popularmechanics.com — Forget food crops. Future fuels will come from more practical feedstocks. Plus, each generation will use fewer resources and pack more energy than the last. PM crunches the numbers on alternative fuels for the real world.
Aug 11, 2008 View in Crawl 4
protoAug 13, 2008
"Why move beyond gasoline when you can make it in real time without drilling for oil?"Well, here's a reason: the way we currently convert gasoline's energy into moving a person around is really inefficient. Of all the energy contained in the fuel, only about 1/8th makes it to the wheels to provide propulsion. About half of that goes into heating the air as it's pushed aside, heating the tires through deformation, and as simple waste heat when idling at a stop. The remaining energy that actually goes into acceleration is then converted to heat by the brakes when the vehicle comes to a stop.All of these steps represent points of possible improvement, but the worst offender is the first: the internal combustion engine. It would be REALLY nice to get rid of that and replace it with some more-efficient conversion technology. It wouldn't have to be perfect. Heck 50% efficiency would be a dramatic gain.
spudsterAug 13, 2008
Am I the only one getting a little tired of every post Digg being a blog post numbering the best/worst/top/etc of a certain subject? It's crazy how many blogs are relying on just this method to communicate ideas now.Secret Digg formula code for articles:best/worst *insert low single or double digit number here* *Insert subject title here*
jasonmacsweenAug 13, 2008
Algae is the only reputable biofuel.
tehwymanAug 14, 2008
Actually the meal from corn ethanol fed to cattle is, pound for pound, better than normal corn due to the yeasts that is used in the ethanol making process.This comes from a talk I heard by a professor from South Dakota.
tastywheatAug 14, 2008
See this article? <a class="user" href="http://digg.com/general_sciences/Cheap_Catalyst_Co">http://digg.com/general_sciences/Cheap_Catalyst_Co</a> ...The process has gotten easier, but still not Meyer-esque.
donna1234Nov 15, 2008
Forget food crops. Future fuels will come from more practical feedstocks.<a class="user" href="http://www.e-uuu.com">http://www.e-uuu.com</a><a class="user" href="http://www.mad4.info">http://www.mad4.info</a><a class="user" href="http://www.gogetfit.net">http://www.gogetfit.net</a>
conradmstroudDec 21, 2008
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