Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae

[Charon]

Turkey/bio waste oil seems the most economical and practical. It will run on current technology. Once introduced will drop the price of standard oil, thus reducing the costs and help the economy thus solving all of our problems. Except for pollution but the engines are getting better. Seems more practical to evolve unless something revolutionary comes along like nuclear powered cars.

That is a very interesting technology. There are some pretty optimistic maximum production goals, but it seems (so far) to be generally on the level.

Charon

[cpxxx]

I think you are all missing the point. One day we will all be running our cars on something renewable.  The diesel engine is the future. It can run on anything within reason. Eventually every engine will be diesel unless they find a way to make electric engine more efficient.  

BUT, don't get too excited even if all engines were diesel and  run on cheap renewable fuel. It would NOT solve the oil dependancy problem.  

Here's a quote which sums it up perfectly:

There are more than 4,000 different petrochemical products, but those which are considered as basic products include ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, ammonia and methanol. The main groups of petrochemical end-products are plastics, synthetic fibres, synthetic rubbers, detergents and chemical fertilisers.  

Considering the vast number of products that are derived from it, crude oil is a very versatile substance. Life as we know it today would be extremely difficult without crude oil and its by-products.  

 (Source: OPEC) The italics are mine

Life as we know it ends without oil. The Greens might like us to ride around on bicycles but without oil we won't even have the bicycles.  At the moment there is simply no replacement for petrochemicals on the horizon.

Oil is that important.  It's incredible how many otherwise intelligent people are simple unaware of just how dependant we are on oil. Our civilisation depends on it entirely.

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[DieAz]

OPEC is wrong. most of the things made from oil, replaced something different for the same job. and about all the things it didn't replace, but made something entirely new, we don't need.


In the entire history of humans through the milleniums, how long has OPEC been around?
how long have humans been dependant on fossil crude oil?

OPEC just wants you to be dependant on them.

The intelligent people are very aware of the dependance, and know of alternatives, to fossil crude oil.