Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 19:03:42 -0400
Reply-To: tmiller <tmiller@VCMAILS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: tmiller <tmiller@VCMAILS.COM>
Subject: Re: Diesels on NPR this morning
In-Reply-To: <E1BNknn-00054I-00@smtp01.mrf.mail.rcn.net>
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Joy:
We are talking about new and used vegetable oil here. Oil taken from
restaurants used to make freedom fries and fried chicken, etc. It is
run through a filter, heated to remove water, and then the glycerin is
removed from the esters. Glycerin is used to make hand cleaners like
GoJo. The esters are the fuel for the diesel which burn very cleanly.
TEMiller
Joy Hecht wrote:
>There is a question, though, about what kind of biological material is used
>to make the fuel. I don't know how auto fuel is made, but with power plants
>that burn biological material, it's not clear that they are that much better
>than petroleum. They put out GHG emissions, and if the fuel isn't grown
>organically, its cultivation generates a lot of water pollution from ag
>runoff. Is the biological matter used to make biodiesel the waste from some
>other ag process or grown specifically for fuel? In the former case, what
>is now done with that waste. If it's excess nutrients that we've found a
>new use for, great. But if it was returned to the soil to enrich it for
>future agriculture, then we'll have to replace it. If it was grown just for
>making fuel, then how? Growing biofuels organically is pretty expensive.
>
>All of which isn't to say that they aren't a good idea, just that they may
>not be financially viable, and they also may not be environmentally
>preferable to the alternatives.
>
>
>
>Joy
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
>Steven Dodson
>Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:23 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Diesels on NPR this morning
>
>If you look at the latest emission controls on Renault, VW, Audi and others,
>you'll find that the new Oxi-cats and soot filters go a long way to reduce
>the NOX and soot. Burn B100 bio-diesel with these same emission controls and
>the NOX and soot are hardly detectable (cleaner than the air in LA anyway).
>Not perfect but certainly better than cracking petroleum to get hydrogen for
>fuel cells. I think it's a good start but certainly not the final answer.
>The thing I like best about bio-diesel, is not funding OPEC or Texas oil
>tycoons.
>
>-Steven Dodson
>Kneeland, CA
>"Inga" the 87 Syncro
>
>----- Original Message -----
>Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 15:22:46 -0500
>From: "Donald Baxter / Iowa City, Iowa" <onanov@MINDSPRING.COM>
>Subject: Re: Diesels on NPR this morning
>
>Yep, I did. Wasn't lost on me that Diesels are probably not a very good
>ultimate environmental solution to our transportation needs. Soot and NOX
>can't be ignored.
>
>DB
>
>
>
>
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