[Vo]: OT Phenomenon Archives Heavy Watergate The War Against Cold Fusion
This TV Documentary was made in 2000. I'm sure many of you are aware of it. However, for those of us who have not viewed it, here it is. -DonW- Phenomenon Archives: Heavy Watergate, The War Against Cold Fusion http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=222951174860205&q=fusion&hl=en In 'Phenomenon Archives: Heavy Watergate, the War Against Cold Fusion,' viewers investigate the idea of cold fusion. If viable, cold fusion ... all » offers the possibility of limitless cheap energy. Some have suggested that the quashing of cold fusion projects in the late '80s was due to certain agencies not wishing to undermine the position of U.S. energy corporations
[Vo]: RT Quantum Hall Effect
There was a rather intriguing announcement last week in the context of LENR theory, which was almost slipping past Vortex without comment: The Quantum Hall Effect has been documented at Room Temperature. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070215144044.htm The cross-connection of this announcement to LENR is wrt other quantum mechanical properties, specifically the BEC. Can the BEC - when confirmed to also exist at RT if only for nanoseconds - be far behind? ... make that "far ahead," if you believe that LENR is a quasi-BEC effect which was first demonstrated in 1989 by P&F. The quantum Hall effect, like the BEC was previously believed to only be observable at temperatures close to absolute zero (minus 459 degreesF). But recently a form of carbon called graphene - in a high magnetic field has made the observation possible. Graphene is the name given to a single layer of carbon atoms densely packed into a benzene-ring structure like nanotubes, etc. (e.g., carbon nanotubes are usually thought of as graphene sheets rolled up into nanometer-sized cylinders). Planar graphene itself was once presumed not to exist in the free state, as it is inherently *highly stressed* due to the packing arrangement. The high field adds extra stress. ... not unlike deuterium, when confined in a metal matrix... Temperature and pressure (internal stress) are somewhat interchangeable. Frank Grimer coined this combined property as "compreture". In a situation where internal stress creates effective pressures in the range of 10^6 psi, you can (arguably) have a situation at 300 K (=RT) where the compreture property is effectively the same as an unstressed material near zero K. Jones
Re: [Vo]: Better way to sequester CO2- re branson
In reply to Wesley Bruce's message of Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:56:42 +1100: Hi, [snip] >Most of the energy in coal is in the hydrogen bonds not the >carbon to carbon bonds. [snip] There is very little hydrogen in coal (much more in oil), so I think you need to prove this point Wesley. Furthermore, even in oil, more energy is derived from the formation of CO2 than from the formation of water. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/ Competition (capitalism) provides the motivation, Cooperation (communism) provides the means.
Re: [Vo]: Re: Re: Lifters
> Michel Jullian wrote: > >> No extra force in oil, it works just the same as a lifter it's an EHD >> thruster, called "ion drag pump" when the medium is a dielectric liquid and >> the thruster is stationary: oil molecules are ionized, and ion current from a >> sharper electrode to a flatter electrode entrains neutrals. Kyle R. Mcallister wrote: > I agree with this. It is also obvious to see the "flow" of oil around the > electrodes. One can use a clear oil, like mineral oil, and take a darkly > colored oil and squirt a bit into the mineral oil in front of the submerged > lifter and see how it is sucked through the lifter...it will grab onto and > carry quite a bit of extra oil along for the ride. "entrains neutrals" (MJ) and "extra oil along for the ride" (KM) tells me that the total weight that needs to be propelled is greater than the weight of the materials that comprise the lifter. The vacuum experiments may have proven that the presence of a medium of some kind is _necessary_, but I doubt the force derived from the ionic theory is _sufficient_ to MOVE the lifter _and_ the added medium mass that accompanies the lifter. If I am correct, then I suspect the primary role of the medium is to serve as a vital link in the system rather than as the location of the primary propulsive force. In addition the medium must be free to flow around the lifter because disrupting the flow appears to inhibit the motion of the lifter. Harry
Re: [Vo]: Re: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize
In reply to Mike Carrell's message of Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:05:13 -0500: Hi Mike, [snip] I guess what I was really trying to say is: Don't expect too much sympathy for the cause from Branson because I suspect that advertising is the main aim of the prize. That doesn't mean people shouldn't attempt to win it. IOW I was considering the prospect that there might be "more where that came from", and giving the prospect a low rating. >And, I suppose, Gate's foundation is also cheap advertising and Buffet's >ante is conscience salve? At this juncture, we need all the initiatives we >can get and I think it counter-productive to diss them. Branson's wealth is >minor league compared to Gates and Buffet, but it is in the right direction. >Or would you prefer a government grant? > >Mike Carrell >- >- Original Message - >From: "Robin van Spaandonk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: >Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 4:10 PM >Subject: Re: [Vo]: Re: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize > > >> In reply to Nick Palmer's message of Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:14:48 -: >> Hi, >> [snip] >> I wouldn't get too hung up on this prize. It looks more like Branson >> buying >> cheap advertising. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/ Competition (capitalism) provides the motivation, Cooperation (communism) provides the means.
