🚀 go-pugleaf

I hate to nit-pick on someone who's happily pointing out the same
things I've been noting here for a couple of years, but . . .

In article <SLAGLE.92Jun9165609@sgi417.msd.lmsc.lockheed.com> slagle@lmsc.lockheed.com writes:
>There are several problems with using alcohol as a fuel,
>particularly with methanol.  While it's easy to make alcohol, for
>ethanol just throw some yeast into some malted grain or fruit
>mixture, it is quite a bit more difficult to get it into a form
>that is useful as fuel.  Most of the methods of which I am aware
>(I am not an expert) require a rather large energy input to
>concentrate the alcohol content.  The net output is not all that
>great, and various byproducts need disposal.  

Fortunately?  The energy you need to purify ethanol to 96% is low
grade.  All you need is a heat source--and not a very intense one.
Solar heating is quite adequate.  Anther method is to dry out the
leftovers from fermentation (the bast) and burn it.  Alternatively,
the bast can be used as a quite high-grade cattle feed.  96% ethanol
will work as a fuel.  If you want to get that last 4% of the water
out, then you've got to work at it.  Standard methods use a benzene
process.

The reason for using methanol (I've deleted your comments on toxicity
and spillage problems) are that ethaol isn't volatile enough in cooler
climates--like winter in the Bay Area.  Ethanol has been used
'straight' as a motor fuel in Brazil--with it's nice, warm tropical
climate.  (They had to do *something* with all that surplus sugar cane
. . .)

>With electric cars, the biggest problem that know about is still
>the matter of storage.  Completely aside from the problems of
>range and reserve fuel for emergency use, the present technology
>for storage batteries is wholly inadequate.  The cost and weight
>of the various heavy-metal storage batteries is still
>prohibitive.  And since they don't last forever, there is the
>problem of dealing with the disposal of them.  And in the event
>of an accident, do you really want to be around when 50-100
>batteries rupture and spew acid all over the place.  

Depends on the heavy metal . . .  One can't use NiCads--not enough
Cadmium is available.  This is probably fortunate . . .  However, i
think it's GM that's been talking about using the old Edison Cell,
which is a NiFe cell.  One presumes that they;ve solved the problem of
the voltage collapsing under heavy load.  In any case, you won't ever
have to worry about acid spills from NiFE cells.  They use and Lithium
Hydroxide/Potassium Hydroxide electrolyte.

	--Hal
-- 
=======================================================================
Hal Heydt                    |    Vegetarians eat vegetables.
Analyst, Pacific*Bell        |      
510-823-5447                 |    I'm a Humanitarian.