Posted on 11/05/2016 11:55:34 AM PDT by tekrat
Biofuels are often touted as an alternative to fossil fuels, but many depend on raw materials that would quickly become scarce if production were scaled up. As an alternative to these alternatives, the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has found a way to potentially produce 30 million barrels of biocrude oil per year from the 34 billion gal (128 billion liters) of raw sewage that Americans create every day.
According to PNNL, the problem with using sewage as a source material for biocrude is it's too wet and requires drying before more conventional processes can handle it. PNNL's approach is to use HydroThermal Liquefaction (HTL) to turn the sewage into oil, which removes the need for drying.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
They are full of shite.
The idea of commercial high pressure breakdown into oil has been around since 2002, at least.
An elegant solution to a crappy problem.
...large city...
Washington DC will be there energy capital of the world.
A toilet on every car - win win!
They have to pressurize to 3000lbs per sq inch and heat to 660 degrees.
There is no indication in the article of how much that would cost per barrel.
In my calculations, I included time for naps which reduced her output by 20%.
If assclowns could fly, D.C. would be an airport.
There are hydraulic presses available that will press 80 - 90 percent of the moisture out of a waste stream, leaving only the "cake" that could be used for biofuel.
Hmmm... Biodiesel made from french fry grease smells like french fries...
I came across this interesting (genius) way to end hot pursuits from a link at the site:
http://newatlas.com/grappler-police-bumper-pursuit/46285/
Scroll down for a very interesting video.
I found this article:
Hydrothermal liquefaction—most promising path to sustainable bio-oil production
It's from 2013. But, it says it's 85-90% efficient. This is simply a measure of the amount of output from the process (10-15%) that must be used to sustain the conversion.
So, that means it would be self-sustaining, and yield a net output. However, there are capital costs and potentially feedstock costs (unless the conversion is done at a sewage treatment plant).
There's also a potential cost saving, because there's no need to dispose of the sewage sludge. But, since a lot of sewage sludge is used as fertilizer, that's a net loss that would have to be made up by other means.
Yes it has, the problem is that it produces oil. Oil BAD!
Thank you! The devil is always in the details. I love the way they say that “According to PNNL, the problem with using sewage as a source material for biocrude is it's too wet and requires drying before more conventional processes can handle it.” Then the very next sentence says they have to heat the poo goo to 660 degrees and then pressurize it. The last time I checked water turns to a gas and is no longer “wet” at that temperature. I am not sure of its state at 3000 psi but that definitely would take more energy to do. That is why my pressure washer has a 13HP engine on it running full bore when I am cleaning the driveway with only a few GPM. So the narrative doesn't really make sense when one applies “common sense” to it.
Point taken. Can we compromise on ‘medium sized city’?
[According to PNNL, the problem with using sewage as a source material for biocrude is it’s too wet and requires drying before more conventional processes can handle it.]
Oh my God, green house gas water vapors and methane!
A hunka, hunka, burning sh**!
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