Re: [Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido....
Here is an interesting one, footage FOX showed just once: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZekosYOmXc Clearly no plane crashed there, if the plane was hit by a missile and blew to smithereens (in which case it would still be more left than reported) it couldn't leave a hole in the Ground, clearly it's just a missile hit the ground. Until now I doubted the claim that it was a missile that hit the pentagon but not anymore. Of course flashes can be seen before each of the planes hit the Trade center. And a guy was burnt by an explosion that went off early in the basement. Freefall of a building like that without explosives is not possible. And how come building 7 went down too? On 2/19/07, DonW <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: The following clips are also interesting: 9/11 Truth: Scott Forbes describes power-downs in WTC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEJmcvTzYfo&mode=related&search= 9/11 Truth: What Happened to WTC Building 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoibU5njEM 9/11 Truth: David Ray Griffin Speaks @ Santa Rosa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a9vLJIR69A&mode=related&search= NORAD Stand-Down on 9/11: Not Just Simple Incompetence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5q2DO7ofnQ&mode=related&search= -DonW- -Original Message- From: Jones Beene [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 10:30 AM To: vortex-l@eskimo.com Subject: [Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido Is this Sirius [sic]? or sickly serious...? Either this guy in the vid is a good actor, or you-know-who is in deep dog-poo, so to speak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkpOsUmp-9w&NR I suspect that if these allegations were even remotely true, then the "interested party", the group iconically represented by a jackass, would have delayed its release until summer 2008 ... for maximum effect on the voting public. Or else 'impeachement' is the name-of-the-game (inevitable retribution for the excess of Monica-gate? We do not need impeachment, and all the disharmony that process entails at this critical time in World events - and with all the other bad news coming out of DC, if that is the purpose of these allegation. Doghouse evaluation: Even this political cynic is hoping that this clip is some kind of elaborate hoax. BTW the name of the philosopical "school" which evolved into the concept and 'meme' of cynicism - goes way beyond negativism, but is literally the "doghouse" i.e. it is derived from the building in Athens, Greece called 'Cynosarges,' which was the earliest home of the school, being derived from the Greek word for dog, "cyno" The ancient Cynics, and even the more modern variety, have little problem in taking the dog as their symbol. Arf-arf. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.2/692 - Release Date: 2/18/2007 4:35 PM
RE: [Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido....
