treehugger.com — Japanese scientists have discovered a way to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel with a new much less expensive catalyst (10 to 50 times less expensive) than what we currently use. The new catalyst uses a common, inexpensive sugar to form a recyclable solid acid that does the job on the cheap.
Nov 25, 2005 View in Crawl 4
Closed AccountNov 25, 2005
> I think we're on the same sideYeah... we are.I just like playing the antagonist with zero tolerance for bulls**t and faerie tales.> ICE engines are more around 20% efficiencyThat's pretty good. Americans got fscked by the car manufactures in the late 70s and early 80s with super crappy diesel engine automobiles. Detroit completely screwed the market by doing that; they should be ashamed of themselves. I've driven properly engineered diesel cars (MB mostly), but there are still little issues (most of which have probably been addressed by now). Some are cultural issues that are difficult to address (like cold weather starting time, having black smudge all over the back end of your car, pulling into truck stops to fuel up, finding a mechanics who will look at your car's engine, the psychological barrier of paying more per-gallon for diesel even though you end up saving more due to better mpg (remember, Americans are stupid) and producing aforementioned huge billowing clouds of black smoke upon acceleration)> I just see this pragmatically: Anything that makes things better > than now should be encouraged.Yeah, and I'm seeing this from the point of view that we've already been there and done that... and it didn't work. So, nothing short of revolution is acceptable (death to the internal combustion engine! viva la revolut!)... well, maybe it'll happen when gas hits $10/gal. and stays there. What the world needs NOW is a fuel cell that runs off of gasoline and electric motors that can be swapped in universally for almost every passenger automobile.
mikeknoopNov 25, 2005
What about these fine folk? They performed their cross country trip in a diesel running Veggie Oil truck almost a year ago!<a class="user" href="http://www.prattsinn.com/grease_car.html">http://www.prattsinn.com/grease_car.html</a>
matthNov 25, 2005
The original Diesel Engine ran on Peanut Oil .
osiriscky3Nov 25, 2005
i drink bio diesel for breakfast
qqqqmmmmttyyNov 25, 2005
it might be on htttp://www.Sharewareisland.com
carpetguyNov 25, 2005
<a class="user" href="http://www.biodieselamerica.org">http://www.biodieselamerica.org</a>
shiftlessNov 25, 2005
Yes, more altrnative fuels please. I don't like giving money to people in the Middle East that talk to an imaginairy friend five times a day. I'd blow myself up too.
amitrixNov 26, 2005
"Yes, more altrnative fuels please. I don't like giving money to people in the Middle East that talk to an imaginairy friend five times a day. I'd blow myself up too."WTF dude!! thats just wrong!! just bcoz u r an aethist doesnt make the whole world not believe in the power of god!!
ecacofonixMay 4, 2006
I read the full article at NG...it really looks possible, especially since they are talking about a cheaper acid that does the job, great news!A site that could be of interest to some of you is the Biodiesel Encyclopedia, lots of links - <a class="user" href="http://www.castoroil.in/reference/plant_oils/uses/fuel/bio_fuels.html">http://www.castoroil.in/reference/plant_oils/uses/fuel/bio_fuels.html</a> Ecacofonix
nkthenFeb 26, 2008
Great. What a breakthrough.<a class="user" href="http://www.biodieselathome.net">http://www.biodieselathome.net</a>