[biofuel] Re: Another methos for drying biodiesel/biogas
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "terry calmes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: -- It is used to dry some high-altitude scientific radio controlled aircraft glowfuels, to prevent icing, the trouble is, anhydrous methanol attacked the aluminium engines. But it can remove very small amounts of water. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980780884/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
Terry - Biodiesel does not clog the wick of lamps designed for olive oil, because the wick is kept so low (close to the level of the oil) so it can overcome gravity. See www.lehmans.com (lots of other cool stuff from Amish country in US). Ironically, the "non-electric catalog" is avail. via the internet (must have a server powered by bottled gas). Anyway I bought one of the little oil lamps and it works well on biodiesel so far. ;-) Ed - Original Message - From: "biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 1:32 PM Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > Oh dear - here we go! > > 1. Using biodiesel (even when properly made) in a wick powered lamp is not > a good idea - the higher fractions vapourise and burn happily for a bit, but > leave behind the lower fractions, which clog the wick up thereby rendering > it useless for the purpose. It goes out. > > 2. Once upon a time, there were two types of brake fluid - one mineral and > one vegetable. The two were not compatible, as the mineral oil used rubber > grommets and the vegetable one used man-made ones. Now there is one - > mineral. Ergo, using biodiesel - a vegetable oil - in a braking system > could cause the system to fail. You have been warned. > > 3. Biodiesel is not hygroscopic, although it may contain a small amount of > water. To make it into a hydrated fuel, a surfactant is required in order > to prevent emulsification, which clogs fuel filters. > > 4.. A very interesting recipe for biodiesel, which will not work > particularly well. Both the meths and washing soda have water in them, > which both inhibits the transesterification process and causes the formation > of soap. Look up Mike Pelly's recipe and try that. All ingredients are > costly, when bought in small quantities - methanol is about £240 a tonne in > the UK at present. > > 5. Mixing kero with your petrol may seem like a good idea, until such times > as either (a) Customs & Excise catch on, or (b) your piston rings seize up > with the carbon residue. Seems a shame, for the sake of a few pence a > litre. > > 6. I haven't heard of anyone using Hydrosource as a drying agent - probably > because it should not be needed, if the proper recipe and procedures are > used to produce biodiesel. After washing, drying should not be required - > any suspended solids containing traces of water should be filtered out. If > you have any results, don't forget to share them! > > Terry (UK) > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980781405/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Another methos for drying biodiesel/biogas
I have some and they will air dry ok. Air dry time is about a week in a dry climate. But I have never used them in the process of making Biodiesel. At 06:48 PM 01/28/2001 -0800, you wrote: >do you suppose these could be reused by drying in an oven? >anton > > > > General Performance: One pound of Hydrosource will absorb up to 48 > >gallons of rainwater or snowmelt, and 20-35 gallons of water, depending on > >the salt content of the water. > > Hydrosource can be applied wet or dry. Dry granules are usually > >easier to use, but soak them thoroughly to fully fill them with water > >(hydrate). When hydrated, the granules look like chunks of clear gelatin > >about 1/2 inch in diameter. > > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980782667/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
I did read one study somewhere along the line that suggested damage to the rubber was not nearly what they anticipated, based on the research of others that the investigators had read before they began. Perhaps they were using properly neutralised and washed biodiesel and/or two stage method. - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:36 AM Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > After researching both methods(Mike's & Two stage), I decided to try > the two stage method. I plan on using the biod in a Mercedes. Am > concerned about damage to the rubber hoses and had talked with > someone who is using biod in a Mercedes today. > > His comment was that by switching to the two stage method, the damage > to the rubber was nil. Appears that the rubber damage is due to the > methanol and that by removing it in the drying process it eliminates > the rubber damage. > > Comments? > > JV > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980788069/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
PLEASE DO NOT E-MAIL ME ANYMORE "NBT - E. Beggs" wrote: > I did read one study somewhere along the line that suggested damage to the > rubber was not nearly what they anticipated, based on the research of others > that the investigators had read before they began. Perhaps they were using > properly neutralised and washed biodiesel and/or two stage method. > > - Original Message - > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:36 AM > Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > > > After researching both methods(Mike's & Two stage), I decided to try > > the two stage method. I plan on using the biod in a Mercedes. Am > > concerned about damage to the rubber hoses and had talked with > > someone who is using biod in a Mercedes today. > > > > His comment was that by switching to the two stage method, the damage > > to the rubber was nil. Appears that the rubber damage is due to the > > methanol and that by removing it in the drying process it eliminates > > the rubber damage. > > > > Comments? > > > > JV > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980793161/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Oh dear - here we go! > 5. Mixing kero with your petrol may seem like a good idea, until such times > as either (a) Customs & Excise catch on, or (b) your piston rings seize up > with the carbon residue. Seems a shame, for the sake of a few pence a > litre. -- A month or so ago, C&E changed the rules and you can add Kero to your tank to lower octane, but you cannot mix it with petrol before adding it - dont know why. The injection system fuel return will mix it for you. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980793766/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
I would suggest, Connie, that you remove yourself from the newsgroup, and not subscribe to any new ones until you figure out that no one emailed you. Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm Renewable Energy Pages - http://www.webconx.com Palm Pilot Pages - http://www.webconx.com/palm X10 Home Automation - http://www.webconx.com/x10 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (212) 894-3704 x3154 - voicemail/fax It is not money or dreams that will sustain you, but practical knowledge about the basic systems that sustain you. -- - Original Message - From: "CONNIE LEJEUNE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 1:25 PM Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc PLEASE DO NOT E-MAIL ME ANYMORE "NBT - E. Beggs" wrote: > I did read one study somewhere along the line that suggested damage to the > rubber was not nearly what they anticipated, based on the research of others > that the investigators had read before they began. Perhaps they were using > properly neutralised and washed biodiesel and/or two stage method. > > - Original Message - > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:36 AM > Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > > > After researching both methods(Mike's & Two stage), I decided to try > > the two stage method. I plan on using the biod in a Mercedes. Am > > concerned about damage to the rubber hoses and had talked with > > someone who is using biod in a Mercedes today. > > > > His comment was that by switching to the two stage method, the damage > > to the rubber was nil. Appears that the rubber damage is due to the > > methanol and that by removing it in the drying process it eliminates > > the rubber damage. > > > > Comments? > > > > JV > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980793900/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
> > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - Original Message - From: "CONNIE LEJEUNE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 10:25 AM Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > PLEASE DO NOT E-MAIL ME ANYMORE > > "NBT - E. Beggs" wrote: > > > I did read one study somewhere along the line that suggested damage to the > > rubber was not nearly what they anticipated, based on the research of others > > that the investigators had read before they began. Perhaps they were using > > properly neutralised and washed biodiesel and/or two stage method. > > > > - Original Message - > > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: > > Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 5:36 AM > > Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > > > > > After researching both methods(Mike's & Two stage), I decided to try > > > the two stage method. I plan on using the biod in a Mercedes. Am > > > concerned about damage to the rubber hoses and had talked with > > > someone who is using biod in a Mercedes today. > > > > > > His comment was that by switching to the two stage method, the damage > > > to the rubber was nil. Appears that the rubber damage is due to the > > > methanol and that by removing it in the drying process it eliminates > > > the rubber damage. > > > > > > Comments? > > > > > > JV > > > > > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980794828/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