The following clips are also interesting: 9/11 Truth: Scott Forbes describes power-downs in WTC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEJmcvTzYfo&mode=related&search= 9/11 Truth: What Happened to WTC Building 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoibU5njEM 9/11 Truth: David Ray Griffin Speaks @ Santa Rosa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a9vLJIR69A&mode=related&search= NORAD Stand-Down on 9/11: Not Just Simple Incompetence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5q2DO7ofnQ&mode=related&search= -DonW- -Original Message- From: Jones Beene [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 10:30 AM To: vortex-l@eskimo.com Subject: [Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido Is this Sirius [sic]? or sickly serious...? Either this guy in the vid is a good actor, or you-know-who is in deep dog-poo, so to speak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkpOsUmp-9w&NR I suspect that if these allegations were even remotely true, then the "interested party", the group iconically represented by a jackass, would have delayed its release until summer 2008 ... for maximum effect on the voting public. Or else 'impeachement' is the name-of-the-game (inevitable retribution for the excess of Monica-gate? We do not need impeachment, and all the disharmony that process entails at this critical time in World events - and with all the other bad news coming out of DC, if that is the purpose of these allegation. Doghouse evaluation: Even this political cynic is hoping that this clip is some kind of elaborate hoax. BTW the name of the philosopical "school" which evolved into the concept and 'meme' of cynicism - goes way beyond negativism, but is literally the "doghouse" i.e. it is derived from the building in Athens, Greece called 'Cynosarges,' which was the earliest home of the school, being derived from the Greek word for dog, "cyno" The ancient Cynics, and even the more modern variety, have little problem in taking the dog as their symbol. Arf-arf. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.2/692 - Release Date: 2/18/2007 4:35 PM
Re: [Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido....
On 2/18/07, Jones Beene <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Either this guy in the vid is a good actor, or you-know-who is in deep dog-poo, so to speak. It kinda looks like him with 16:9 compressed to 4:3 video ratio: http://www.ncpa.org/sub/ea/1999/eax99e.pdf p 2 of 4. Prof. Morgan Reynolds. Terry
[Vo]: OT: Whoa, Fido....
Is this Sirius [sic]? or sickly serious...? Either this guy in the vid is a good actor, or you-know-who is in deep dog-poo, so to speak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkpOsUmp-9w&NR I suspect that if these allegations were even remotely true, then the "interested party", the group iconically represented by a jackass, would have delayed its release until summer 2008 ... for maximum effect on the voting public. Or else 'impeachement' is the name-of-the-game (inevitable retribution for the excess of Monica-gate? We do not need impeachment, and all the disharmony that process entails at this critical time in World events - and with all the other bad news coming out of DC, if that is the purpose of these allegation. Doghouse evaluation: Even this political cynic is hoping that this clip is some kind of elaborate hoax. BTW the name of the philosopical "school" which evolved into the concept and 'meme' of cynicism - goes way beyond negativism, but is literally the "doghouse" i.e. it is derived from the building in Athens, Greece called 'Cynosarges,' which was the earliest home of the school, being derived from the Greek word for dog, "cyno" The ancient Cynics, and even the more modern variety, have little problem in taking the dog as their symbol. Arf-arf.
Re: [Vo]: Re: Re: RC'd CO2 harvesting whale herds (was: The $25Million Branson Climate Prize)
>> Note this might be a better way to save the whales than leaving them alone :) >> And there may be painless ways to harvest the blubber. >> >> Michel > > By liposuction?? > > Harry I imagine so. I don't know if it has been done actually, nor how painless it can be, but it has been suggested here is the link again: http://swcamborne.com/archives/business-success/liposuction-for-whales Michel
Re: [Vo]: Hysteria over "Window" Motor
Terry Blanton wrote: > On 2/17/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> This is clearly the "Smoking Gun" ***UNLESS*** Mike is being >> deceitful. Only >> time will tell which is the case. > > I hope you are right. Here is the post to which I referred: > > "Here are some help tips from Mike( User HMM) > > Yes 6 magnets on rotor n-s-n-s-n-s. The key to (over)unity is to time > switch 1 correctly this can be done a number of ways. I will help you > with all of this but first you must get your motor to run. Follow the > first circuit I posted remember to wind the stator with two or more > wires bifiler will work fine I use trifiler. Good Luck > > The value of the cap is not critical I use 47000uf computer cap > although any large electrolytic cap should do. the stator is one coil > bifiler wound then split evenly where the shaft goes through. > > > > follow the first cct and yes trigger is smaller wire. The hall effect > transistor is to activate sw1 I use a solid state relay for sw1. > > wind as much turns as possible try to get above 46 ohm. > > the main winding on my motor is 46 ohms > so 40-60 ohms sorry about that > > cheers > Mike > > in the video the motor was powered by capicitance only. no battery. > Trifiler wound > > If you add a load the motor will slowly come to a stop. > > cheers > > Mike > > Yes feedback, and play with sw1 timing > > **I must tell you I use the third winding on my stator coil as a > generator winding to charge the cap up from 0v, then when the > transistors begin to pulse the back emf through sw1 brings the voltage > on the cap even higher till it levels and the motor is then runing at > unity (this is just what I think is hapening and I could be missing > somthing here) > > OK > Mike > > @Marco I don't Know how long the motor can run for, but I always stop > it after a few hours or so. I am scared to leave it running unattended > (a fire or explosion would not be good)the running voltage is higher > when I give it a big spin by hand. so far every time I ran it the > voltage has always leveled off some where bellow 12v or so my cap is > good up to 25v " That's true in that Mike's been unable to add a load to the machine, but we don't know what size loads he's added. I'm sure he could add a 1 Mohm load and his machine would continue to spin. Although what he's accomplished is still the "smoking gun" if Mike's not hiding anything. What Mike is doing is taking a machine that contains no batteries and a discharged capacitor. Mike then rotates the machines axial with his fingers to get in going. The video clearly shows Mikes machine accelerating by magnitudes after he lets go. You can see the voltage across the capacitor rising up to over 6 volts. So far it appears the machine will run indefinitely. I don't blame Mike for stating the machine is not over-unity. It's my understanding that "over-unity" insinuates energy is being created from nothing, and hence violates the law of conservation of energy. Mike has no idea if energy is being created or simply comes from some unknown source. Therefore, we cannot say Mike's machine is over-unity. Bedini says Mike's machine is over COP 1.0, which is what we really want, right? The machine obviously generating heat by means of kinetic friction. The transistors, resistors, etc. dissipate heat. Yet the machine accelerates, thus gaining KE, and appears to maintain it's angular momentum. One in this industry cannot help think this is a fraud. Let's hope it's the "smoking gun." Regards, Paul Lowrance
Re: [Vo]: FW: Einstein's Twin Paradox
On 2/17/07, Stephen A. Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Someday I may get around to putting together an "integrated" page on all this, showing how the pieces fit together; it's not as straightforward as it appears at first glance. Brian Greene does the porthole view quite well in "The Elegent Universe".
RE: [Vo]: Russ George challenges Branson on ABC
Hi Wesley, > There are good arguments that some of the dating is wrong for most > deposits and fossils. I don't dispute the dating process may be flawed, but what does that have to do with the quantity and variety of fauna and flora? Either the fossils exist or they don't. And it is equally obvious that regardless of the actual dates, a rich biosystem did not occur at the same time as an Ice Age. > The stability in that case would only be an > illisionary product of massivily distorted dating. Could you provide a more detailed explanation of your reasoning? How do dating errors (not Michel's type of dating errors) cause the illusion of massive amounts of biomatter and diverse species? > It is always safer > to assume a system is unstable and act accordingly that to assume it's > stable and die having discovered your error. More flawed reasoning. Are you telling me that if we don't understand how something works, we are charged with fixing it until we do understand? That is how problems arise, not how they are solved. This is exactly what the GW debate comes down to. There are people who distort their interpretation of the data to prove something is broken, and then seek to fix it. It is the process of fixing things that don't need fixing that actually breaks them. Nature knows what it is doing. The planet Earth does not need the arrogance of our feeble intelligence to fix the climate cycle. Even if we do succeed in altering the climate, such as seeding the oceans with iron, what happens when iron prices go through the roof and the seeding program is cancelled? The resulting huge whale population then starves to death for lack of food. Either that or the Japanese build up a huge market for whale products and drives them into extinction. There were people who played with pure sodium, and when it spontaneously caught fire, they threw water on it, which caused a major explosion. The climate change problem is serious enough without shortsighted humans trying to intervene. Even if we were successful in the short run, it is highly improbable we could keep up our efforts into the long run. The best way to survive global climate change is to adapt, which is the method preferred by all successful species. Dave
Re: [Vo]: Wesley Bruce's Coal Coking Scheme, Drinking Rum and Coking Koala?
