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In a 747 containing a stunning 5% biofuel, Virgin Atlantic proved that you can indeed fly a plane on bio-diesel.
There was actually some question as to whether it would be possible actually, because jet fuel has to stay liquid and non-viscous at extremely low temperatures. Most bio-diesel at those temperatures would become too thick to feed into the engines. However, a young biofuel startup in Seattle, Imperium, created a mixture that when mixed in ratios up to 40:60 with jet fuel, stayed usable.
The Virgin flight ran one of the four engines on a 20:80 mix of the Imperium fuel, for an overall replacement of 1/20th of the fuel used on the flight. Of course, with recent fears over the sustainability of bio-fuels due to replacement of food crops and deforestation, it's unclear whether bio-diesel is going to escape from this battle in tact. Only if large-scale production of bio-diesel from algae hits the mainstream will we see this technology taking off.
Ethanol has more of a future, as it's easier to produce it in mass quantities from waste products. However, ethanol contains less energy than bio-diesel per gram, which is a trade-off the airline industry is unlikely to make, even if they can get it to run in jet engines.
Via the Wall Street Journal
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written by Joel, February 28, 2008
These things produce a gummy, paint-like crosslinked substance if they're exposed to oxygen. That's why all these oils are used as furniture finish, as well as hippy nutrition.
I don't know if this applies to trans-esterified oils, with methanol or ethanol in place of the glycerin, suffer the same problems, but I could imagine a fuel line plugged with linoleum.
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written by matt, February 28, 2008
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written by EV, February 29, 2008
Corn is for feeding people not to fuel engines
There are other sources of ethanol besides corn that people can't eat.
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written by poetryman69, February 29, 2008
No more Oil Wars!
Energy Independence Now!
Drill in Anwar.
Build more nuclear power plants
Use More coal.
Use more natural gas
Turn trash into energy
Double the efficiency of windmills and solar cells.
If France can do nuclear power so can we.
If Brazil can do biomass/ethanol power so can we.
If Australia can do LNG power so can we.
Domestically produced energy will end the recession and spur the economy.
Stop paying oil dollars to those who worship daily at the alter of our destruction.
Preserve our Civil Rights and defend our Freedom by ending dependence on foreign oil.
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written by monotonehell, March 02, 2008
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written by Ugly American, March 05, 2008
The primary reason is BD is made from oil. Oil self separates from water. It's then reformed into something much closer to jet fuel than to petrodiesel which is generally 80% wax disolved in 20% lighter hydrocarbons.
Ethanol and other alcohols won't self separate from water. Ever see a bottle of vodka seperate? Even the strongest yeasts only give about 20% alcohol, the rest is water. The huge waste with fuel alcohols comes from separating the alcohol from the water, most often by boiling it off. Heating takes energy, so the total energy yield goes way down at the refining stage.
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written by campbell, March 28, 2008
regardless......again, ANY incremental increase in fuel effeciancies of AIRPLANES is virtually doomed to be negated by the increase in air traffic demand.
whereas, flying AIRSHIPS, on pure solar power will revolutionize air transport and cure 99% of those environmental issues raised in the use of airplanes.
Sir Richard actually knows this; he already has interest in lighter-than-air flight....he just needs to champion it more.
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http://pesn.com/2008/02/19/9500471_Gravity_Lamp/
Yeah for an obvious invention that no one's heard of!!!