> By removing waste cellulose from farms, you don't have a chance to renew the > soil, that is the problem with sending it to a landfill. I have a hard time
What I meant was *moving* the cellulose supply-line from farm-based crops to ocean-based crops. "Removing" was a bad choice of words. > forms city life. I see trash bags full of lawn clippings all up and down > my street during summer and leaves in the fall, and the average Christmas > tree just after Christmas, you would be doing the world a great favor to > use this "trash" as a resource. That's a good idea. Grass clippings, autumn leaves, and christmas treees represent a huge volume of municipal waste. > > > > Oceanic kelp, green algae, or > > water hyacinth, has the potential to be grown over a far larger area > > than could be grown on land. > > While it sounds nice, it to is a finite resource due to the fact that there > is only so many areas that it may be grown. > > Oceanic kelp needs certain parameters in which to grow and is subject to > being ripped and shredded by a storm. > I suggested artificial platforms, like scaffolding, suspended 15 meters under water beneith buoys, to provide a surface for the kelp forest to root. These rafts could be anchored in deep water where the ocean floor is barren. If a storm hits, waves and high winds could dislodge the kelp forest. My idea is to sink the kelp raft, pulling it deeper under water using a winch secured to the seafloor. If you sink it an additional 50 meters, not even a hurricane could harm it. When the storm passes, float it again. A few hours in deep water might not harm the kelp. I like kelp because it has natural floatation sacs. As it grows the artifical raft will not require additional buoys. Seaweed that does not float would require added infrastructure and expense. > Another problem with your idea of using oceanic kelp, green algae, or water > hyacinth is the fact that they are low ( little to none in the case of > algae ) in cellulose comparatively to other crops, this also means a poor > energy return *in addition to any other poor energy modifiers. Can you tell me the percent by mass of cellulose in kelp? Can you name an ocean vegetation that would be better? The great thing about the ocean is that it's so huge. Vast expanses of ocean surface remain unexploited by farm-type operations. Imagine the solar energy that is available! > Poor net return, due to the fact that you would have to spend energy to > concentrate the beneficial elements, in order to get around the cost of > shipping, which is another energy drain. A skimmer (similar to those that clean up oil spills, could be used to harvest kelp. Concentrating the beneficial elements can be accomplished by crushing the kelp between rollers as it is pulled into the boat. Most of the water weight would be released back into the ocean, leaving dry plant matter for later processing. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Looking for a more powerful website? Try GeoCities for $8.95 per month. Register your domain name (http://your-name.com). More storage! No ads! http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info http://us.click.yahoo.com/aHOo4D/KJoEAA/MVfIAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/