Classification of Coal: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/classification-coal-d_164.html Coke Density Etc: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fuels-densities-specific-volumes-d_166.html Heat Value of Coke Oven Gas: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heating-values-fuel-gases-d_823.html Eucalyptus Stuff: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Eucalyptus_camaldulensis.html Uses "Important timber, firewood, shelter belt, and honey tree. In the Sudan, it is planted to protect crops from blowing sands. The wood, durable, easy to saw, yet resistant to termites, is widely used in Australia for strong durable construction, interior finish, flooring, cabinetry, furniture, fenceposts, cross-ties, sometimes pulpwood. Australian aborigines made canoes from the bark. Survivalists in Australia and elsewhere might learn how the aborigines obtained water from the superficial roots, usually those ca 3 cm in diameter. The roots were excavated or lifted to the soil surface. Then the root was cut into segments ca 45 cm long, debarked, held vertically, and blown into, the water then draining into the receptacle provided." Chemical Analysis of Biomass Fuels Analysing 62 kinds of biomass for heating value, Jenkins and Ebeling (1985) reported a spread of 19.42 to 18.23 MJ/kg, compared to 13.76 for weathered rice straw to 23.28 MJ/kg for prune pits. On a % DM basis, the wh.plant contained 81.42% volatiles, 0.76% ash, 17.82% fixed carbon, 49.00% C, 5.87% H, 43.97% O, 0.30% N, 0.01% S, 0.13% Cl, and undetermined residue.
Re: [Vo]: Steorn Photos
Stephen A. Lawrence wrote: Wesley Bruce wrote: Ok so far as I can see there is only one magnet clearly visible and all the motion is the product of fingers and the tweezers poking it. Are we sure they are legit images of the Steorn thing since there is no self motion visible in those pictures? Is that really a surprise? No but they did say the opposite. Note This does not make me more sceptical in fact I'm more optimistic now. I've looked at the information on the Steorn website and have never seen anything that actually /said/ they have anything which self-runs. I know opinions here differed, and there are some ambiguous statements which one could interpret that way, but I saw nothing clear and explicit to that effect. AFAICT, all they have is something which, when driven externally, apparently produces more power on the shaft out than is applied on the shaft in. Of course, with such a device the torque varies significantly as the shaft rotates, so measuring the power in and power out can be a tad dicey. If that were true then its a simple matter to close the loop and add a linkage that drives itsself. I can see how that would work, I just can't see the linkage. If I were them I would not show that part either. Then again there's no shot of the thing from the back or sides; that may be very important. PS If Steorn has cracked it; half of the Vortex crew are out of a job and most of us will be sending them our CV's. or did I already do that ? The little arm on the right is a classic escapement that allows the magnet to push the disc its mounted on a few degrees. A spring then returns it to the start position. in effect we have a retarded cycle with two springs rocking a disc back and forth in the plane of the disc, in this case one of the springs is a magnet. All that's nothing new?! If its legitimate then these images are intentionally lacking a key component. The bit that moves the escapement up and down with no external input of energy: i.e. fingers or tweezers. 1600th century clockwork. If it is that simple the worlds scientific community will have a complete and total fit. With wood, brass and twine Leanado Davinchi could have built the thing.
[Vo]: Better way to sequester CO2- re branson
I'm looking at a better way to win the Branson-Gore prize and make a
profit into the bargain. If it works we'll be richer than both.
Turn the coal and lots of alga into *carbon fibre*: billions of tons of
it. The process should be profitable if we can crack the chemistry.
1. _Anaerobic coking_ strips the coal and or bulk fertilized alga or
Sargasso weed into near pure carbon and a mix of methane and H2.
2. Burn the H2 to provide power.
3. React the methane with catalysts to make ethylene and plastics.
Mainly bonding agents.
4. Process the coke into carbon fibre. That’s the bit that should be
tricky.
5. Bond the fibre into structural systems with the plastics.
6. Sequester the carbon* in plain sight* as roads, bridges, cars and
buildings.
If we can turn coal onto a material feed stock while liberating its
hydrogen to be used as a fuel we end the arguments and get rich at the
same time. If carbon composites were made as cheap as glass or concrete
it would sell for much more than coal. These materials are the key to
faster lighter cars and cheap air and space travel. We could make
bridges with amazing spans and building that look feather light. The
coal industry would survive and get richer. And the CO2 question would
be moot.
