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Monday, 16 June 2008

Scientists Create Petrol Excreting Bugs

Scientists in Silicon Valley have discovered a way to genetically modify bugs to consume waste material and excrete crude oil.


The bugs feed on agricultural scraps such as wheat straw or woodchips and produce oil that can be refined into petroleum for engines.


LS9 is one of many companies in or around Silicon Valley working on this technology. The company says that not only will this new fuel dubbed “Oil 2.0″ be renewable, it will also be carbon negative. They claim that the carbon that is emitted is less than that from which it is made.

The bugs are single-cell organisms, each one only a fraction of a billionth the size of an ant. They start out as nonpathogenic strains of E. coli or industrial yeast and have their DNA modified.

Apparently it does not take much work to make the necessary changes as crude oil is only a few molecular stages removed from the normally excreted fatty acids.

LS9 has managed to produce a 1,000-litre fermenting machine that can pump out around one barrel a week. It takes up 40 sq ft of floor space and looks much like a large stainless-steel jar.

In order to replace America’s 143 million barrels of weekly oil consumption, they would need a factory around the size of Chicago – about 205 square miles.

“Our plan is to have a demonstration-scale plant operational by 2010 and, in parallel, we’ll be working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility to open in 2011,” says Mr Pal, senior director of LS9. He added that if Brazilian sugar cane were to be used as its feedstock, the cost of the resulting crude would cost around $50 a barrel – almost a third of the price of traditional crude.

Source:
TimesOnline

Friday, 13 June 2008

Genepax Makes Cars Run On Water Alone

Genepax Japan has developed a power system that creates zero CO2 emissions and can power a car using nothing but water for fuel.


Like fuel cells, the system uses hydrogen for power but it creates its own on the fly. It contains a special material that acts like a small reactor, turning water and air into hydrogen through a chemical reaction.


This process has been seen on a smaller scale recently to power unmanned fuel cell helicopters. This larger scale version has great advantages over existing green technologies in that it can be used for any kind of power generation application.

It does not depend on braking force to recharge the batteries like systems in many hybrid cars. Nor does it require clear sunny days or high wind velocities like solar panels or wind turbines do. It can be kept running for as long as it is supplied with water which means it could also be used in residential applications.

Genepax has demonstrated a 300W active system mounted in the luggage area of a compact electric car. The car, known as “Reva”, was driven by the system but it is still early days.

The company plans to produce a 1KW model to offer more power and if it succeeds in mass production, could shrink the cost from ¥2,000,000 (US$18,522) to just ¥500,000 ($5000) or lower.

If brought down to this price, Genepax feels it could compete with residential solar cell systems.

Source:
FarEastGizmos

Related articles:
Helicopters Powered By Fuel Cells

Tuesday, 27 May 2008

Hydraulic Transmission Cuts Fuel Costs In Half

Inventor Ernie Brookins has engineered a hydraulic transmission that is able to power vehicles without the need to have the engine running all the time.

The invention could be used on just about any vehicle and Brookins believes the invention could cut motorists’ fuel bills in half.


The hybrid drive system works by capturing, compressing and storing “wasted” drive-train energy. This energy is produced when a vehicle’s engine is running.

The compressed air pushes hydraulic fluid through a piston-driven torque converter that is capable of propelling a vehicle at highway speeds without the engine running, Brookins says.


An embedded computer system, once fully developed, would switch the vehicle’s power source automatically between engine and hybrid drive, though the engine will still have to run around 50 percent of the time.

“If we went out on the road, I could maintain 60 miles per hour with the engine turned off,” Brookins said.

Anything that uses diesel (fuel) or gas for power could utilise the invention. Cars, delivery trucks, school buses, postal vehicles, semi-trailers or even train locomotives would make good candidates.

Brookins said the invention can be available for commercial markets within six months of having investors and other funding sources that can provide the $250,000 needed to mass produce it.

If there is anyone out there interested in backing this breakthrough invention, Forum Business Editor Craig McEwen has contact with Ernie and can be reached at (701) 241-5502

Photo credit: in-forum.com