Cloudy biod may be a bit of soap left in, suspended solids or, if cold, tallow esters. I have used an in-line car fuel filter (paper sort) before - takes ages, but the filter may be back-washed with warm water. It also filters out any glycerine left around after washing. The filter cost me all of £1.50 - $2.50 Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980796535/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
All post-1990 Mercs should be biodiesel-proof Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980796369/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
Look at www.biofuels.fsnet.co.uk/challenge.htm They hit you harder if you use homebrew ethanol - otherwise known as poteen, taxed at about £18 a litre Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980796598/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
OK - it did when I tried it! Mind you, I did light the lamp Will try again and see what happens Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980796962/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
Please send me chapter and verse of amendment or your authority - I am currently negotiating deal for UK biod producers and I haven't heard of this one Thanks Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980797105/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
Yes, the usual standards in the world for automobile brake fluid are from the American DOT, there are no EU, ISO, or BS. DOT3Glycol Esters DOT4Glycol Esters DOT5 Silicone DOT 5.1Glycol Esters HBP Mineral LHM Liquid d' Hydraulique Mineral? I didn't mean people should use biodiesel as brake fluid, I just note brake fluid is very very hygroscopic and the chemical compound it is made from sounds related to biodiesel, so I wondered if biodiesel was hygroscopic. Regards, Richard - --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "John Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > In Australia our usual brake fluid(Grade 3 Super D.O.T.4) SAE j1703 is > definitely not a mineral > oil and should not be contaminated with mineral oils or used in brake > systems requiring mineral oils. > Mineral oils will ruin rubber brake parts quick smart but we can wash them > in methanol or ethanol. > I don't advocate using bioD in brakes here because the boiling point is a > bit low BUT MINERAL OIL BRAKE FLUID IS NOT THE NORM WORLD WIDE. > Regards > John > > > -Original Message- > From: biofuels <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Monday, 29 January 2001 4:05 > Subject: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > > > >Oh dear - here we go! > Snip > >2. Once upon a time, there were two types of brake fluid - one mineral and > >one vegetable. The two were not compatible, as the mineral oil used rubber > >grommets and the vegetable one used man-made ones. Now there is one - > >mineral. Ergo, using biodiesel - a vegetable oil - in a braking system > >could cause the system to fail. You have been warned. > Snip Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980798206/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Please send me chapter and verse of amendment or your authority - I am > currently negotiating deal for UK biod producers and I haven't heard of this > one --- Do you mean me with the Kero?? I read it in a classic car mag, just searched the web, and found reference here... http://www.classicmotor.co.uk/unlead3.htm I have searched www.open.gov.uk but the search comes up with too many red herrings. Regards, Richard Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980799177/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: lamps
Lit it, did you. Ha! That's where you went wrong. I shone a flashlight at it and thought it was the lamp that was throwing light. Seriously, did you use an "olive oil" lamp or a kerosene-type lamp? The lamp I indicated works ok because it was designed for the higher viscosity of olive oil. I have not tried with regular "kerosene" lamps at all. I think the pressurised ones might work, like the Coleman kerosene. Ed - Original Message - From: "biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 11:35 AM Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > OK - it did when I tried it! > Mind you, I did light the lamp > Will try again and see what happens > Terry > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980802495/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] glycerin
I think that our local treatment plant just wants to know when, how much per flushing, and what is it (glycerine in this case). I don't think that it qualifies as "toxic waste" just waste. geoff anton and federica wrote: > > I know i should look in the website index, but i have never been able to > make it work... > What is everyone doing with their glyc erin? Is it O.K. to put it in the > drain after one has made sure that all the methanol is out of ti? Is there > some place that will take it as toxic waste, for not much money? > I know that you can compost it, use it as parts cleaner, purify it to make > soap, etc., but I live in the city, can't comp[ost, can't get rid of 30lbs > of soap every month or two, and I don't really wash many parts, and besides, > doesn't all that stuff eventually equal going down the drain anyway? does a > standard sewage treatment plant take care of that sort of thing easily? > I talked to a local hand soap place, but they were not interested, and > figure with all of our great brains working toghether, we should be able to > come up with a relatively easy, e-friendly solution. > anton > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980805977/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] My first biodiesel batch
- Original Message - From: "Ask me" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 10:16 AM Subject: [biofuel] My first biodiesel batch I have just left my first batch of biodiesel to react, I used... 150ml of Methlylated spirits (40pence!) 1000ml of ASDA Farm Stores vegetable Oil (39pence) 2 spoonfuls of SURF Sodabright washing powder (neg.) Why is anything good so expensive in the UK? Because England is a socialist country! Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980807769/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] air
You can make an arguement either way,pushed in or drawn in.Or using logic, argue there is no air.Whatever,stephen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980809045/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Another methos for drying biodiesel/biogas
I am sure I don't need to remind you all that ETOH fumes and meth for that matter will explode if not properly vented. I speak as one who has seen. A Nimrod using the drying oven at work reset it to 135C and then placed some cobalt-EDTA crystals in to dry. They had been rinsed with large amounts of 100% ethanol and NOT allowed to let the vapors "blow off" under the hood for awhile. The oven had a SMALL vent opening at the top but quickly the fumes accumulated at the top of the oven and BANG the roof of the oven buckled. Just be careful what you try in an attempt to save time. SERMON OVER! Ciao, Geoff Keith Addison wrote: > > >do you suppose these could be reused by drying in an oven? > >anton > > > > > > > General Performance: One pound of Hydrosource will absorb up to 48 > > >gallons of rainwater or snowmelt, and 20-35 gallons of water, depending on > > >the salt content of the water. > > > Hydrosource can be applied wet or dry. Dry granules are usually > > >easier to use, but soak them thoroughly to fully fill them with water > > >(hydrate). When hydrated, the granules look like chunks of clear gelatin > > >about 1/2 inch in diameter. > > Drying this stuff in the oven is probably more trouble and will most > likely take more energy than the usual way of drying biodiesel, which > is not at all a difficult matter. It might be useful for drying > ethanol though. > > Keith Addison > Journey to Forever > Handmade Projects > Tokyo > http://journeytoforever.org/ > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980809472/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] methane
I have the book, Producing your own power,by rodale press,inc 1974. The New Alchemy institute. Do you want me to send the chapter about methane power? Or do you have it? The contents,Wind power,Water power,Wood power,Methane power,and Solar power.Stephen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980810737/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Digital pH meter
Hello everyone. My name is David Rygmyr and I live in Washington State, USA. I am very interested in trying my hand at biodiesel and have been busy doing my homework; I've purchased the book "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank" and have been all over the journeytoforever.org, veggievan.org, homepower.com, and have gone to many linked sites for more info. (Great stuff by the way, and my thanks to you on this list who were involved with these!) I'm building my "lab" now; the great scavenger hunt begins. I'm a big fan of doing it once and doing it right. I already know that I don't want to mess around with pH strips or dye. The source listings in the book and websites didn't offer any specific brands or models, so I'm wondering if anyone here has a hands- down recommendation for a specific unit. Believe me, I'm not eager to spend a lot, but I've also learned the hard way that you get what you pay for. My guess is that I'm after a middle-of-the-road unit that's reliable and easy to clean. (One source listed was Edmund Scientific although it looks like their unit requires an ongoing purchase of consumables?) Thanks! --Dave Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980811612/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Kerosene additive!
