Category ArchiveScience
Biofuel &Energy &Science cwilmire on 30 Apr 2008
Ethanol Possibilities with Sugar (not corn)
Here is a very cool article about the possibilities of ethanol…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/technology/27proto.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Notice the article references sugar as the source for ethanol. Cheap sugar makes ethanol feasible.
Corn is not a good source of sugar. Corn has long chain carbohydrates that must be converted to simple sugars through mashing. Mashing takes a corn mush to 140 to 160 degrees where enzymes break down carbs to simple sugar. This is usually done by firing the mash with propane. Burn one fossil fuel to prevent burning another. In the end you get corn syrup that will ferment into ethanol. Costly!
Sugar doesn’t need to be mashed. Liquid sugar and yeast will spontaneously produce ethanol.
Why don’t we use sugar? The US doesn’t produce it. We have high tariffs to keep the cost of sugar high. Ever wonder why all the food labels are loaded with corn syrup? Check the label on that sugary soda. Yup, corn syrup where the sugar used to be. Unhealthy!
If we stop using corn for fuel, sugar can be used to make very cheap ethanol. The inventors in the article indicated that they could make ethanol for about a dollar a gallon with cheap Mexican sugar. Sound like a good idea.
Environment &Science cwilmire on 07 Apr 2007
Shocker: Global Warming Caused by Sun!!!
Amazing Discovery! If you overlay solar activity (sun spot cycle data) with temperature… They match!!! The correlation of this data has been known in solar-terrestrial physics since the early 1990s.
The eleven year cycle of the sun spot activity is not something you should use to set your watch. Sometimes it is closer to twelve years. Sometimes it is closer to ten years. Shorter cycles show more solar activity.
(Red – solar activity / Black – Temperature)
See for yourself…
Energy &Science cwilmire on 07 Apr 2007
Newest X Prize – 100mpg car
The latest X prizes competition is out. The quest is for a real car that gets 100 miles per gallon. Sounds great! Can I get one in 4wd with air conditioning and the towing package?
Article… http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/axprize;_ylt=A0WTcUSF8xdGzawA4AmOe8UF