Uh, yeah. That's sort of the whole point. The purpose of this recent war in Iraq was to increase that well beyond 4%. It was "only" at 4% since we didn't want to give any more money to Saddam.
1. Target oil-rich country ripe for occupation^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hliberation
2. Invade said country and take over oil supplies.
So until you go buy that Honda scooter, I'll consider you a Troll.
Why is 50mpg OK for you, but everyone else must get 100mpg to be OK ? Nice double-standard there.
Also, don't get so defensive. It looks bad. I doubt he was talking about people 4 kids. Most likely, he was talking about people who drive SUVs just to drive SUVs.
I also suppose that reducing the number of species of plants and animals through habitat destruction is beneficial too, right ? Nah. We don't need no stinkin' plants to conduct medicinal research. Tourism ? Blah. Leaving environments, plants species, and animal species for our children to enjoy ? Blah. Cut down the rainforests ! Burn them all to the ground !
Ditto for the whales. Our children don't need to be burdened with learning the name of the largest mammals ever to live. Save the children by killing all the whales !
While NOx + HC produces smog, the smog "experts" working for CARB have been focusing on the wrong component, NOx, for too long. There's actually more than enough NOx naturally occurring in the atmosphere (lightning produces a tremendous amount of NOx) that all it takes is unburnt HC (mainly from gasoline emissions) to create smog. Heard of the weekend effect ? Smog is worse in most major metropolitan areas, especially L.A., on the weekend because the big semis, which are diesel-powered, are not running and thus are NOT putting NOx into the atmosphere. What the smog "experts" working for CARB didn't realize or chose to ignore was that NOx re-combines with smog and actually gets rid of smog. Yes, that's right, excess NOx actually reduces smog. So, the diesel semis running during the week actually help to bring smog pollution levels down.
Also, the NOx emissions from biodiesel are NOT worse than those from diesel. The EGR on the vast majority of diesel engines is tuned for the combustion temperature of diesel. Biodiesel has a higher combustion temperature, resulting in more NOx if the EGR is not tuned for biodiesel. On most vehicles (like VW TDI, which comprise the overwhelming majority of passenger diesels in the U.S.), increasing EGR is as simple as changing a value in the computer. So, it's not the biodiesel that's to blame for higher NOx, it's the lack of adjustment of EGR that's to blame.
In the EU, diesels engines are in about 50% (and rising) of new automobiles sold. Why, just recently, MB re-introduced diesels to the U.S. . You can go down to your local MB dealer and pickup an E320 CDI that can go from 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and still average over 30mpg. Not bad for a car that heavy !
If, like me, you can't afford a $50,000 USD Mercedes, take a visit to you local VW dealership and checkout their lineup of diesels available in every model they sell save the brand-new minivan.
You would not heat up a boiler full of water, you would heat up a stream of water flowing through heat-exchange coils, very similar to the way that an on-demand hot-water heater works. Thus, you could begin to extract energy (make steam) within a few seconds.
6% of the land area of the U.S. is huge. Consider there are 50 states, so each state, on average consumes 2% of the land mass. You're talking 3 state's worth of land here. Soybeans, mustard seed, and especially algae would be preferable to hemp, as they yield more biodiesel per acre than hemp.
Over the past year, I've fueled my showroom-stock 2002 VW New Beetle TDI with 100% biodiesel, which I purchase for $2.50/gallon, (road) taxes and delivery charges included. At 45 miles per gallon, I'm actually paying _less_ than the vast majority of gasoline-powered vehicle operators.
It's obvious you don't understand "flash point". Just because a combustible liquid reaches it flash point does not mean it's going to explode.
I believe the point the previous poster was trying to make is that diesel, with a flash point of 125F, will not ignite below 125F, whereas gasoline, with a flash point of -40F, will ignite above -40F. The vast majority of fill-ups occur between -40F and 125F, making gasoline vapors dangerous and diesel vapors non-existent.
The energy in biodiesel comes from the sun. The sun is what "powers" the plants (mainly soybeans in this country) to produce long-chain hydrocarbons from ground minerals and atmospheric gases. Furthermore, the processing of biodiesel is efficient enough that it only takes about 1 gallon of biodiesel fed back into the system as energy to produce more than 5 gallons. This is actually more energy efficient than most oil well operations outside of the middle east.
Be careful, cynics. Just because something sounds too good to be true does not mean it can't be true. Also, being cynical, especially on Slashdot, is far too easy. Wouldn't it be more mature to doalittleresearchbefore bashing a positive idea ?
