Remember the "turkey blood to oil" test plant?

[Otto]

OK......, OK....., will it work with Geese???   I just realized the real potentional here.  If you could toss Geese in that thing and get GAS out, it would be the greatest invention since sliced bread.  

Please, please tell me it works with Geese.

[Dnil]

Jeez, get ready for the turkey matrix.....Some saved thanksgiving bird name neo will be busting out soon.

[capt. apathy]

I read an article in popular mechanics about it (maybe a year ago).  they said they could convert almost anything.  

I forget what all the end result is, there was oil, carbon, various minerals and something else (natural gas, maybe? it's been awhile).

the article said that any type of garbage could be used, they just had to alter the cook times at different stages of the process, and that they would end up with different ratios of output, depending on what they used.  

it doesn't even have to be a biological waste, they said that they could even use old computers and such but they'd have to be ground into dust first.

very exciting technology.

[strk]

Flashback to organic chemistry -   This is some wicked technology, but it seems pretty straightforward, which means Im probably not understanding it at all.  I am sure that I don't understand the cracking part in step 3 where it converts to a lighter grade oil, but I assume they are breaking off hydrogen atoms or at least breaking hydrogen bonds of some type.  Anyone know what cracking means?  Please no crackpipe jokes.

 I read an article about it a year or so ago and I remember it said something about using this process on a really small scale - like having it in your home and feeding all of your waste into it, including sewage.  Or maybe it was talking about a toilet, I cant remember.  But iirc it would break down almost any organic material, which includes all of the petroleum products and man made polymers, I think.

I also a remember a very Dune-like reference to how much oil and how much water you would get from a human.

also it generates its own butane to run the powerplant.  awesome.

[strk]

Originally posted by Otto
OK......, OK....., will it work with Geese???   I just realized the real potentional here.  If you could toss Geese in that thing and get GAS out, it would be the greatest invention since sliced bread.  

Please, please tell me it works with Geese.

I used to live in a townhouse built on an old farm, and the geese from the farm still lived there.  They were the noisiest bunch of fowl I have ever seen.  Their honking could be heard across the lake.  They would just walk around honking their fool heads off.  Starting at sunrise or so.  I hated them bastards.

[capt. apathy]

Originally posted by strk
 I am sure that I don't understand the cracking part in step 3 where it converts to a lighter grade oil, but I assume they are breaking off hydrogen atoms or at least breaking hydrogen bonds of some type.  Anyone know what cracking means?  

not sure exactly how it works.  they use the same technology in refineries.  I've built and repaired the cracking vessels but never fully understood the science behind why it works.  the process involves a pressure vessel, high-heat, and a catalyst.  but whatever is happening to it on a molecular level is a bit beyond me.

[wazimada]

Wazi lern so much prom AH bbs. Imso glads I lernd to reed and right english from time to time.

 

Who need teh turkys yes. We need moor energy conservtion and techneics.

 

[wazimada]

Im reeding originl Toad post and what is Btu?

[FUNKED1]

NO BLOOD FOR TURKEY BLOOD!

[FUNKED1]

BTW, need more data.

Their efficiency claim is kind of fuzzy.  It could be saying they are using 100 BTU of electricity and natural gas to make 85 btu of turkey fuel.  In which case it is pretty much worthless.

[Toad]

Ok, take this with some skepticism because of the old adage "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."

Here's a pretty recent Newsday article (April '04) that goes into more detail and is astounding, at least to me.

Turning Garbage into Oil—and Cash

Here's the "teaser line"... it sure popped my eyes open!

Appel acknowledges that, for now, his process only makes financial sense for very large producers of waste. He said the next few plants Changing World builds will need to handle much more waste than the 250 tons per day treated in Missouri, in order to be as competitive as possible with conventional oil and gas.

Right now, he said, the Carthage facility produces petroleum at the equivalent price of $15 per barrel -- about $5 more than what it costs a small oil company to find, extract and refine petroleum the conventional way.

[FUNKED1]

Cool, keep posting this stuff.
My old man will love this, he built an rdf (refuse derived fuel) power plant for WPAFB back in the day.

[Toad]

No Funk, they're saying it takes 100 BTU input, consisting of the "feedstock" (which can be old tires or cornstalks or turkey guts... "worthless" items), some minor amount of electricity and some flammable gas (which can be generated from earlier processing) to make 85 BTU of output.

So, if your old tires are providing say 90 BTU of the energy, your real cost is 10 BTU of electric and gas to get 85 BTU of output.

At least I think that's what they are saying.  

[strk]

Originally posted by wazimada
Im reeding originl Toad post and what is Btu?

a British Thermal Unit - a measurement of energy.  I think it can also be expressed as as Calories or KiloCalories.  I couldnt remember if Joules fit in their somewhere and a quick google search shows that a joule is about 1/1000th of a BTU

[Glasses]

LOL! Remember Mr Fusion in Back to the Future II I guess we're truly in the future now