Gotcha - thanks for the link Yes, you could add paraffin to the petrol to reduce octane level, but there is no dispensation in HMG regs to allow for this that I know of - the tax must be paid at the LRP rate for it to be legal. Unless anybody knows different . Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980811438/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: lamps
You may well be right, that the wick was the wrong sort - I must admit to not having checked it out thoroughly. Silly Daddy! Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980812086/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] My first biodiesel batch
England a socialist country - with a Labour government? Catch yourself on, wee laddie! As the Peruvian President said to his driver - "Do as we always do - signal left and turn right!" Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980811654/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: My first biodiesel batch
LOL!!! hadn't heard that one, very nice :) > England a socialist country - with a Labour government? > Catch yourself on, wee laddie! > As the Peruvian President said to his driver - "Do as we always do - > signal left and turn right!" Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980813068/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] methane
I too have that book. Great resource. AL Rutan, author of many methane articles in those days is still around. http://www.webconx.com/methane.htm Steve Spence Subscribe to the Renewable Energy Newsletter: http://www.webconx.com/subscribe.htm Renewable Energy Pages - http://www.webconx.com Palm Pilot Pages - http://www.webconx.com/palm X10 Home Automation - http://www.webconx.com/x10 [EMAIL PROTECTED] (212) 894-3704 x3154 - voicemail/fax It is not money or dreams that will sustain you, but practical knowledge about the basic systems that sustain you. -- - Original Message - From: "stephen lakios" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 6:10 PM Subject: [biofuel] methane I have the book, Producing your own power,by rodale press,inc 1974. The New Alchemy institute. Do you want me to send the chapter about methane power? Or do you have it? The contents,Wind power,Water power,Wood power,Methane power,and Solar power.Stephen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980815066/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Keith
I was thinking,If you can purify the glycerin or get someone to do it,and get as many of the people on the list who are making bio to ship it to the person purifying it,you can make and sell your own lotions and creams. You have a great name,perfect for a cosmetic line. Journey to forever, is mystical and subliminal.Have a colorful label,appealing to women.Add coloring,perfumes,lanolin,teas,mineral oil,ect.Hand and skin lotions,hand and skin creams,body gels,body washes,ect.Or contract it out to a cosmetic company if you do not want all the work.I know it is expensive to ship anything,and it may be cheaper to buy bulk pure glycerine. But hey' a 2oz. jar of handcream sells for $5+.My wife has one which cost $9.98. Thats $160 a pound.Stephen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980819056/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel]Hydrosorb
yes, that sounds great, i asked specifcally to know if it would be possible to dry ethanol enough to make biodiesel with, or for that matter, save a batch of methanol that hasd gotten wet. I also have been told by my pet chemist that when you mix methanol and sodium hydroxide you get a small amount of water, and although it is not significant, judging byt the success of my methanol biodiesel, that also might occur in a ethanol/potassium hydroxide batch, where it might be more significant... anton -- >From: "John Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: >Subject: Re: [biofuel]Hydrosorb >Date: Jan 29, 2001, 6:14 AM > >Tried some watersorb and metho >with straight metho 30 gm and watersorb 30 gm >poured off 22 gm metho - didnt have any way of checking if it had >selectively absorbed the water. >added another 30 gm water with the 22 gm of metho back in and it absorbed >the whole lot >am trying to dry it now in a solar drier and will let you know the result. >Seems like it might be worth playing with anyway because it didn't lap up >the alcohol straight away like it does with straight water. - unfortunatly I >didnt have enough on hand to get my hydrometer to float. >If I can get some more in town I will fill up the drying column on my still >and see if it will absorb the water out of alcohol vapour or break down at >that temp. - I've been using wool in the drying column for a little while >but haven't got any consistant results yet. will have to set up an >experiment with a known Alc/water ratio and vaporize it through just the >drying column. If I can find the time to set it up!! > >Regards >John > > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980825344/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel]Hydrosorb
i've contacted multisorb technologies, inc. they make desiccants as well. anton and federica wrote: > yes, that sounds great, i asked specifcally to know if it would be > possible > to dry ethanol enough to make biodiesel with, or for that matter, save > a > batch of methanol that hasd gotten wet. I also have been told by my > pet > chemist that when you mix methanol and sodium hydroxide you get a > small > amount of water, and although it is not significant, judging byt the > success > of my methanol biodiesel, that also might occur in a ethanol/potassium > > hydroxide batch, where it might be more significant... > anton > -- > >From: "John Harris" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: > >Subject: Re: [biofuel]Hydrosorb > >Date: Jan 29, 2001, 6:14 AM > > > > >Tried some watersorb and metho > >with straight metho 30 gm and watersorb 30 gm > >poured off 22 gm metho - didnt have any way of checking if it had > >selectively absorbed the water. > >added another 30 gm water with the 22 gm of metho back in and it > absorbed > >the whole lot > >am trying to dry it now in a solar drier and will let you know the > result. > >Seems like it might be worth playing with anyway because it didn't > lap up > >the alcohol straight away like it does with straight water. - > unfortunatly I > >didnt have enough on hand to get my hydrometer to float. > >If I can get some more in town I will fill up the drying column on my > still > >and see if it will absorb the water out of alcohol vapour or break > down at > >that temp. - I've been using wool in the drying column for a little > while > >but haven't got any consistant results yet. will have to set up an > >experiment with a known Alc/water ratio and vaporize it through just > the > >drying column. If I can find the time to set it up!! > > > >Regards > >John > > > > > >Yahoo! Groups Sponsor www. .com > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980828214/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: lamps
http://www.britelyt.com/ BriteLyt - Home of the World Famous Petromax Multi-Fuel Products Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ >Lit it, did you. Ha! That's where you went wrong. I shone a flashlight at >it and thought it was the lamp that was throwing light. > >Seriously, did you use an "olive oil" lamp or a kerosene-type lamp? The >lamp I indicated works ok because it was designed for the higher viscosity >of olive oil. I have not tried with regular "kerosene" lamps at all. I >think the pressurised ones might work, like the Coleman kerosene. > >Ed >- Original Message - >From: "biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: >Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 11:35 AM >Subject: Re: [biofuel] Re: Biodiesel/brake fluid etc > > > > OK - it did when I tried it! > > Mind you, I did light the lamp > > Will try again and see what happens > > Terry Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980828241/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Another methos for drying biodiesel/biogas