Someone puts forth a positive idea and gets modded up to a 2. Someone else posts the obligatory cynical response of "it sounds too good to be true and I'm too lazy to Google, so I'm just going to bash it" and gets modded up to a 3. Gee, this took all of 10 seconds to Google.
The funny part is that it took longer you to write that post full of lies than to actually lookup the truth that biodiesel is energy positive.
The soybean oil comes from crushing soybeans. I believe ADM has a virtual monopoly on soybean crushing in the USA, so almost all of the soybean oil comes from/through them. Crushed soybeans are mainly used to make feed for cattle, I believe. The 4:1 positive energy balance for biodiesel includes the energy that it takes to crush soybeans.
In Europe, I believe most of the biodiesel is made using rapeseed, which has a higher oil yield per acre than soy. However, algae seems like the best way to go for mass biodiesel production, at least in the USA where we have large tracts of land with year-round, near-ideal exposure to the sun.
Right now, I'm paying $2.50/gallon for taxed, unsubsidized 100% biodiesel (not blended). I guarantee you that if/when petrol diesel hits $2.50/gallon (it's already close to $2/gallon in some parts of the country), a LOT more people will be interested in biodiesel.
The ratio of the energy that is input into a system versus the energy that is output from a system is called energy balance. A trivial example is transmitting electricity through an electrical grid. For every watt that the power plant generates, somewhat slightly less than a watt is realized in your home. This would be a negative net energy balance since the output is less than the input. With biodiesel, the energy that is required to process the biodiesel is far less than the energy contained in the biodiesel. Hence, the input energy is less than the output energy, making for a positive energy balance. Where did this energy originally come from ? The sun.
How does your biodiesel get made?
In the USA, it currently is made using excess (waste) virgin soybean oil, since that is the cheapest biomass available. However, it can be made using almost any vegetable oil. In fact, Rudolph Diesel's first engine was powered using peanut oil. Biodiesel can also be made using just about any biomass. For mass production of biodiesel, algae is believed to the best option.
What fuels its production?
Biodiesel fuels itself, since it has a positive energy balance. Some of the biodiesel that is output from the refining process is fed into heaters/burners and electric generators.
Those studies are based upon dirty diesel in old, dirty diesel engines. This is equivalent to harping on the evils of gasoline by using a 1960's, leaded, pre-catalytic-converter vehicle to collect data.
Click here for an EPA report showing that diesel will be cleaner than gasoline using existing vehicles running on 15ppm ULSD (which is also available today in some parts of the country and will completely phase out dirty diesel by 2006). Yup, you got that right. Diesel emissions will be less harmful than gasoline emissions.
It's apparent you have no idea what biodiesel is. Biodiesel requires no fossil fuels. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Biodiesel is grown. The energy comes from the sun. So, when the petroleum runs out, biodiesel will still be around. Ditto for ethanol. Do yourself a favor and lookup the word "renewable" in the dictionary. While you're at it, do a little thinking on the concept of "positive energy balance". Biodiesel has approximately a 4:1 positive energy balance. In fact, biodiesel is the most efficient form of renewable transportation fuel available today. It's far more efficient than battery-powered vehicles and many times more efficient than fuel-cell vehicles.
Infrastructure ? I don't suppose all of the existing fuel pipelines, diesel pumps, diesel-powered locomotives, diesel-powered trucks, diesel-powered tankers, diesel-powered generators, and diesel-powered passenger vehicles (40% in EU !!) count as infrastructure, do they ? Nah. They're all just figments of my imagination.
The process for making ethanol is different enough than biodiesel that they are not compatible and cannot be easily converted. While ethanol has a slightly positive energy balance (1.3:1, currently), biodiesel has an impressive positive energy balance (close to 4:1). Besides that, the compression ignition (diesel) engine cycle is more efficient than the otto (gasoline) engine cycle, giving even higher returns on fuel economy.
The only reason ethanol is as popular as it is in the USA is because of massive government subsidies. Biodiesel, as far as I know, is not subsidized.
Please explain how a domestic, renewable fuel that can be made from almost any biomass is a "short-term" solution. That's sort of like saying "wheat is a short-term solution for making bread".
For what it's worth, I've been running my stock 2002 VW New Beetle TDI on biodiesel for 1.5 years (25,000 miles) now and have had no problems. I get it for $2.50/gallon, taxes included, delivered to my garage door.
Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel that can be made from a wide variety of biomass, including soy, rapeseed, and algae, to name but a few. Biodiesel is also a straight replacement for petrol diesel. I've been using it in my stock 2002 VW New Beetle TDI for 1.5 years now. I get it for $2.50/gallon, which includes taxes and delivery charges.
