Survival Homestead

Source: CNN.com

Fossil fuels that keep our planet running — oil, natural gas and coal — were created from the decomposition of plants, plankton and other organic material over millions of years.
A California lab has developed genetically altered bacteria that eat sugars and excrete a form of diesel oil.

A California lab has developed genetically altered bacteria that eat sugars and excrete a form of diesel oil.

Today, scientists all over the globe are working to create fuels with the same properties but without that pesky 100 million-year wait. And “renewable petroleum” is now a reality, on a small scale, in some laboratories.

The biotech company LS9 Inc. is using single-celled bacteria to create an oil equivalent. These petroleum “production facilities” are so small, you can see them only under a microscope.

“We started in my garage two years ago, and we’re producing barrels today, so things are moving pretty quickly,” said biochemist Stephen del Cardayre, LS9 vice president of research and development.

How does it work? A special type of genetically altered bacteria are fed plant material: basically, any type of sugar. They digest it and excrete the equivalent of diesel fuel.

Via: CNN.com

An influential Republican senator suggested Thursday that Congress might want to consider reimposing a national speed limit to save gasoline and possibly ease fuel prices.
Sen. John Warner has asked the Energy Department at what speeds vehicles would be most fuel efficient.

Sen. John Warner has asked the Energy Department at what speeds vehicles would be most fuel efficient.

Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, asked Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to look into what speed limit would provide optimum gasoline efficiency given current technology. He said he wants to know if the administration might support efforts in Congress to require a lower speed limit.

Congress in 1974 set a national 55 mph speed limit because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. The speed limit was repealed in 1995 when crude oil dipped to $17 a barrel and gasoline cost $1.10 a gallon.

As motorists headed on trips for this Fourth of July weekend, gasoline averaged $4.10 a gallon nationwide, with oil hovering around $145 a barrel.

Warner cited studies that showed the 55 mph speed limit saved 167,000 barrels of oil a day, or 2 percent of the country’s highway fuel consumption, while avoiding up to 4,000 traffic deaths a year.

An interesting resource on making briquettes.

Via: EchoTech.org (PDF)

Briquettes made from materials that cost little or no money to obtain, such as old newspaper or partially decomposed plant waste, can be an alternate fuel to charcoal, firewood or coal, and may cost less. Depending on materials used to make the briquettes, they may burn cleaner than coal. Finally, turning “throw-away” materials into a fuel source is attractive because it is a sustainable process. Many different methods and technologies exist for pressing briquettes. Each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. This
document describes two designs for briquette presses that are used here at ECHO.