Thanks Geoff, that can't be said often enough. I've often warned people with stills about that: How would you feel heating putting gasoline fumes under pressure near an open fire? Same difference. Anyone who put Hydrosource soaked in ethanol in an oven to dry it would deserve what he got, but the rest of the biofuels movement wouldn't deserve the damage such an accident could do us. Can you see the headlines? It'd set us back years. Best wishes Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ >I am sure I don't need to remind you all that ETOH fumes and meth for >that matter will explode if not properly vented. I speak as one who has >seen. A Nimrod using the drying oven at work reset it to 135C and then >placed some cobalt-EDTA crystals in to dry. They had been rinsed with >large amounts of 100% ethanol and NOT allowed to let the vapors "blow >off" under the hood for awhile. The oven had a SMALL vent opening at >the top but quickly the fumes accumulated at the top of the oven and >BANG the roof of the oven buckled. Just be careful what you try in an >attempt to save time. SERMON OVER! > > >Ciao, > >Geoff > >Keith Addison wrote: > > > > >do you suppose these could be reused by drying in an oven? > > >anton > > > > > > > > > > General Performance: One pound of Hydrosource will >absorb up to 48 > > > >gallons of rainwater or snowmelt, and 20-35 gallons of water, >depending on > > > >the salt content of the water. > > > > Hydrosource can be applied wet or dry. Dry granules are usually > > > >easier to use, but soak them thoroughly to fully fill them with water > > > >(hydrate). When hydrated, the granules look like chunks of clear gelatin > > > >about 1/2 inch in diameter. > > > > Drying this stuff in the oven is probably more trouble and will most > > likely take more energy than the usual way of drying biodiesel, which > > is not at all a difficult matter. It might be useful for drying > > ethanol though. > > > > Keith Addison > > Journey to Forever > > Handmade Projects > > Tokyo > > http://journeytoforever.org/ > > > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980828468/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: Digital pH meter
Hello Dave See: Biofuels supplies and suppliers: Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_supply.html#pH You don't mention Webconx, have you been there too? http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ >Hello everyone. My name is David Rygmyr and I live in >Washington State, USA. I am very interested in trying >my hand at biodiesel and have been busy doing my >homework; I've purchased the book "From the Fryer to >the Fuel Tank" and have been all over the >journeytoforever.org, veggievan.org, homepower.com, and >have gone to many linked sites for more info. (Great >stuff by the way, and my thanks to you on this list who >were involved with these!) > >I'm building my "lab" now; the great scavenger hunt >begins. I'm a big fan of doing it once and doing it >right. I already know that I don't want to mess around >with pH strips or dye. The source listings in the book >and websites didn't offer any specific brands or >models, so I'm wondering if anyone here has a hands- >down recommendation for a specific unit. Believe me, >I'm not eager to spend a lot, but I've also learned the >hard way that you get what you pay for. My guess is >that I'm after a middle-of-the-road unit that's >reliable and easy to clean. (One source listed was >Edmund Scientific although it looks like their unit >requires an ongoing purchase of consumables?) > >Thanks! >--Dave > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980829143/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Re: My first biodiesel batch
"biofuels" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >England a socialist country - with a Labour government? >Catch yourself on, wee laddie! :-) I wondered if you might have something to say about that! >As the Peruvian President said to his driver - "Do as we always do - signal >left and turn right!" Not sure if Mr Fujimori can afford a driver here in Tokyo as it's all a pack of lies about the $18 million and so on. :-) Anyway, though a "Japanese citizen", he can't speak Japanese. Quite easy though: Heddo raito, sutoppu raito, teru raito, bakku mira, saido mira, rajieta, shokku abusoba, taiya, supeya taiya, waipa, giya shifuto, and, my favourite, no kuratchi (automatic transmission). Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980830385/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Re: Digital pH meter
Dave, Hey, I live in N. Idaho (Moscow/Pullman area). Where're you at? Regarding pH meters, try Fisher Scientific (800)766-7000; they carry name brands like Orion, Corning, ... Also, probes (what ya stick in soln') can be purchased as sealed (as opposed to refillable) units cheaply from a company called Lasar or Lazar (I'll check on that one if you're interested). We bought a digital meter thru Fisher advertised as one that the water quality guys use - they "throw it" (not recommended) into the back of their pickup. Pretty tough with a rubber case for protection. Anyway, good luck. Perhaps check out an Internet lab equipment auction site - seriously they exist. Ciao, Geoff Keith Addison wrote: > > Hello Dave > > See: Biofuels supplies and suppliers: Journey to Forever > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_supply.html#pH > > You don't mention Webconx, have you been there too? > http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm > > Keith Addison > Journey to Forever > Handmade Projects > Tokyo > http://journeytoforever.org/ > > > > >Hello everyone. My name is David Rygmyr and I live in > >Washington State, USA. I am very interested in trying > >my hand at biodiesel and have been busy doing my > >homework; I've purchased the book "From the Fryer to > >the Fuel Tank" and have been all over the > >journeytoforever.org, veggievan.org, homepower.com, and > >have gone to many linked sites for more info. (Great > >stuff by the way, and my thanks to you on this list who > >were involved with these!) > > > >I'm building my "lab" now; the great scavenger hunt > >begins. I'm a big fan of doing it once and doing it > >right. I already know that I don't want to mess around > >with pH strips or dye. The source listings in the book > >and websites didn't offer any specific brands or > >models, so I'm wondering if anyone here has a hands- > >down recommendation for a specific unit. Believe me, > >I'm not eager to spend a lot, but I've also learned the > >hard way that you get what you pay for. My guess is > >that I'm after a middle-of-the-road unit that's > >reliable and easy to clean. (One source listed was > >Edmund Scientific although it looks like their unit > >requires an ongoing purchase of consumables?) > > > >Thanks! > >--Dave > > > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >To unsubscribe, send an email to: > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980834422/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [biofuel] Digital pH meter
Dave, Try this: http://www.benmeadows.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-222500.html?L+scstore+mxie7232+980865595 David Dave Rygmyr escribi: > Hello everyone. My name is David Rygmyr and I live in > Washington State, USA. I am very interested in trying > my hand at biodiesel and have been busy doing my > homework; I've purchased the book "From the Fryer to > the Fuel Tank" and have been all over the > journeytoforever.org, veggievan.org, homepower.com, and > have gone to many linked sites for more info. (Great > stuff by the way, and my thanks to you on this list who > were involved with these!) > > I'm building my "lab" now; the great scavenger hunt > begins. I'm a big fan of doing it once and doing it > right. I already know that I don't want to mess around > with pH strips or dye. The source listings in the book > and websites didn't offer any specific brands or > models, so I'm wondering if anyone here has a hands- > down recommendation for a specific unit. Believe me, > I'm not eager to spend a lot, but I've also learned the > hard way that you get what you pay for. My guess is > that I'm after a middle-of-the-road unit that's > reliable and easy to clean. (One source listed was > Edmund Scientific although it looks like their unit > requires an ongoing purchase of consumables?) > > Thanks! > --Dave > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Greenhouse
Could it be this simple? Talking to a friend yesterday he described a setup he had seen in a greenhouse. He claimed that the greenhouse was heated with filtered fry oil. The heater was half an oil drum with metal lathe shavings in the bottom, onto this dripped the fry oil from a bent pipe with a nozzle and a tap, the pipe was connected to the oil tank sveral meters away. The fire was started with a hand held propane burner and my friend claimed that if needed the drip would be increased to a dribble to increase the heat. Does this sound feasable - I would love this for my workshop. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980847301/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Damn
What's all the fuss about? I get my e-group emails just as ever. Totally seamless transition with no action at all on my part. The only noticable difference is to the sponsor messages at the bottom. David Teal Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980866743/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Bush Sucks