Also, it's more stable than petrol diesel and has better lubrication properties than petrol diesel, thus increasing the lifetime of the fuel system.
xot,
I agree with you. If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing the exact same thing. I do not lament the loss of U.S. jobs, mainly because I am a strong believer in market economics, freedom, and fending for oneself. Whining is not sexy.
In general, it makes sense to move the labor to where it's cheapest. India is currently about the cheapest place to do software. Moving to India is not outside the realm of possibilities for me.
Just so you know, I am a software engineer in the U.S. making well above average pay, even for my field. While I am enjoying my current salary, I know I could be out of a job any day. I have studied for and taken the GMAT. I have applied to a few business schools and will hopefully get into one of them before my job disappears. Ultimately, I know it is up to me to use my resources to earn a living.
The only thing people are entitled to in this world are Jack and Sh!t. In other words : no-one is entitled to anything. You must earn it.
Grrrr...yet another Slashdot post with glaring logical flaws in it gets modded up.
(1) The Hindenberg used uncompressed H2.
(2) Any vehicle wishing to travel more than a few miles will need to use highly compressed H2. To get the same range as diesel, you will need to compress it to around 2,000 atmospheres, or 14,000 PSI.
(3) What do you think a tank with a large volume of explosive gas at 14,000 PSI will do when ruptured ? I'll give you a hint : "simply burn quickly" is not one of them.
The parent post is "5, Informative" ? "1, Troll" should be more appropriate.
Hydrogen as a transportation "fuel" is actually less safe than gasoline.
The Hindenberg used gaseous H2. Any vehicles that wants to travel more than few miles on H2 will need to use highly compressed H2, which becomes extremely dangerous should a rupture occur. Think of a high-pressure flame-thrower than you cannot easily douse, sort of like an oil-well fire.
Slashdot Mirror
1. Target oil-rich country ripe for occupation^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hliberation
2. Invade said country and take over oil supplies.
3. Profit !!
Interesting justification.
So until you go buy that Honda scooter, I'll consider you a Troll.
Why is 50mpg OK for you, but everyone else must get 100mpg to be OK ? Nice double-standard there.
Also, don't get so defensive. It looks bad. I doubt he was talking about people 4 kids. Most likely, he was talking about people who drive SUVs just to drive SUVs.
Ditto for the whales. Our children don't need to be burdened with learning the name of the largest mammals ever to live. Save the children by killing all the whales !
Good point. Hemp is quite a useful crop.
Also, the NOx emissions from biodiesel are NOT worse than those from diesel. The EGR on the vast majority of diesel engines is tuned for the combustion temperature of diesel. Biodiesel has a higher combustion temperature, resulting in more NOx if the EGR is not tuned for biodiesel. On most vehicles (like VW TDI, which comprise the overwhelming majority of passenger diesels in the U.S.), increasing EGR is as simple as changing a value in the computer. So, it's not the biodiesel that's to blame for higher NOx, it's the lack of adjustment of EGR that's to blame.
If, like me, you can't afford a $50,000 USD Mercedes, take a visit to you local VW dealership and checkout their lineup of diesels available in every model they sell save the brand-new minivan.
You would not heat up a boiler full of water, you would heat up a stream of water flowing through heat-exchange coils, very similar to the way that an on-demand hot-water heater works. Thus, you could begin to extract energy (make steam) within a few seconds.
6% of the land area of the U.S. is huge. Consider there are 50 states, so each state, on average consumes 2% of the land mass. You're talking 3 state's worth of land here. Soybeans, mustard seed, and especially algae would be preferable to hemp, as they yield more biodiesel per acre than hemp.
Over the past year, I've fueled my showroom-stock 2002 VW New Beetle TDI with 100% biodiesel, which I purchase for $2.50/gallon, (road) taxes and delivery charges included. At 45 miles per gallon, I'm actually paying _less_ than the vast majority of gasoline-powered vehicle operators.
I believe the point the previous poster was trying to make is that diesel, with a flash point of 125F, will not ignite below 125F, whereas gasoline, with a flash point of -40F, will ignite above -40F. The vast majority of fill-ups occur between -40F and 125F, making gasoline vapors dangerous and diesel vapors non-existent.
Be careful, cynics. Just because something sounds too good to be true does not mean it can't be true. Also, being cynical, especially on Slashdot, is far too easy. Wouldn't it be more mature to do a little research before bashing a positive idea ?
The funny part is that it took longer you to write that post full of lies than to actually lookup the truth that biodiesel is energy positive.
