Technology

There’s no fuel like an old fuel

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Strongly reasoned case put for biofuels as the solution to decline of fossil oil supply. Dr Chia (cardiologist) calmly lays out the Hubbert/depletionists case, dismisses any central role for nuclear energy, and goes on to advocate bioengineered phyto-fuels (for biodiesel etc) and the development of artificial photosynthesis.

Could wind generators slow climate mixing and the arctic thaw?

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Thought-provoking comments from an alert Newfoundland reader, following on from the ‘methane-burps’ fears covered previously. Could suitably placed wind turbines reduce climate mixing, slow the warming of arctic regions, and so avoid catastrophic methane emissions from thawing tundra?

The Mitigation of the Peaking of World Oil Production

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Startling press release regarding a recently completed study of oil peak responses. Full report not yet received, but apparently claims all alternatives are incapable of meeting demand in the short term and argues that efficiency measures and drastic scaling up of production of substitute fuels is required.

Making the best of garbage gas

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Methane generated by rotting rubbish in landfill dumps could make a far greater contribution to the world’s energy supply. A new way of harvesting the gas should mean that many landfill dumps that till now were thought to be too small to produce usable amounts of the gas will be able to provide a viable supply.

“Stranded” Natural Gas to Liquid Fuel, is it time?

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Every day natural gas flares around the world burn off 10 billion cubic feet of energy–the equivalent of 1.7 million barrels of oil. A tiny R&D company in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Syntroleum Corp. claims it has refined a gas-to-liquids process to the point that it’s now cheap and safe, and can be used in the field to produce more easily transported fuels.