to live better than we do.
Electricity does seem to be a universal power modality. I hope solar cells can get efficient enough so that an average house/property can power itself and its cars. Still lots of options there.
It is becoming very clear that using food crops for biofuels is waging war against the world’s poor. If this new process works for plant waste, then perhaps biofuel will have a legitimate place in our energy future.
However, it is highly unlikely that this process will be econmomical anytime in the next decade. The corn-to-ethanol process is well understood and has been in use for years, yet the entire industry would collapse were it not heavily subsidized by the government.
By the way, what makes anyone think that biofuels will somehow stick it to Big Oil? Where does the money come from for these start-up plants? Who owns the infrastructure for getting that gallon of ethanol into your gas tank? The Sierra Club?
Do you really think that the excutives at Exxon are so stupid that they would ignore a growing energy sector when they have billions in oil profits just sitting in their vaults?
#11 – And that barrel of oil makes 20 gallons of gasoline–So “roughly” ethanol will have the numbers shown on the interesting chart here:
That means I need a barrel of oil to fill my van. Wow… That really does change my perspective on gas a little bit.
#17 – I think you’re stuck in the dreamland of 1950’s American capitalism. Even back then, I worked on projects which took completely new metal alloys through essential testing, pilot plant operations to market exposure in 3-4 years.
If you read the article, you’d know they started from $30 million in venture capital – which sure as hell didn’t come from the Oil Patch Boys. They’re probably looking ahead to an IPO in 2009 – at the earliest. If needed.
And your other opinions – hogwash. Ethanol production already relies on more than corn, especially in the worldwide market. The infrastructure that distributes beaucoup liquids in the US is not exclusively owned by Big Oil – and it’s very competitive.
The executives in Big Oil are as bright as their peers at Enron, GM, Qwest, whatever. They’re up for sticking with their existing practices – relying on payoffs to politicians to maintain a status quo which benefits them. Competition is the last thing on their 19th Century minds.
Yeah – “the smartest guys in the room!”
Biodiesel is easily made with vegetable oil alcohol and sodium hydroxide through a simple titration process. No special patented bacteria necessary, you can make it at home in your garage or shed.
New energy technologies are red herrings. They are only interesting to big business when they can be patented and regulated.
Take for instance solar energy. One way is to make silicon photovoltaic cells. The old fashioned way is to use a solar collector(reflective parabolic) to heat water to steam to turn a turbine. If you’re scared of steam use a stirling engine at the recieving end of the solar collector.
This tech is all hype.
BTW #17 my vintage VW diesel runs great on Bio or straight vegi. I get the gallon of Bio fuel into my tank so suck on that.
Also I gotta let you know that there are vast unplanted agricultural plains that we use for all sorts of foolishness. There is no threat that Americans will starve because of Agricultural fuel generation. Americans starve now because of greed and apathy, I don’t see the reasons changing any time soon.
#19 Moss you haven’t a damn clue how corporations work. Who gives a shit if company X has $30 million for startup. As soons as they become profitable, company Y with $30 billlion in the bank will just buy them.
I work for the company that invented air bags. We were also America’s largest rocket manufacturer. A salt company thought that building rockets and air bags was cool, so they bought us. Then there came Challenger and suddenly the salt company’s CEO didn’t like building rockets so he spun off the rocket business to fend for itself, but annexed and kept the section of our plant that built air bags. Then he found out that air bags killed children, so he sold that business to some Swedes. So every day I go to work, I can see this huge complex up on the hill that is the world’s largest producer of air bags; owned by Swedes, but invented by the scientists I work with.
And then there’s the rocket company, which, even though we were the largest rocket producer in America, thought that diversification would be a good idea. So it bought a high tech metalurgy company. But Alcoa wanted that metalurgy company, so they made our Board of Directors an offer they couldn’t refuse and bought our company lock, stock, and barrel. And then the execs at Alcoa decided that building rockets wasn’t their thing, so they sold us to our bitterest rival, who we had all but put out of business.
And that is Corporate America.
And you people are fools if you think that the farmers in Iowa can supply this nation’s fuel. DO THE MATH.
#22
are you making a point or just trying to relax a muscle?
For those NOT in the know…
Why do Corps want you to use Oil based fuels??
THEY ARE CHEAP.
cheap for the Corp, but NOT for you.
Why do the corps USE dams for electricity?
They didnt build them, They LEASED them from the US gov. at a FIXED price in the 40’s -60’s… ITS CHEAP, but NOT for you.
PS,
DONT look at the Stock prices for OIL…
That is a commodity price. that s like going to Wally world to look up the price of milk…you DIDNT go to the Dairy, and see what is being PAID for that milk.
Also to remember is the Processing…Even milk is 1/2 water.
Fosil Fuels are broken down into other products, and they get about 100 times MORE out of the oil(its NOT THICK when it goes in your tank).
So, go look up the Base/original/sellers price…THEN come back and lets debate.
(hint: middle east price is around $25-30)
#22, Smith,
Been there, experienced that, even got a couple of T-Shirts. I would think almost every poster at DU, except James Hill and iHotAir(YOY) has been through at least one corporate buyout and the resultant shakeout.
*
Bio fuels sound great, but still need too much work before they become viable. Regular diesel costs around $3.00 /g. Where can I find vegetable oil for $3.00 /g not to mention the sodium hydroxide. Also, what do I do with the waste products after I’ve made my bio-diesel? How much will I need to put out for the facilities to ensure a safe and ecological sound operation?
There are only so many restaurants getting rid of only so much used oil. Used motor oil is too dirty for vehicle diesels.
Bio-alcohol is a poor substitute. Currently the cost of production is prohibitively high and is only feasible because of the lack of taxes.
*
Then there is the matter of what happens when all that plant material is removed from the soil. Currently, most of the waste (stalk, leaves) are plowed back into the soil. This helps with erosion, returns nutrients, and adds humus that will hold the water. Remove that extra plant material and the soil will go sterile very quickly and be lost to active production for many years until it can be rebuilt.
The same with cutting trees and using tree waste. True, using trees only recycles CO2 and doesn’t add. The atmosphere, however, doesn’t discriminate between recycled and added CO2. It is all the same in effect. Only the CO2 sink has been removed.
AND…
Even if you found a Perfect product…
It will either come to the Corps, which will charge a fortune for it which makes it COST to much, or the GOV that gets ALOT of taxes from the oil corps that WOULDNT be there.
The best would be if you could make it in the BACK yard, NON-explosive, Poor the remains on the yard as Compost…But HOW would you pay for the roads, and all the lost taxes..
#22 why don’t you do the math. Theres a good start at the wikipedia page on biodiesel worldwide. Don’t take wikipedia’s word for it though do your own research after starting there.
The fact of the matter is there are quite a few significant biodiesel manufacturing operations going all over Canada. Why arent there any in the USA? I don’t know but if we can make it in Canada can’t you guys do it better down south? What happened to good old American ingenuity?
#26 Biodiesel is safe to make, it’s not explosive at all (unless you super heat it). BTW the waste product is glycerine, (soap anyone?) which is much more wholesome than the waste products of petroleum refineries.
You can find Vegetable oil cheap at the super market if you don’t care to source it cheaper in bulk. In 2003 in Wales the dept. of Transportation had to crack down on motorists who were running vegi in their tanks without paying fuel tax on it. Drivers were purchasing oil at the grocer (Asda if I recall) because it was cheaper than diesel at the pump.
Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on peanut oil not heavy petroleum distillates. The physical wear components in contact with the fuel (like a VW distributor style injector pump) actually last much longer when running vegi than petro.
So there you have it folks!
#28, nightstar,
A tip of the hat.