At 12:51 PM 7/31/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Steve Miller wrote:
>>
>> While discussing the future of petroleum as a diminishing resource as
>> well as a source of pollution no one has mentioned ethanol. I've heard it
>> is a standard fuel in Brazil. Does anybody know anything about using it
>> as a motor fuel? It is already a component in California gas and since it
>> can be made by fermentation of most carbohydrates it should never run
>> out. Any comments?
>
>IMO, alcohol is the way to go. Electric just moves the polution from the
>autos to the coal or nuke energy plants. Plus most batteries are a very
>toxic pollutant in themselves. Find a California fireman to tell you
>about their hazmat training for electric car accidents, it's not pretty.
>
>Alcohol has been tried and proven in drag racing and military
>applications. We can make it ourselves, without being dependant on OPEC
>or other third world weirdo's. YOU could make your own fuel, wouldn't
>that be neat! Put our farmers back in business too. "Buy DeKalb Fuel".
>I could go on, this is one of my 'personal' topics, if anyones
>interested.....
>
>-Aron-
>"in a frenzy"
>
===Reply===
Yeah, but there's another side to it: In a world where thousands of people
are dying of starvation every day, I'm not sure it's good P.R. to be
converting foodstuffs into fuel for private automobiles.
Yes, I know there are a ton of other issues involved, 3rd world
misgovernment, inefficient distribution systems, but I'm thinking in terms
of 10-second sound bites; but as a prior post on this subject mentioned
mass-media mentality, I just bet that the issue is going to come down to
dying children vs. a tank of ethanol.
What about hydrogen? 2/3ds of the planet is covered by water, and 2/3ds of
the water is hydrogen (2H + 1O = H2O). Hydrogen can be distilled via
electrolysis (solar? cold fusion?) and transported in compressed and/or
liquid form. There are some problems; being the smallest molecule, hydrogen
tends to leak from the smallest spaces, but these are technical issues and
can be overcome. I remember about 20 years ago seeing a special called "The
Invisible Flame" or something like that, on the potential uses of hydrogen.
It was remarkable.
One of the problems with hydrogen is the "Hindenburg perception." Way too
many people have that image in their heads. But this show demonstrated that
hydrogen is really very safe. To begin with, despite the incredible
pictures, there were survivors of the Hindenburg: Being lighter than air,
hydrogen rises, away from the crash. Tell that to people in Pintos, who got
sloshed with gasoline before it ignited.
The show had a demonstration: three tanks (hydrogen, gasoline, and propane)
with equal energy potential contents were placed near ignition sources (a
pilot light) on a rifle range. A sharpshooter then shot at the tanks. The
gasoline splattered everywhere, and ignited. It looked like someone had
dropped napalm, there were lots of little fires all over. The propane just
exploded, and the tank disappeared into a thousand little pieces of
shrapnel. The hydrogen tank broke open, but it took four or five seconds
before it ignited, and then it just burned in a flame, like from a torch.
I've always felt that hydrogen may well be the long-term fuel source.
Mark Moburg
MarkMoburg@mindspring.com
New York, New York
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