Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

[Sapiens]

Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis
http://www.tiftongazette.com/local/l...075215425.html

...
J.C. Bell, who brought the world powdered peanut butter, has spent the last four years, identifying the bacteria that produces hydrocarbon and then finding a way to genetically alter it so that it could produce hydrocarbon in greater volume.

Bell cited a USDA study that projected it was possible to produce two billion tons of bio-mass that could be converted to hydrocarbon with some modification to agriculture and forestry practices.

Pamela Serino, Chief of the Department of Defense Energy Support Center at Fort Belvoir, Va., said she was very excited about Bell’s technology. “The DOD Energy Support Center is the energy purchasing arm of the defense logistics agency,” Serino said. She said she became acquainted with Bell when he met with a senator about his hydrocarbon research. “We give support to the Hill,” she said. “When he was briefing the senator, we were there to see if his technology was viable.” Serino said her job was to question the science behind the technology. “It looks good to me,” she said.

Serino said she envisions a near future where “we have multiple regional energy sources.” She said the growth in China and India makes the work in bio-energy more critical.

Now that his discoveries have been patented, his corporation formed — Bell Bio-Energy, Inc. — and his government communications established, Bell announced his discoveries to the local press on Friday morning.

“I have received a tremendous amount of support from the state and federal government,” Bell said. “I could not have gotten this far without the help of (U.S. Sen.) Saxby Chambliss, (U.S. Sen.) Johnny Isakson, (Rep.) Jim Marshall, (Rep.) Jack Kingston and Floyd Gabler, the deputy undersecretary of the USDA.” He said, “They have opened doors for me at the Department of Defense and the EPA and EPD.”

Bell said he never considered ethanol for his research. “He who burns his food goes hungry,” Bell said. “That’s an old Chinese proverb.” Instead he concentrated on bio-mass and hydrocarbons. “If it grows it’s bio-mass,” Bell said. Bio-mass is any living or recently dead biological material. Hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Decomposed organic matter provides an abundance of carbon and hydrogen and is naturally occurring in crude oil.

...

[blazespinnaker]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

There's a lot of this going on. It's one reason why I have a hard time investing in oil but why I continue to invest in equities. If energy prices drop significantly, the economy will really take off over time (though the lack of petrodollars will be a problem).

I don't think thisi particular solution is the way to go though. Can anyone say "global warming"?

OH yeah, and this guy sounds like a total tool.

"Cows are like people that eat lots of beans. They're really, really good at making natural gas," he said. "It dawned on me that that natural gas was methane."


..

But does he think it will make environmentalists happy?

"They love this. We had one totally recognizable environmentalist from Hollywood say this is everything they ever had hoped for," Bell said. "This could be considered the ultimate recycling of carbon. We are using the energy of the sun through the plant. We're not introducing any new carbon [to the environment]."

Right... that's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard.. He's converting biomass into oil, which gets converted into CO2 by the cars and spit out into the atmosphere. That CO2 doesn't 'automatically' get converted back into biomass, you know, if it did we wouldn't be in the shape we're in.

Plus this is already patented up the wazoo. Sounds like a scam to me. No wonder no credible publication has picked it up.

[Mega]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

Got a guy by me whom i don't have much time for, He a "Spark" and he turned his hand sola heating............his pannels were total crap. He sold them via E-bay.

He now has a "sercet" device that will change the World:-

I found him working on it in his workshop, i asked what is it?

(him)"Am Michael, you are looking at a new system for recovering waste heat"
"It goes into a chinney in a factory"

(Me) "You mean your built a heat exchanger?"

(Him) Er, yes well like a Heat Exchanger, but differant

(Me) Yes, yours will not be very efficnt.

I remember the 70's well, every 5 mins people poped up with NEW WAYS to power things.......sort of forrunner to "Cold Fushion".

Wankers!!!!!
Mike

[jimmygu3]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

Plus this is already patented up the wazoo. Sounds like a scam to me. No wonder no credible publication has picked it up.

What?!? The Tifton Gazette is second only to the Valdosta Times, Albany Herald, and Cordele Dispatch as the most respected south Georgia newspaper west of Savannah!

[jimmygu3]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

(Him)"Um Michael, you are looking at a new system for recovering waste heat"
"It goes into a chimney in a factory"

(Me) "You mean you built a heat exchanger?"

(Him) Er, yes well like a Heat Exchanger, but different

(Me) Yes, yours will not be very efficient.

I remember the 70's well, every 5 mins people popped up with NEW WAYS to power things.......sort of forerunner to "Cold Fusion".

Wankers!!!!!
Mike

Mike, pasting your post into Word (see above), a spelling and grammar check automatically corrects most of the dozen or so errors. I would advise you to take that extra step. It will make your posts easier to read and add to your credibility. It will also get Nickerson off your back .

Bottom line is, one of these kooky scientists and inventors IS going to come up with something more efficient and cost-effective than fossil fuels and it will change the world. We shouldn't dismiss all of them right out of the gate.