The soybean oil comes from crushing soybeans. I believe ADM has a virtual monopoly on soybean crushing in the USA, so almost all of the soybean oil comes from/through them. Crushed soybeans are mainly used to make feed for cattle, I believe. The 4:1 positive energy balance for biodiesel includes the energy that it takes to crush soybeans.
In Europe, I believe most of the biodiesel is made using rapeseed, which has a higher oil yield per acre than soy. However, algae seems like the best way to go for mass biodiesel production, at least in the USA where we have large tracts of land with year-round, near-ideal exposure to the sun.
Right now, I'm paying $2.50/gallon for taxed, unsubsidized 100% biodiesel (not blended). I guarantee you that if/when petrol diesel hits $2.50/gallon (it's already close to $2/gallon in some parts of the country), a LOT more people will be interested in biodiesel.
How does your biodiesel get made?
In the USA, it currently is made using excess (waste) virgin soybean oil, since that is the cheapest biomass available. However, it can be made using almost any vegetable oil. In fact, Rudolph Diesel's first engine was powered using peanut oil. Biodiesel can also be made using just about any biomass. For mass production of biodiesel, algae is believed to the best option.
What fuels its production?
Biodiesel fuels itself, since it has a positive energy balance. Some of the biodiesel that is output from the refining process is fed into heaters/burners and electric generators.
How does it get to your gas tank?
A pump. You can buy biodiesel at retail pumps.
How much energy is involved, and where does it come from?
A lot. Our friend, the almighty sun.
Those studies are based upon dirty diesel in old, dirty diesel engines. This is equivalent to harping on the evils of gasoline by using a 1960's, leaded, pre-catalytic-converter vehicle to collect data.
Click here for an EPA report showing that diesel will be cleaner than gasoline using existing vehicles running on 15ppm ULSD (which is also available today in some parts of the country and will completely phase out dirty diesel by 2006). Yup, you got that right. Diesel emissions will be less harmful than gasoline emissions.
Infrastructure ? I don't suppose all of the existing fuel pipelines, diesel pumps, diesel-powered locomotives, diesel-powered trucks, diesel-powered tankers, diesel-powered generators, and diesel-powered passenger vehicles (40% in EU !!) count as infrastructure, do they ? Nah. They're all just figments of my imagination.
The only reason ethanol is as popular as it is in the USA is because of massive government subsidies. Biodiesel, as far as I know, is not subsidized.
Please explain how a domestic, renewable fuel that can be made from almost any biomass is a "short-term" solution. That's sort of like saying "wheat is a short-term solution for making bread".
For what it's worth, I've been running my stock 2002 VW New Beetle TDI on biodiesel for 1.5 years (25,000 miles) now and have had no problems. I get it for $2.50/gallon, taxes included, delivered to my garage door.
Also, it's more stable than petrol diesel and has better lubrication properties than petrol diesel, thus increasing the lifetime of the fuel system.
xot, I agree with you. If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing the exact same thing. I do not lament the loss of U.S. jobs, mainly because I am a strong believer in market economics, freedom, and fending for oneself. Whining is not sexy. In general, it makes sense to move the labor to where it's cheapest. India is currently about the cheapest place to do software. Moving to India is not outside the realm of possibilities for me. Just so you know, I am a software engineer in the U.S. making well above average pay, even for my field. While I am enjoying my current salary, I know I could be out of a job any day. I have studied for and taken the GMAT. I have applied to a few business schools and will hopefully get into one of them before my job disappears. Ultimately, I know it is up to me to use my resources to earn a living. The only thing people are entitled to in this world are Jack and Sh!t. In other words : no-one is entitled to anything. You must earn it.
So, no, that tank won't go three times farther on H2 than on diesel. It will actually have only 1/3 the range.
As usual, distorted facts are reported on Slashdot as gospel.
(1) The Hindenberg used uncompressed H2.
(2) Any vehicle wishing to travel more than a few miles will need to use highly compressed H2. To get the same range as diesel, you will need to compress it to around 2,000 atmospheres, or 14,000 PSI.
(3) What do you think a tank with a large volume of explosive gas at 14,000 PSI will do when ruptured ? I'll give you a hint : "simply burn quickly" is not one of them.
unextinguishable 60-ft. flames would be a better guess.
Hydrogen as a transportation "fuel" is actually less safe than gasoline.
The Hindenberg used gaseous H2. Any vehicles that wants to travel more than few miles on H2 will need to use highly compressed H2, which becomes extremely dangerous should a rupture occur. Think of a high-pressure flame-thrower than you cannot easily douse, sort of like an oil-well fire.
At least you recognize the change in the winds. Go back to school and get something like an MBA. That's what I'm doing.