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phloyd

10/08/09 9:07 PM

#54554 RE: kennypooh #54551

Bioplastic companies.
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1fatcat2

10/08/09 9:09 PM

#54556 RE: kennypooh #54551

But if no one is 'burning' petro fuels in 10-20 years in order to cut down polution, who will you sell your oil to at a profit?

Dude petro will still be burned along with algae and others, again it is but a part of what algae can do. I would have you check on the DOE study on algae this is not up for debate it has already proven itself, now it is time to get it produced commercially around the same cost as petro...And that Time has come sir.
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program-4-you

10/09/09 4:17 PM

#54958 RE: kennypooh #54551

There will be a need for oil for the next 100 years most likely. Big rigs need a tremendous amount of torque to move the heavy loads they move. They get it from massive pistons in massive cylinders using over double the compression ratio of a gas burner. Although you can generate that much torque and more from electric motors, you need a LOT of power to do it, thus Diesel is not likely to be phased out by batteries in the very near future(yes I know they are already trying to anyway).

Consider an airplane for example. You very well could fly an airplane on electricity. However, batteries will not be an option. To heavy, to inefficient. A nuclear reactor would be more realistic, except for a few problems. A 747-200 has a thrust capacity of approximately 250 Megawatts. At altitude and cruising at mach 0.9 it needs a constant thrust of 65 megawatts. By contrast, a US nuclear submarine has a reactor capable of generating around 50-55 megawatts. Not quite enough to keep the 747 cruising much less get it off the ground. If someone could build a reactor that was 4 times as powerful in about 1/4th the size, then you could fly a 747 without a drop of oil based fuel.


I'd imagine some day some genius is going to come up with a way to make safe and reasonably priced mini-reactors that might be able to replace the batteries in your car and would last for a dozen years before needing new fuel rods. To make the sale of a new car even cheaper and more environmentally safe, when you get the new car, they'll just transfer your reactor over to it and send you on your way. Reactors and vehicles sold separately. Maybe a pipe dream, maybe not.