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Posted by sno on April 11, 2008, 3:14 pm
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Ulysses wrote:
>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > >I didn't say we should cut down the rain forests. I meant it might be
> > >possible to grow a crop that could be used as fuel.
> >
> > Oh, no doubt those of us kinda out there (and who participate in a.e.h :-)
> could grow
> > something fast enough to burn for local transportation. But just a little
> math will
> > show how impractical that would be for general use.
>
> My personal goal would be to run a 4 HP engine or thereabouts to charge my
> batteries. I've not read the entire article that you posted but I get the
> impresson that greasewood might not be a great fuel. But, if it was, I
> could run my engine for many years without actually having to raise
> anything. I also have quite a few oak trees. When I cut firewood from the
> fallen limbs there is always quite of bit of small stuff left over. If oak
> is a good fuel then I could chop up that stuff.
>
> >
> > >Another concern would
> > >be the final emissions from a wood gas supplied engine. I know that it's
> > >mostly carbon monoxide going in but I don't know what's coming out the
> > >exhaust. It may be better than what we get using gasoline or diesel, or
> it
> > >may be worse.
> >
> > Well, I can make some predictions. NOx would be very low to nonexistent
> because of
> > the high proportion of inert gas. CO would be high for the same reason
> (incomplete
> > combustion). Inert gas slows combustion so that it would not complete in
> the time
> > allocated to a power stroke. HCs would be a variable, dependent on the
> fuel used and
> > the gas mix. Because the mixture is not closed-loop controlled and
> because it will
> > vary fairly widely, depending on firing conditions in the gassifier, I'd
> expect them
> > to be fairly high.
>
> Well, maybe it would be possible to use or burn off that CO somehow. Maybe
> make some heat for comfort or hot water.
>
> > Since one can rest fairly assured that a fleet of these things won't be
> parading down
> > Hollywood Blvd any time soon, emissions are a minor concern. Use, if any,
> will most
> > likely be out in the country where land (fuel) is plentiful and the air is
> clean and
> > will stay that way regardless of what the 1 person per square mile
> population does.
>
> That's how I feel about it too but since fuels such as petroleum supposedly
> will someday be all used up some kind of alternative fuel will need to be
> found. It might not be real practical to pull into a "wood station" and get
> a load of chips to run a car especially if some finely dressed lady is
> expected to have to empty out the ashes, start the blower and relight the
> thing and then wait 20 minutes before starting the car again. Alcohol and
> biodiesel have to be made. At least wood would require less preparation.
> Maybe some kind of beans would work. Genetic Scientists could engineer
> something that would burn clean, produce no tars, and have a pleasant
> after-odor. They might be good in burritos too.
Bamboo might work....yield is three to five times as much per acre
as pine....has almost the same btu content as oak....first harvest
4 yrs after planting....if it doesn't work to produce gas, shoots
can be eaten..<grin>....
have fun.....sno
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