GRASSoline at the pump

probe

An interesting 8 page article in the printed edition of Scientific American (July 2009 issue - starts on p 40 in European edition) on turning agricultural leftovers, weeds, wood, and fast-growing grasses into biofuels – including jetfuel. It involves cellulosic feedstock and breaking it down with ammonia.

While ammonia currently uses natural gas in the production process, Norway used to supply most of Europe’s ammonia needs from electrolysis using an 80 MW hydro electric power plant. Until the advent of almost free natural gas. Almost free natural gas is exiting stage left. Green ammonia will be back. Most likely wind generated.

Ammonia looks to me as being a key component is many renewable/clean energy technologies –

++Hydrogen storage in cars (safe and compact) one needs a 125 litre tank of hydrogen at 500 bar pressure to give the same range as a tank of gasoline. Hydrammine (H2 + ammonia combo) can fit the same energy in 40 litres of tankspace.

++Reduction of NOx from diesel engine emissions

++Grassoline (bioengineered biofuel from agri-waste)

It seems to me that this may be a promising technology for Ireland, taking into account the damp climate and its ability to grow things, and all the wind and other natural energy, part of which could be converted into ammonia (ammonia could be part of a bio-battery solution, to deal with intermittency).

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=grassoline-biofuels-beyond-corn

http://www.amminex.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=132

http://www.amminex.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=131

derry

The most interesting thing to come from the artical is that assuming your source of bio mass was from grasses or similar biomass grown on non farming land or what is termed marginal land then the target is clear that biomass can replace all the worlds energy needs without effecting the food production if they can crack the problem of how to get the fuel out of thattype of bio mass

Scientific American wrote:

Similar projections estimate that the global supply of cellulosic biomass has an energy content equivalent to between 34 billion to 160 billion barrels of oil a year, numbers that exceed the world’s current annual consumption of 30 billion barrels of oil.

The rest of the info in the articale is marginal as many types of solutions are still in the infancy .


Assuming that in 20 years the bio mass is the majority of the power supply the aminex solutions are redundant as even today if you remove the cat from your car change it to run on E85 you make zero emmisions of NO and CO and can even pass the NCT with a broken CAT (CO2 will still be emmited ).
Amine solutiones are only required if your planning to keep fossil fuels as the power sources

As far as I concerned there is not enough proof that AGW CO2 is any threat to the planet and there is ample proof that there exists at least 200 years of fossil fuels in reserves at todays useage rates and those costs will remain economic for a long time to come .

Therefore if you want biomass solutions to work it will require a better reason than some CO2 threat or peak oil threat.For me its a no brainer switch out of oil is needed as it is often cleaner and will become cheaper than oil given time and not often prone to the big polution spills hazardsthat crude oil can do and its renewable probably for ever and reduces wars to gain control of oil regions

Derry

probe

derry wrote: »

Assuming that in 20 years the bio mass is the majority of the power supply the aminex solutions are redundant as even today if you remove the cat from your car change it to run on E85 you make zero emmisions of NO and CO and can even pass the NCT with a broken CAT (CO2 will still be emmited ).
Amine solutiones are only required if your planning to keep fossil fuels as the power sources

No it is not. Diesel is the most efficient fuel for many transport applications at the moment and for the immediate future. It just needs to be made as clean as possible. Amminex is providing that now.

Their main application is storage of hydrogen for vehicular use in compact safe format. That will follow on nicely as H2 takes over from hydrocarbons.

It is a logical pipeline of technologies with an ammonia base.

Video on Grassoline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1LnST3w4WQ

freedom of info

probe wrote: »

No it is not. Diesel is the most efficient fuel for many transport applications at the moment and for the immediate future. It just needs to be made as clean as possible. Amminex is providing that now.

Their main application is storage of hydrogen for vehicular use in compact safe format. That will follow on nicely as H2 takes over from hydrocarbons.

It is a logical pipeline of technologies with an ammonia base.

Video on Grassoline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1LnST3w4WQ

diesel causes skin cancer, and can easily be replaced by bio-diesel made from hemp seed or rape seed or any seed, hydrogen can be made from water by passing an electrical charge through it.

the model t used alcohol made from hemp, the moral of this is fossil fuel is controlled by the petro-chem industry, who in turn control the worlds governments who in turn control you me and everyone else

djpbarry

freedom of info wrote: »

...the moral of this is fossil fuel is controlled by the petro-chem industry, who in turn control the worlds governments who in turn control you me and everyone else

Save it for the CT forum.