July 12th, 2008 -- Posted in science snippets |
Biofuels have developed a bad name recently. As the food crisis seems to worsen, the wisdom of taking up great swathes of land to grow edible plants like corn - and then just turning them into fuel - is now seriously questioned.
Luckily, we ever-creative humans have come up with an alternative. Second-generation biofuels are being made from inedible plant material - both the ‘waste’ materials from food crops and crops gown on land not suitable for food.
A stumbling-block in the way of this new technology is the fact that it costs up to 50% more to make these fuels, as the need to extract the cellulose from the plant makes the process more complicated. The best way to do this, from current research, is to harness the power of nature - by taking micro-organisms and genetically modifying them to do the job for us. Some researchers suggest trialling the use of the gut bacteria from termites, which has been helping to break down wood for millennia! (NewScientist, Vol198 No2661).
So, things are looking up for the biofuels industry. Lets hope those brilliant researchers receive the funding and support they need to make it a viable reality in this time of rapidly-depleting oil stocks.
To read more about cellulosic ethanol, check out the Wikipedia article here.
July 4th, 2008 -- Posted in Oil and petrol, economy, science snippets |
Gee - really? Why is it that everyone is just now realising this?
The title of this post is a line from the feature article in the latest NewScientist. The title of the article is Final Warning, and I think that’s appropriate. For those of us who are interested and engaged with sustainability, peak oil has been an issue we have all known about for a long time.
The article cites a survey from 2007 where industry experts were polled and came to a consensus that peak production would occur in 2010. I think it is only due to the fast rise in petrol prices that ‘normal’ people are finally realising the crisis we’re facing. As the article says: “there is growing realisation that we are teetering on the edge of an economic catastrophe which could be triggered next time there is a glitch in the world’s oil supply” (NewScientist - Vol 198 No. 2662). The article goes on to discuss the major oil supply sites and the supply chain, and how susceptible both are to interruption or damage.
The article concludes by making our choice clear - we have to find alternatives, and fast!
The truth - which many people fail to realise, or simply don’t want to know - is that within my lifetime, oil and petrol will become a thing of the past. I’ll tell my grandkids about a time when we were all completely dependent on this black goo sucked from the ground - how we ran all our cars, planes, trucks on it; how all our plastics were made from it; basically, that it was the thing that kept our society functioning.
I hope I can tell them that from the security of a world that worked out a solution to the crisis in time - rather than one that has fallen apart because of it. Come on, oil companies!! If you want to stay profitable - you need to be at the forefront of new technologies, not holding them back and suppressing them!
This crisis will only escalate if nothing is done on a global scale to overcome it. The price of petrol will only rise. Get used to it - it’s not going to get better, only worse. The ‘good old days’ I remember - when I first started driving in 1998 - when petrol was expensive if it hit 80c per litre, are gone.
We can’t change global and national policy on our own - but we can make small differences in our life to reduce the oil we consume, and to invest our own money in alternative options. As individuals, we hold little power - but as a community, we can make an impact.
June 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Oil and petrol, Water Saving, science snippets |
Prologue:
I have always had an avid interest in science, and last year I fulfilled a long-held desire - to get a subscription to New Scientist magazine.
It is always an engaging, fascinating, and educational read, and I love learning about all the cutting-edge technologies and ideas out there. I actually have a few posts planned that are based on some interesting environmental stories I have read in there recently, and this is the first. In fact, given my science background, I’ll probably aim to make my ’science snippets’ a regular feature here at SS - let me know if you’d like to get updates from me on the scientific issues regarding sustainability!
And so, on to the story…
NS discuss a new biofuel in the latest edition - an emerald green form of crude oil produced by the process of photosynthesis in genetically-engineered algae. It’s being produced by a company called Sapphire Energy in California, and they’re planning on producing about 10,000 barrels a day within five years.
On their website, Sapphire claim that “the company’s final products will have the same chemical composition as gasoline and will be completely compatible with the existing refining, distribution and fleet infrastructure.” (Sapphireenergy.com)
Now, the benefits of this over other ‘biofuels’ are obvious. First, it’s not using land that has been previously devoted to growing food, as sugar-cane for ethanol has been (and that is the main reason that ethanol fuel is becoming more and more frowned upon from a global perspective). Second, it can be grown in treated waste-water, and pretty much all it needs is the water and sun to grow. Now, I’m a scientist by training and by nature, so biotechnology as a rule is something I am in full support of - when it’s used intelligently for the greater good, not just the greater profit (e.g. I am fully against Mon’satan’ and their approach to monopolising agriculture and creating a world of non-self-pollinating seeds).
So, all that sounds great… however. Sapphire Energy say that the quality of their oil is such that it can be pumped into the current pipeline, and used to fuel any vehicle that runs on normal petrol… does this mean, therefore, that this oil will result in the same carbon emissions as ‘normal’ oil? And if so, is it really a good alternative?
To add your thoughts to the issue, please leave a comment below.
To read the NewScientist article, click the link - Emerald Oil
P.S. And on a random note - if they’re making emerald oil, why are they called sapphire energy?