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho012601-b.stm Grist | IMHO | Bush sucks | 26 Jan 2001 Bush Sucks Meet the Bush team, brought to you by ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Texaco by Jim Motavalli 26 Jan 2001 To an extraordinary degree, the administration assembled by George W. Bush is made up of men and women with experience in the automobile and oil industries. With the energy crisis in California, such energy expertise at the helm, it would seem, must be a good thing. Would that it were so. In reality, the Bush team is so tilted toward Big Oil that it will never give a thought to the only possible lasting solutions to our deepening problems: mass transit and energy conservation. We Americans must really love our cars; we spend an hour a day in them. The average family takes 10 car trips a day, mostly for shopping, socializing, and recreation. For every 10 transit miles in the U.S., more than nine are taken in a car. Every year, we use up 100 billion gallons of oil, more than half of it (56 percent) imported. If present trends continue, we'll be importing two-thirds of our oil in 20 years. That isn't love -- it's addiction. Living in an SUV-owner's paradise. If every American drove a 70-mile-per-gallon hybrid Honda Insight instead of a gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle, we could stop importing oil tomorrow, but that kind of thinking is not on the agenda. Both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have backgrounds as oil executives -- in fact, Cheney was plucked into the campaign directly from the helm of the Texas-based oil services giant Halliburton, which helped rebuild Iraq's petroleum industry after the Persian Gulf War. And both Bush and Cheney support increased domestic drilling, most radically in the highly sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Bush raised a huge percentage of his campaign cash from oil and gas interests, including a record $21.3 million at a single fundraiser hosted by Kenneth Lay, chief executive of Enron, the largest natural gas dealer in the U.S. The industry's giving followed the pattern of the 1998 election cycle, when 76 percent of the $22 million donated by oil interests went to Republican candidates. They've Got So Much Energy! The Bush administration is likely to adopt a hostile stance toward energy conservation in general and tax subsidies for clean vehicles in particular. Speaking at a recreational-vehicle plant in Washington state during the campaign, Cheney scored points with the audience when he mocked Democratic nominee Al Gore's proposed tax credits for buyers of energy-efficient technologies: "You have a solar panel on your house, you get tax relief. If you drive a solar-powered car, you get tax relief. That's goofy." Remember these? During a Los Angeles stop in the early days of the 2000 presidential campaign, Bush listened to the complaints of a man who rode two slow buses to work every day and was seeking transit improvements. "My hope is that you will be able to find good enough work, so you'll be able to afford a car," offered a helpful Bush. The auto industry has a direct pipeline to the Bush administration in the person of White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card, Jr. From 1993 to 1998, Card was the president of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association; in this position, according to the New York Times, "he oversaw the lobbying against tighter fuel-economy and air pollution regulations for automobiles." From there, it was on to a vice presidency at General Motors. And Card is only the beginning. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, a former Chevron board member, has an oil tanker named after her. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans is another oil man. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, defeated this past November in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate from Michigan, twice co-sponsored Senate bills calling for drilling in the Arctic Refuge; voted against $62 million for solar and other renewable energy sources in the Energy Department budget; consistently opposed raising corporate average fuel economy standards for the auto industry; and, most famously, tried to abolish the Energy Department itself. Interior Secretary-designate Gale Norton is a protege of James Watt, the fierce foe of the environment who held the job under Ronald Reagan. The list goes on. These are the foxes guarding the hen house of American energy and transportation policy. Meantime, we fight to the death for the last drop of imported oil, and our highways continue to gridlock with bumper-to-bumper SUVs. - - - - - - - - - Jim Motavalli is editor of E Magazine and author of the forthcoming Transportation That Works (Sierra Club Books). Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863417/
[biofuel] Calif. forges ahead with low-emissions auto rules
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9618 Planet Ark Calif. forges ahead with low-emissions auto rules USA: January 28, 2001 SAN FRANCISCO - Rolling over objections from the auto industry, California officials have approved the nation's first-ever mandate requiring car makers to send fleets of electric and low-pollution vehicles purring down state highways. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), after a marathon meeting that heard testimony from both auto industry executives and environmentalists, unanimously approved a measure on Thursday night requiring major automakers to offer as many as three million electric and low-polluting cars for sale in California over the next decade. Environmental activists hailed the decision as the start of a national clean air revolution, saying that New York, Vermont and Massachusetts were all set to follow California's lead by setting their own requirements for low-pollution or "zero emissions vehicles" (ZEVs). "We look forward to a strong market launch and a steady increase in the number of ZEVs on the road in order to achieve price reductions and stability for suppliers," Cecile Martin, deputy director of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, said in a statement. But automakers said the move was short-sighted, and would force them to bring to market expensive, experimental vehicles that the public would probably not accept. "We were disappointed that the board chose to increase numbers of electric vehicles, without any evidence to support the decision," Steve Douglas, environmental affairs director for the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry lobbying group, said on Friday. ARGUMENTS END The decision by the politically appointed Air Resources Board marked the the end of more than a decade of wrangling over electric cars and California's clean air goals. In 1990, the board jolted the automobile industry by announcing plans to require a full 10 percent of the new cars sold in California in 2003 to be ZEVs - a goal which auto producers quickly and repeatedly attacked as unreasonable. Last year, the board's own staff proposed dramatically scaling back the ZEV requirement, noting that other, low-pollution technologies such as gas-electric "hybrids", fuel cell vehicles and super-clean gasoline engine-powered cars were all cheaper and more efficient ways to cut auto smog. While auto makers continued to resist California's ZEV program, the board signaled Thursday that it would not step back from the overall low pollution strategy. Its decision, while setting goals lower than the 10 percent "pure ZEV" requirement originally suggested, still sets the stage for a major roll-out of electric and low pollution vehicles in California between 2003 and 2018. Initially, major automakers must offer 4,650 electric cars for sale as well as some 100,000 other "clean air" alternatives such as hybrids, fuel cell and clean engine vehicles. These numbers increase over time and gradually expand to include sports utility vehicles, officials said on Friday. "As the years go on, the number of pure ZEVS actually grows larger than what the original (1990) mandate had required," board spokesman Richard Varenchik said. "This is what the automakers are going to have to deal with. It is here, deal with it." Many already are. Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG and Toyota Motor Corp. are all experimenting with fuel cell vehicles while Toyota and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. are moving forward with gas-electric hybrid vehicles. A MISTAKE? But the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, a coalition of the world's 13 largest car and truck makers which has taken the lead in opposing California's ZEV program, said the official state mandate was a mistake. "The problem is technology," Douglas said. "A battery-powered car costs $20,000 more than a similar size gasoline-powered car. It goes 73 miles (117 km) (per charge), and requires three to four hours to recharge. We're concerned that a market doesn't exist." But the board plugged ahead, rejecting an industry suggestion that it delay the final order pending completion of a suggested three year test market study. "Zero-emission vehicles have such potential to address so many problems: public health concerns, global climate change, energy diversity," board chairman Alan C. Lloyd said. "Clean vehicle technology is advancing on a number of fronts. The program is designed to take advantage of those advances." Story by Andrew Quinn REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863408/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] DaimlerChrysler To Cut 26,000 Jobs