I'm looking for contacts with the necessary qualifications and skills to
have a look at this option. I also need someone with access to coal, a
lab and funding. I'm also emailing politicians and coal industry people.
The whole greenhouse debate here in Australia is about Coal. Our prime
minister Mr Howard has been blunt and honest. He does not want to kill
off Australia coal industry with Kyoto, carbon taxes or Green
socialistic economic suicide. {my words not his}. Several whole regions
in Australia and the nations balance of payments are dependant on Coal.
Thousands of jobs and 18 towns would go if we killed the industry.
Remember when Maggie Thatcher did that in Britton there was war in the
streets and people died. More governments have fallen to coal miners
riots and rebellions than to oil related political action.
Extracting the carbon as a building material seems obvious to me. The
key is to separate the carbon from the hydrogen before combusting the
either. Most of the energy in coal is in the hydrogen bonds not the
carbon to carbon bonds.
Several of the plastics steps are exothermal and can be used to generate
heat and if your creative electricity.
Re: [Vo]: Russ George challenges Branson on ABC
David Thomson wrote: I don't see what need there is to take the carbon out of the air. We spent 150 years of hard work getting all that sequestered carbon back into the biosphere. Don't these people realize the climate of the Earth was most stable during the time of the dinosaurs? Our planet went for hundreds of millions of years with no ice ages and there was 1000 times more biomatter in the biosystem than there is today with 1000s more species. If people want to take the carbon back out, all they need to do is send another comet into Earth's atmosphere. If I had my way, we would double carbon production in hopes of putting a permanent end to the present Ice Age. Dave This may be true but our ecosystems are under pressure and depleted in terms of species both producer and consumers. A depleted system mich respond with massive infestation of marine "weeds" with impacts on both the natural ecosystem and the fishing industry. There are good arguments that some of the dating is wrong for most deposits and fossils. The stability in that case would only be an illisionary product of massivily distorted dating. It is always safer to assume a system is unstable and act accordingly that to assume it's stable and die having discovered your error.
Re: [Vo]: Russ George challenges Branson on ABC
Actually I have material on ocean fertilization, including iron, going back to 1978 or so. Co-evolution quarterly had a design for a green ship that delivered both fertilizer and a seed stock of algy and fish fingerling. This combination gives you much more ecological control. I'll see if I can find it; though my kid brother has just moved in and the storage situation here has become chaotic. Jones Beene wrote: Well, that sound-byte is a bit disingenuous, as Russ has "borrowed" the (unpatented) idea and experimental results of the late John Martin, who was less optimistic about the outcome ... JM was former director of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss_Landing_Marine_Laboratories ... and one assumes (hopes) that George would give credit to Martin at some point in the process ... whether Martin's estate would win or share in the prize is unclear. I think some of the personnel from Martin's Moss Landing team are the same in any event. Martin's issued a caution regarding Global Warming consequences. Before getting too enamored with the implications of those successful iron fertilization experiments - which have been in the public record for 16 years - one must face several caveats. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/oceangard/overview.php#n27 Though iron fertilization may be one of several effective method of lessening the impact of global warming by increasing algae growth, and CO2 uptake, the scientific evidence is incomplete and suggests there may be unintended consequences, especially at the scale necessary for global change. Of course if the Algae were harvested as an oil substitute - then that would probably help immensely, but just growing it without harvesting as R George is proposing - is not sufficient. Methane BTW is a far more worrisome threat than CO2, being twenty times more potent as a greenhouse gas and the Arctic (vast areas of Siberia Canada, Alaska) is now releasing much more of it than anyone ever thought possible - so perhaps that gas should be addressed first - big prize or not. Jed Rothwell wrote: Russ sez he can sequester carbon. Here is a direct link to the vid, from Tom Valone: www.planktos.com/media/rg_kgo_small.wmv - Jed
Re: [Vo]: Re: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize
I think Lehmann is way ahead of the pack in Branson's Climate Prize Race. According to the New York Times, $100 Million was spent on the race for the $10 Million X Prize". The movie,"Rat Race" with a story along similar lines was hilarious. Fred - Original Message - From: Frederick Sparber To: vortex-l Sent: 2/18/2007 12:44:39 AM Subject: Re: [Vo]: Re: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Biochar_projects.htm " Currently (January 2007) we conduct experiments to evaluate the effects of bio-char on nutrient adsorption, nutrient leaching, water percolation, soil water availability and carbon cycling as well as the stability and mobility of bio-char itself with research in our Ithaca, New York lab, in Colombia, Brazil, Zambia and Kenya." " Greenhouse Experiments Manaus, Brazil, 2000-2001: Greenhouse experiments were conducted with rice and cowpea using closed and open systems (allowing the determination of leaching) at the Embrapa Amazonia Ocidental, Manaus, Brazil. (Collaborator: Jose Pereira da Silva Jr.) Abstract. The study tested whether bio-char additions were able to improve crop growth and nutrition as well as reduce nutrient leaching. In the first experiment, cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) was planted in pots, while in the second experiment lysimeters were used to quantify water and nutrient leaching from soil cropped to rice (Oryza sativa L.). Bio-char additions significantly increased plant growth and nutrition. While foliar N concentrations decreased, uptake of P, K, Ca, Zn, and Cu by the plants increased with higher bio-char additions. Leaching of applied fertilizer N was significantly reduced by bio-char, and Ca and Mg leaching was delayed." http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Biochar_energy.htm This research explores the opportunities and constraints to combining a bio-char soil management with energy production using novel low-temperature pyrolysis. Three real-world issues justify this approach: (1) The ever increasing pressure on rural land users to generate sufficient income from their land with decreasing market prices for food; (2) the necessity to provide sustainable production systems that minimize on- and off-site pollution and soil degradation; and (3) the demand for solutions to global warming. While food prices do not increase sufficiently enough to ensure healthy farm economies without subsidies in many industrialized countries, energy prices increase at unprecedented rates. Within the past two years, gas and diesel prices increased by 150% (DOE, 2005). In contrast, the proportion of a household income spent for food decreased from 21% in 1950 to 10% in 2000 (ERS, 2005). One strategy to resolve this dilemma for farmers is to engage in energy production over the long term in addition to food production in order to diversify income. Several different strategies for land-based bio-energy production exist that build on modern biomass technology (in contrast to traditional biomass, UNDP 2004). The underlying principle is usually the sustainable land-based production of an energy crop or the use of waste biomass (also animal manures!) and the conversion into bio-fuels by various mechanisms. Possible avenues for producing bio-fuels from bio! mass are ethanol production ! through microbial fermentation, extraction of oils from crops, pyrolysis and gasification of biomass (Caputo et al., 2005). Farmers have begun to understand the economic opportunities associated with bio-energy. This proposal introduces an emergent strategy of combining energy production using modern biomass with land application of bio-char which is a residue from the energy production that has multiple environmental benefits. - Original Message - From: Frederick Sparber To: vortex-l Sent: 2/17/2007 4:45:20 PM Subject: Re: [Vo]: Re: The $25 Million Branson Climate Prize Lehmann (Cornell University) also claims Bio-Char or Agri-Char in the soil also sequesters atmospheric CO2. Over the years I have noticed that flood irrigation of farmland produces higher crop yields than non-aerated well water, implying that soil CO2 made available to the plant root system aids plant growth. Given the large surface area of a good carbon char (more than hundreds of square meters per gram along with soil moisture retention, I can buy that. Fred Reading: Day, D., Evans, R.J., Lee, J.W. and Reicosky, D.: 2005, Economical CO2 , SOx , and NOx capture from fossil-fuel utilization with combined renewable hydrogen production and large-scale carbon sequestration', Energy 30 , 2558-2579. Lehmann, J., Gaunt, J. and Rondon, M.: 2006, 'Bio-char sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems a review', Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 11, 403-427 Li, X., Hagaman, E., Tsouris, C. and Lee, J.W.: 2003, Removal of carbon dioxide from flue gas by ammonia carbonization in the gas phas