Jimmy

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

Mike, pasting your post into Word (see above), a spelling and grammar check automatically corrects most of the dozen or so errors. I would advise you to take that extra step. It will make your posts easier to read and add to your credibility. It will also get Nickerson off your back .

Bottom line is, one of these kooky scientists and inventors IS going to come up with something more efficient and cost-effective than fossil fuels and it will change the world. We shouldn't dismiss all of them right out of the gate.

Jimmy

Jimmy, I have not been on Mike's back for a very long time, and don't expect ever to be again.

[Spartacus]

Oil from turkeys

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...turkeyoil.html

http://science.slashdot.org/article....nested&tid=134

have you ever gone back and looked what happened at all the "research breakthrough promising a new cancer treatment" spots you've heard on the radio or on TV?

The real research that makes a difference never gets reported - it quietly goes into production 20 years after discovery, with no reporters present at any step in the process.

[lomaxzoltor]

Re: Researcher: Discovery could end energy crisis

Maybe he should've just popped in Mad Max to see who runs Barter Town! Plus methane is 20x more effective than C02 as a greenhouse gas if you buy into that.

[Rajiv]

Re: Oil from turkeys

From the wiki

Current status

Reports in 2004 claimed that the facility was selling products at 10% below the price of equivalent oil, but its production costs were low enough that the plant produced a profit. At the time it was paying for turkey waste (see also below).

The plant then consumed 270 tons of turkey offal (the full output of the turkey processing plant) and 20 tons of egg production waste daily. According to a 2/1/2005 article by Fortune Magazine, the Carthage plant was producing about 400 barrels per day of crude oil. This oil is being refined as No. 2 (a standard grade oil which is used for diesel and residential heating oil) and No. 4 (a lower grade oil used in industrial heating).

In April 2005 the plant was reported to be running at a loss. Further 2005 reports summarized some economic setbacks which the Carthage plant encountered since its planning stages. It was thought that concern over mad cow disease would prevent the use of turkey waste and other animal products as cattle feed, and thus this waste would be free. As it turned out, turkey waste may still be used as feed in the United States, so that the facility must purchase that feed stock at a cost of $30 to $40 per ton, adding $15 to $20 per barrel to the cost of the oil. Final cost, as of January 2005, was $80/barrel ($1.90/gal).

The above cost of production also excludes the operating cost of the thermal oxidizer and scrubber added in May 2005 in response to odor complaints (see below).

A biofuel tax credit of roughly $1 per US gallon (26 ¢/L) on production costs was not available because the oil produced did not meet the definition of "biodiesel" according to the relevant American tax legislation. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 specifically added thermal depolymerization to a $1 renewable diesel credit, which became effective at the end of 2005.

As reported on 04/02/2006 by Discover Magazine, the Carthage plant was producing 500 barrels a day of oil made from 270 tons of turkey guts and 20 tons of pig fat. A federal subsidy (the Energy Policy Act of 2005) allowed a profit of $4/barrel of output oil.

Company expansion

The company has explored expansion in California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and is presently examining projects in Europe, where animal products cannot be used as cattle feed. TDP is also being considered as an alternative means for sewage treatment in the United States.

Smell complaints

The pilot plant in Carthage was temporarily shut down due to smell complaints. It was soon restarted when it was discovered that few of the odors were generated by the plant. Furthermore, the plant agreed to install an enhanced thermal oxidizer and to upgrade its air scrubber system under a court order. Since the plant is located only four blocks from the tourist-attracting town center, this has strained relations with the mayor and citizens of Carthage.

According to a company spokeswoman, the plant has received complaints even on days when it is not operating. She also contended that the odors may not have been produced by their facility, which is located near several other agricultural processing plants.

In December 29, 2005, the plant was ordered by the state governor to shut down once again over allegations of foul odors as reported by MSNBC.

As of March 7, 2006, the plant has begun limited test runs to validate it has resolved the odor issue.

As of August 24, 2006, the last lawsuit connected with the odor issue has been dismissed and the problem is acknowledged as fixed. In late November, however, another complaint was filed over bad smells.] This complaint was closed on January 11th of 2007 with no fines assessed.

Status as of December 2007

A May 2003 article in Discover magazine stated, "Appel has lined up federal grant money to help build demonstration plants to process chicken offal and manure in Alabama and crop residuals and grease in Nevada. Also in the works are plants to process turkey waste and manure in Colorado and pork and cheese waste in Italy. He says the first generation of depolymerization centers will be up and running in 2005. By then it should be clear whether the technology is as miraculous as its backers claim."

However, as of December 2007, the only operational plant listed at the company's website is the initial one in Carthage, Missouri.

[lomaxzoltor]

Re: Oil from turkeys

And just think how much it'll cost when chicken feed gets expensive as the price of oil climbs higher. Plus at 500bbl/day, that means you'd only need 20,000 of these plants to replace half the US crude oil consumption. Hopefully it'll smell like KFC everywhere.