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010129/bs/daimlerchrysler_job_cuts_4.html Monday January 29 8:23 AM ET DaimlerChrysler To Cut 26,000 Jobs AP Photo By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - DaimlerChrysler AG on Monday announced it will cut 26,000 jobs over three years at its U.S.-based Chrysler division. As part of the restructuring plan designed to pull Chrysler out of the red, the company announced it would cut about 20 percent of its North American work force. The plan also calls for six manufacturing plants to be idled through 2002. Chrysler said it expects a large part of the job-cutting to be done through retirement programs, achieved within the framework of existing union contracts. ``To be competitive, the Chrysler group needs to be a more nimble company,'' Chrysler group president and chief executive Dieter Zetsche said in a statement. ``Along with exciting products, this will establish a sound basis for future growth.'' Chrysler said the job cuts will include 19,000 hourly workers and 6,800 salaried employees. The job cuts will be through a combination of retirements, special programs, layoffs and attrition. Chrysler expects that three-quarters of the overall reduction will be achieved this year. ``Today's actions will help remove the uncertainty many of our employees have been feeling,'' Zetsche said. ``Part of this process may be painful for many people. However, to be truly competitive in today's auto industry environment, we need to be a more nimble company, more closely aligned with current and future market conditions.'' Zetsche said Chrysler will unveil its complete plan to turn around the loss-making division on Feb. 26. Chrysler posted a third-quarter loss of $512 million and has warned that its fourth-quarter loss could more than double that, given a soft U.S. auto market. On Saturday, Germany's Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper reported the Chrysler unit could have lost as much as $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter. DaimlerChrysler has insisted it has no plans to spin off or sell Chrysler, which it bought in 1998 as part of its plan to extend the company's global reach. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863382/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Detroit Sucks
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho012601.stm Grist | IMHO | Detroit sucks | 26 Jan 2001 Detroit Sucks The Big Three are talking a good game, but reality does not match the rhetoric by Roland Hwang 26 Jan 2001 Judging by the media hype over Ford's and General Motors' early January announcements on "hybrid" vehicles at the North American International Auto Show, one would think that automakers have seen the light and are finally matching their professed concern for the environment with deeds. Hybrid cars deliver better fuel efficiency by using two power sources -- a gasoline engine and an electric motor. But true environmental gains are not measured in press releases. Detroit's paltry commitment to sell a few tens of thousands of cleaner cars four years from now will hardly make a dent in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that cause global climate change. Sadly, the Big Three automakers (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) are also the Big Three polluters. They sell more vehicles that are more polluting than almost all other automakers. Indeed, the average greenhouse gas emissions of their passenger vehicles have actually increased since 1989. A Dash Here, a Pinch There So what exactly did Detroit commit to at the hometown Auto Show? Ford announced that it will offer a new fuel-saving technology in 2004 on its best-selling Explorer SUV; the technology, which has the potential to improve fuel economy by 10 to 15 percent, will be available as an option for about $1,000. (Ford had previously announced that it will sell a hybrid version of its new SUV, the Escape, starting in 2003; the hybrid version will get up to 40 miles per gallon and cost about $3,000 extra.) GM, in its most sweeping announcement to date on hybrid vehicles, said its "ParadiGM" hybrid system will be offered on a number of different models starting in 2004. An Insight gets out it's can of whoop-ass in Detroit. Photo: John E. Johnson (a.k.a. Insight Man). These commitments to move greener auto technology from blackboard to blacktop are a promising sign. While Detroit is still well behind Toyota and Honda in bringing hybrid cars to market, it does appear that the Big Three are at least heeding the call from environmentalists -- and increasingly from consumers -- to build cars that tread more lightly on the planet. Interestingly, Ford's and GM's announcements came a day after Greencar.org -- developed by a coalition of environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council -- culminated a year-long petition drive, delivering to automakers 150,000 letters demanding substantially cleaner automobiles. Detroit, then, has not turned a completely deaf ear to the call for cleaner cars. But a few greener vehicles, aimed at a boutique market, will not save the planet. One might well suspect that the real reason Detroit is getting into the green vehicle market is to burnish its corporate logos and assuage consumer guilt over SUV purchases. Automakers sold 17 million passenger vehicles last year, almost half of which were polluting and fuel-inefficient SUVs, pickups, and minivans. GM reportedly believes it will be able to sell 20,000 hybrids in 2004 and as many as 100,000 by 2010. But GM sold almost 5 million vehicles last year, nearly half of them SUVs and other light trucks. So the impact of the anticipated hybrid sales would be to raise GM's overall average fuel economy by about 0.1 percent in 2004 and 0.5 percent by 2010. The latter figure amounts to an increase in fuel efficiency of a mere 0.1 miles per gallon across the GM fleet. Hardly the stuff of heady environmentalism. The internal combustion engine is a 19th-century invention. In announcing their intention to manufacture and sell hybrids, the Big Three automakers have taken an important step forward. But this is only the first step of a journey into the 21st century, a time when new technologies promise to help solve environmental problems. To survive, hybrids and other alternative technologies must become more than a "green halo" used to polish the automakers' public image. If Detroit does not fundamentally restructure itself around fuel-efficient, pollution-reducing technologies, the automakers may find themselves going the way of the horse-and-buggy. And they may take the planet with them. - - - - - - - - - Roland Hwang works on transportation energy issues in the San Francisco office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. His areas of expertise include the energy, environmental, and equity impacts of alternative transportation technologies and fuels, and innovative market incentive policies. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863494/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeyt
[biofuel] Enviros Suck
http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho012601-c.stm Grist | IMHO | Enviros suck | 26 Jan 2001 Enviros Suck "Clean cars" are the devil's tools, diverting attention from truly green solutions by Jane Holtz Kay 26 Jan 2001 The "clean car" is cool this season. "Is your car an energy hog? Get a new one," a web ad bombards me before I have finished the morning's second cup of coffee. "Your vote counts here," says the flashing ad that rates the energy efficiency of the web surfer's car, luring owners to buy a scrubbed-up replacement. The shock to my system from the vehicular hype notwithstanding, this environmental ruse -- a green-gimmick sales pitch -- is understandable from the manufacturer's perspective. "The industry is in crisis," says even the nightly French television news, showing an empty Chrysler lot. With automobile sales slowing, Detroit seems conflicted -- Ford is going retro with a new/old Thunderbird, while General Motors is burying the Oldsmobile. Disturbingly, however, it isn't only the Big Three heirs or the online peddlers who are pushing us to purchase a new vehicle, through their consume to conserve come-on. It's the greens who are buying -- and buying plenty. The new hybrid Toyota Prius is backlisted with the names of enviro buyers, while eco-leaders like Amory Lovins preach that the fuel cell will solve all our transportation ills. Praise for new technology vehicles dominated even the plenary session at the fall meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists, set two hours north of Motown, in Lansing, Mich., last fall. Is the Prius drawing enviros to the Dark Side? The attempt to solve our mobility and environmental problems through the same-old same-old came through especially loud and clear recently as two petitions came my way. Scarcely had the first -- a plea to stop despoiling the Arctic wilderness -- entered my inbox, when the second, a call for a "clean car," popped up. "Please provide affordable clean