Anything Into Oil

[Dr. Shane]

Anything Into Oil

Lemley, Brad ANYTHING INTO OIL (Discover, Vol. 27, No. 4, April 2006, pp. 46-51) Lemley detailed the thermal conversion process (formerly called the thermal depolymerization process) of using heat and pressure to convert waste materials into fuel oil and other recyclable materials in May 2003 (AA03196), and he provided an update on the challenges of starting full-scale processing in July 2004 (AA04202). Now he reports on the operation of the first commercial biorefinery in the world that can make oil from a variety of waste. This plant converts turkey slaughterhouse waste into fuel oil, high-grade fertilizer and water. Start-up delays, technical adjustments and higher operating costs have resulted in financial losses, but the owner of the plant expects it to begin operating at a profit because a federal government subsidy for renewable diesel fuel went into effect in early 2006. Future plans for the company include building plants in Europe to process beef slaughterhouse waste because it is expected that the process will destroy prions, the proteins that cause mad cow disease. The company has also demonstrated the process for automobile recyclers using their waste of plastics, fabrics, rubber and nylon that currently is dumped in landfills.

[Text taken from link. page 5]

[Dr. Shane]

This process can also be used for human waste. That means sewage treatment plants can produce oil with the waste.

[Dr. Shane]

Correct me if I am wrong, but recycling animal and human waste into oil would be a carbon-neutral source of oil. Animals eat plants. People eat both plants and animals which eat plants. So making oil out of animal and human waste is basically making oil out of plants.

[Parade Orange]

i may have missed something but what does someone do exactly with human waste oil? salad or motor car?

what on earth! .. covergirl foundation or squeeky parts?

what does one do with this oil? hair product or romantic lubricant?

[Dr. Shane]

It can be refined into diesel.

[carolaa]

LOL - Too many choices, eh?

[carolaa]

I haven't heard anything for a while on that plant in San Antonio that's supposed to turn human waste into energy.

[Parade Orange]

SHANE! thats a relief!

[fccool]

Of course, the problem is the same as with the alcohol based fuel. The heat and energy has to be applied to convert these things to oil, but how much? Of course, without government subsidies, the Ethanol industry would be in a world of hurt today. Either that, or the cost would be passed to consumers, like the case with Brasil... where ethanol based fuel is nearly $6 per gallon.

Either way, it will be interesting to observe the progress.

[Dr. Shane]

The price of oil would have to go up in order for this to be economically profitable. However, in the big picture, if the world's oil reserves start to run out, oil will go up and this is a resource that should be developed already at that time.

[phkrause]

Interesting post.

pk

[carolaa]

I HAVE heard this a few times that the earth will not run out of oil... I have heard this

from a few S.D.A. church members basing their

understanding that GOD will not let the oil

run out in fact a couple of S.D.A. members

said GOD was going to use the oil to help burn

up this earth

Good grief. Why does God care if we have oil? Especially when we only use it to pollute the earth. How audaciously presumptious.

And God certainly doesn't need the oil's help to burn up the earth. Somebody's God is in an awfully small box if they think that.

(I know you're just the messenger, dg)

[phkrause]

Bang, bang, bang, bang...... lol

pk

[phkrause]

Just keep looking over your shoulder, hahahahaha

pk

[Bravus]

See, this is part of the problem. When people reject science as a way of understanding the world, they will then accept anything anyone makes up.

In terms of converting other materials into oil, I think it's more likely that we'll then use the oil as feedstock for making new products rather than as fuel - as has been noted, there's no such thing as a free lunch in terms of energy, and it may take nearly as much energy to form the oil from other materials as is gained back by burning the oil.

We're going to figure out that oil is much too precious to burn *sometime*... and the longer we take the bigger the dislocation when we do.

[Dr. Shane]

It certainly does take energy to refine crude oil into a usable product. If we have to make crude oil out of another product it is that much more energy that it takes. At some future date, many of our cars may be electric or hydrogen and the need for diesel will be limited to commercial uses. It is then feasible that diesel could be made from recycled products and the energy needed to produce it come from a nuclear or alternative energy source.

[Neil D]

Just read an article on the ability to convert algae into diesel....and it's feasible to take carbon OUT of the cycle with it.

[Parade Orange]

CAROLAA !!!

thanku for saying that! i do love the idea of Gods nature working in the DIVINE PLAN(oil to keep the fire going!!.. to burn out sin and anything that remotely resembles carnage) but i agree wholeheardedly about what u said! GOD IS INFINITE and MIGHTY he dont need what we got to execute HIS WILL.