green cars for consumers like me as soon as possible," said the green petitioners' message. Why are enviros offering such fractionalized, automated, anti-environmental solutions to our mobility woes?, I wondered. Why weren't they calling for walkable communities? or public transit? or smaller oil and auto subsidies? Instead of gathering signatures of advocates for clean-car alternatives, why weren't green activists attacking the $58 billion federal transportation bill skewed to the automobile? Instead of obeying the Toyota Prius plea to buy because "obviously nature approves," why weren't they considering the automobile's larger mistreatment of the natural world? To be sure, in the shadow of The Hague's climate-treaty meetings, where America derailed talks to mandate lower greenhouse gas emissions, the so-called clean car might seem palatable. Who wouldn't prefer it to unregulated, low-mileage, dirt engines from the SUV energy hogs that crowd our roads and contribute mightily to environmental malaise? Wake Up! But the "clean car" alternative is a pernicious palliative from the get-go. Behind the camouflage lies this truth: One-third of the energy and resources consumed in the lifetime of each automobile are consumed in production. And the problems don't end there. A breath of fresh air? Photo: NREL/PIX. A "clean car" does not ameliorate the damage done by our paving the planet. Clean car or no, highways and their runoff remain the primary contributor to habitat disruption and species loss. Clean car or no, sprawl consumes 1.2 million acres of farmland a year and 60,000 acres of wetland, eroding our urban and suburban cores in the process. And a low-emissions vehicle provides no answer to the problems of 55 million school-age children (and more than that number of elderly people) immobilized by a car-oriented, unwalkable world. Nor does it do anything for the 9 percent of the population, most of them minorities and women, who lack an automobile in a car-bound society that deprives them of decent public transportation. Nor, for that matter, does the clean car help the overworked Americans who log two-thirds of their auto miles for errands and shopping -- a ton or two of steel-and-wheel for a gallon of milk. In the end, buying into pseudo-clean consumption undermines any real possibility that politics and planning will solve the land use and environmental problems bred by car dependency. As the millennium begins, such planning offers us a chance to do better. New light-rail lines combined with plans for transit-oriented development have proved effective even in live-free-or-die Dallas, Amtrak use is on the rise, and the misery of traffic congestion and environmental destruction is winning daily converts to the cause. Environmentalists must see through the faux green contrivances of the car guys and plan a truly green mobility. - - - - - - - - - Jane Holtz Kay is architecture critic of The Nation an
[biofuel] Fedex To Deliver Cleaner Vehicles
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-29-09.html Environment News Service: AmeriScan: January 29, 2001 Fedex To Deliver Cleaner Vehicles WASHINGTON, DC, January 29, 2001 (ENS) - FedEx Express and the conservation group Environmental Defense have committed to work together to develop the environmental standards for a diesel electric hybrid truck. The vehicles could cut delivery truck emissions by 90 per cent and fuel costs by 50 percent. FedEx, the world's largest express transportation company, runs a fleet of 45,000 trucks. "Together, we want to see a truck on the road that will set the standard for environmental efficiency," said Elizabeth Sturcken, project manager for the Alliance for Environmental Innovation, a project of Environmental Defense and The Pew Charitable Trusts. "We have announced an aggressive goal." Cleaner trucks may soon speed into FedEx fleets (Photo courtesy Federal Express Corporation) Creating such a low polluting truck will be "Difficult, yes, but achievable," said Jim Steffen, FedEx's chief engineer for vehicles. "We're very enthusiastic." Much of the hybrid technology is already in hand. Hybrid diesel electric buses using regenerative braking which recaptures the energy that conventional vehicles lose in braking - are already running in Boston and New York City. Drivers "won't notice the difference," Steffen said. Manufacturing costs will be higher at first, but "I fully expect pre-production hybrids to be on the road within four years," he said. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863421/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Group Sues Over Calif. MTBE Ban
http://news.excite.com:80/news/ap/010124/23/mtbe-lawsuit Group Sues Over Calif. MTBE Ban Updated 11:10 PM ET January 24, 2001SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A trade group filed a federal suit Wednesday seeking to block a California ban on the fuel additive MTBE, which reduces air pollution but is blamed for fouling groundwater. Gov. Gray Davis ordered a ban on MTBE after Dec. 31, 2002, because contamination forced the closure of drinking water wells in Santa Monica and South Lake Tahoe. As little as a tablespoon in an Olympic-sized pool makes water taste and smell like turpentine. MTBE, which moves swiftly through groundwater after being spilled or leaked, has been found in 10,000 sites in the state. The Environmental Protection Agency has labeled it a possible carcinogen. The Oxygenated Fuels Association filed suit in U.S. District Court in Sacramento asking a judge to invalidate the ban. The group said the state should tackle the real problem of fixing leaking underground fuel tanks that taint water. A Davis spokesman did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday. The federal government requires that gasoline sold in cities with smog problems contain 2 percent oxygen to make the fuel burn cleaner. Two fuel additives, called "oxygenates," are commonly used to comply with the requirement. MTBE - methyl tertiary butyl ether, made from natural gas - has been used primarily in the Northeast and on the West Coast, while ethanol is used primarily in the Midwest. The association contends that MTBE is cheaper than ethanol and burns more cleanly. Ethanol producers say it is safer than MTBE. The trade group filed a similar lawsuit in July 2000 challenging a New York law banning MTBE by 2004. The Clinton administration considered for months whether to grant California a waiver to the requirement for oxygenates in gasoline, but did not act before President Bush took office Jan. 20. The Bush administration has not taken a position on waiver requests. A Senate committee approved a ban last year on MTBE, but the bill went no further. --- On the Net: The Oxygenated Fuels Association is at http://www.ofa.net American Coalition for Ethanol site: http://www.ethanol.org EPA site: Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863382/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Indonesia forces buses, taxis to use natural gas
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9624 Planet Ark Indonesia forces buses, taxis to use natural gas INDONESIA: January 28, 2001 JAKARTA - Indonesia will force new public buses and taxis to use compressed natural gas to cut down on pollution, a Mines and Energy Ministry official said on Thursday. "We need fuel that is good for the environment," the official told Reuters. "The government will gradually force buses and taxis to use gas and will start with the capital city of Jakarta and surrounding cities." He gave no timetable. Buses and taxis already in operation would not be forced to change, the official added. Jakarta is one of the world's most polluted cities. Most of its more than 10 million people rely on fleets of poorly maintained, smoke-spewing public buses for transport. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-~> eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups Click here for more details http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/837408/_/980863441/ -_-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[biofuel] Little "easy" US oil and gas left up for grabs
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9650 Planet Ark Little "easy" US oil and gas left up for grabs USA: January 29, 2001 HOUSTON - Oilmen have always been fond of telling the rest of us that all the easy oil and gas was found long ago and that it takes increasing amounts of cunning and hard work to persuade the Earth to give up additional hydrocarbons. It's a truism perhaps nowhere more evident than in the United States, where the industry has been scouring the landscape for a century and a half in search of profitable drilling prospects. Despite the incentive of historically high oil and natural gas prices, a shortage of readily drillable targets has constrained US domestic oil and gas production and left it increasingly reliant on foreign supply. Waning domestic supply has spurred the new Bush administration to push for opening federal lands, including the northern coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), to eager oil drillers. Simmons & Co. energy analyst Mark Meyer notes that US oil production by 21 of the biggest publicly traded companies fell more than 5 percent in the first nine months of 2000 while the same companies' US gas production fell 0.7 percent. "There's not a lot of sweetspot easy-gets any more," Meyer said. Jeff Kieburtz, an analyst with Salomon Smith Barney, says the aging of the world's oil and gas reservoirs is pushing global exploration efforts into more remote areas, especially deepwater offshore plays such as the Gulf of Mexico. "Most of the land and shallow-water basins in this country are fairly well understood, so that new drilling prospects tend to be step-out type of drilling ideas rather than entirely new structures," Kieburtz said. "Deepwater is where the real pure exploration activity is going on in this country," he said. SQUEEZING MORE OUT OF OLD FIELDS The US Minerals Management Service recently reported that the number of rigs drilling in water depths of 1,000 feet or greater in the Gulf of Mexico rose to a record 40 at the end of last year from 26 a year earlier. That total included seven rigs working in "ultradeep water" of 5,000 feet or more and three that were pushing the frontiers of offshore exploration in more than 7,500 feet of water. Back on land, so-called enhanced recovery techniques are being used to squeeze more oil and gas out of mature fields. Marathon Oil Co. and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners recently formed a joint venture that will inject carbon dioxide deep into the ground to boost production from the historic Yates field in West Texas that was discovered in 1926. Meyer said relatively complex enhanced recovery technology was even being deployed from the startup of Phillips Petroleum Co's Alpine field in Alaska, the biggest US onshore oil discovery in more than a decade. Alpine, discovered in 1994, contains estimated recoverable reserves of 429 million barrels of oil. Production began in November, using a mixture of gas and liquids to extract oil from the rock that holds it. Meyer contrasted Alpine with the big discoveries of the past which first underwent a long phase of primary production, making use of the field's natural pressure. Later, they were flooded with water to prolong production and only toward the end of their life would more complex "tertiary" recovery techniques be deployed. Phillips is also taking pains to protect Alaska's delicate tundra and wildlife, minimizing environmental impact by cramming surface production facilities for the 40,000-acre field into just 94 acres and using temporary ice roads and air transportation to move people and supplies, rather than building a new road. DRILLING DEEPER WELLS In North Texas, Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. has boosted its production of natural gas from a field that it has been working since the 1950s by pumping in a mixture of sand and water to crack open the tough Barnett Shale formation. Meyer said that in the near to middle term deeper wells will have to meet growing US demand for natural gas. Deeper wells hold out the prospect of much bigger reserves, but they are more expensive to drill and the risk of failure is much higher. This month Burlington Resources Inc. completed a well in Wyoming that it drilled to 25,855 feet. It is currently conducting tests to determine if it contains sufficient reserves to warrant development and production. By contrast, wells drilled in Texas in recent years have had an average depth of just over 6,600 feet. With the new administration of President George W. Bush taking over in Washington, the US oil and gas industry is hoping for a more sympathetic response to its calls to open up more federal land to exploration drilling. Conoco Inc.'s top exploration and production executive, Rob McKee, has noted that the Rocky Mountains alone are estimated to contain 137 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, equivalent to six times current US annua
[biofuel] Mad Cow Disease Called International Threat
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-29-08.html Environment News Service: Mad Cow Disease Called International Threat ROME, Italy, January 29, 2001 (ENS) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is warning countries around the world - not just those in Western Europe - about the risk of mad cow disease. The Organization recommends adoption of surveillance and monitoring systems to detect the disease in cattle herds, meat industries and animal feed operations. Mad cow disease is officially known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). This disease has been linked to a fatal brain disease in humans called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). British cattle at feeding time (Photo by Ian Britton, courtesy Freefoto.com) An epidemic of BSE in cattle herds in the United Kingdom has been followed by between 10 to 15 cases of nvCJD occurring each year. Little is known about the actual mechanism for transmission of the disease, but the currently held belief is that the disease agent jumps to humans who eat infected meat products. Alarm about the disease's potential has been largely confined to Western Europe up to now, but the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued its warning to all nations. All countries which have imported cattle or meat and bone meal from any Western European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, during and since the 1980s, can be considered at risk, the FAO wrote in a release on Friday. "There is an increasingly grave situation developing in the European Union, with BSE being identified in cattle in several member states of the EU which have, until recently, been regarded as free from the disease," the FAO said. "Confirmed and suspected cases of nvCJD are occurring in people outside the UK, in various member states. More research needs to be conducted into the nature of the agent and its modes of transmission. Much remains unknown about the disease and the infective agent. There is currently no method of diagnosis at early stages of infection and no cure for the disease, neither in animals nor in humans." The FAO said it supports the European Union's actions to control the disease, including the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals. Feeding meat and bone meal to cattle, sheep and goats has been banned in the European Union since July 1994, and last November, the EU proposed extending the ban to chicken and hogs. Other animals may also be able spread forms of BSE, the FAO warned, and should not be fed meat and bone meal (Photo courtesy U.S. Agricultural Research Service) "There is an urgent need to refine the risk assessment and to extend it to other countries and regions," the FAO wrote. "Countries at risk should implement effective surveillance for BSE in cattle and controls on the animal feed and meat industries. At present, this means: laboratory testing of samples from slaughtered cattle, and correct disposal of fallen stock and improved processing of offals and byproducts." Within countries, FAO recommended applying the so called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system (HACCP) which aims at identifying potential problems and taking corrective measures throughout the food chain. Some of the issues include the production of animal feed, the raw materials used, cross contamination in the feed mill, labeling of manufactured feeds, the feed transport system, as well as monitoring imported live animals, slaughtering methods, the rendering industry and the disposal of waste materials. "Strict controls have been implemented in the United Kingdom and are now being implemented in the rest of the EU," FAO said. "Countries outside the EU should adopt appropriate measures to protect their herds and to ensure the safety of meat and meat products. Legislation to control the industry and its effective implementation is required, including capacity building and the training of operatives and government officials." FAO advised countries to adopt a precautionary approach. As an immediate measure, countries which have imported animals and meat and bone meal from BSE infected trading partners should consider a precautionary ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal to cattle, sheep and goats, or, to reduce the risk of infection even further, to all animals. Attention should be paid to slaughtering procedures and to the processing and use of offal and byproduct parts, FAO said. The rendering industry should be scrutinized and appropriate procedures adopted everywhere, the organization wrote. Since 1994, the European Union has banned the feeding of meat and bone meal to cattle, sheep and goats (Photo by Larry Rana, courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture) The FAO, together with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation Internationale des Epizooties (OIE), will hold an expert consultation in the near future to draw up advice for countries, particularly de
