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Mass. company making diesel with sun, water, CO2
Daily Finance/AP ^ | 27/2/11 | Jay Lindsay

Posted on 02/27/2011 3:56:19 PM PST by Eleutheria5

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -A Massachusetts biotechnology company says it can produce the fuel that runs Jaguars and jet engines using the same ingredients that make grass grow.

Joule Unlimited has invented a genetically-engineered organism that it says simply secretes diesel fuel or ethanol wherever it finds sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company says it can manipulate the organism to produce the renewable fuels on demand at unprecedented rates, and can do it in facilities large and small at costs comparable to the cheapest fossil fuels.

What can it mean? No less than "energy independence," Joule's web site tells the world, even if the world's not quite convinced.

"We make some lofty claims, all of which we believe, all which we've validated, all of which we've shown to investors," said Joule chief executive Bill Sims.

"If we're half right, this revolutionizes the world's largest industry, which is the oil and gas industry," he said. "And if we're right, there's no reason why this technology can't change the world."

The doing, though, isn't quite done, and there's skepticism Joule can live up to its promises.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory scientist Philip Pienkos said Joule's technology is exciting but unproven, and their claims of efficiency are undercut by difficulties they could have just collecting the fuel their organism is producing.

.....

oule claims, for instance, that its cyanobacterium can produce 15,000 gallons of diesel full per acre annually, over four times more than the most efficient algal process for making fuel. And they say they can do it at $30 a barrel.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/fSCFCE

(Excerpt) Read more at dailyfinance.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: biotech; diesel; oil; renewablefuel
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To: Eleutheria5
How will they stop Joule from distributing diesel-making kits, consisting of a 55-gallon drum, a processing and collection system, and a starter culture of their little wonder-germs? Suddenly, anyone with their own property can just never go to a filling station, and it’s nobody else’s business why.

Who knows?

Just thinking offhand, I guess they could just make it illegal, like brewing moonshine.
Or the way the federal government prohibits the sale and use of off-road diesel for use in on-road vehicles.

Or the way some states and cities prohibit ownership of pistols or other firearms.
Or the way the government controls explosives like dynamite or the raw materials to make your own explosives.

Or the way the EPA controls your ability to use running streams or creeks on your own property to generate electricity for your own use.


41 posted on 02/27/2011 5:56:18 PM PST by Iron Munro ("Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy." -- Ron Paul)
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To: Eleutheria5

“What can it mean? No less than “energy independence,” Joule’s web site tells the world,”

The US is awash in hydrocarbons that we refuse to use. We draw red lines around vast areas of the coastal sea-shore, and northern Alaska, and then whine about being “dependent” upon imported oil.

It appears that some people in government simply don’t want the US to be self-sufficient in oil. Instead, we are scolded that being dependent upon wind and solar power is actually a good thing, despite the fact that wind power must have backup natural gas power plants to pick up the load when the wind suddenly stops blowing.

We are not running out of hydrocarbons from which to refine liquid fuels. The only issue is cost. If this company can bring a new source of hydrocarbons to market at a lower cost than crude oil, it will cause unbelievable conflict amongst the big government and environmentalist crowd. This is because their advocacy is not really directed at making life better for us, but quite the opposite. They really want to diminish US power and the prosperity and liberty of individual citizens. Should anyone bring us less expensive fuels, all hell will break loose!


42 posted on 02/27/2011 5:57:22 PM PST by theBuckwheat
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To: Eleutheria5
Your; "But really, bacteria is rather stupid, and only knows how to eat, excrete, and reproduce."

Oh. You mean...like Democrats!

43 posted on 02/27/2011 5:58:43 PM PST by DakotaGator (Weep for the lost Republic! And keep your powder dry!!)
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To: GnuHere
Meanwhile, I am jarring and then compressing unicorn gas (to put it delicately) into recyclable canisters.

Like this?
It is said that the catheter insertion is a pain in the arse though.


44 posted on 02/27/2011 6:04:05 PM PST by Iron Munro ("Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy." -- Ron Paul)
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To: Eleutheria5; azhenfud
You’ve watched too many disaster movies from the ‘70s

Good point I guess, though I'm not much of a movie-goer or television-watcher so I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Can you name the movies I've not seen?

But I do gather kudzu is really no big problem in the South and they have good uses for it there.

So maybe you're right; adapted bacteria is no threat whatsoever.

Eh - it's already a naturally occurring bacteria. It hasn't done irreparable damage in its natural state.

Can I quote you on this?

45 posted on 02/27/2011 6:08:58 PM PST by sionnsar (IranAzadi|5yst3m 0wn3d-it's N0t Y0ur5:SONY|http://pure-gas.org|Must be a day for changing taglines)
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To: NonValueAdded

>> 64,323,336,000 gallons / 15,000 gallons/acre = 4288222.4 acres = ~6700 sq miles = Connecticut + Delaware

Covering Connecticut plus Delaware — two notorious liberal enclaves — with diesel-pooping bacterial goo? In return for energy independence?

Sounds like a Win-Win, baby! A no brainer! Please proceed.

But please make sure Biden, Liebermann, Blumenthal, Kaufmann, Coons, and all the other local sons of bi...oops, I mean native sons, are home before you release the goo. :-)


46 posted on 02/27/2011 6:16:56 PM PST by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: NonValueAdded
64,323,336,000 gallons / 15,000 gallons/acre = 4288222.4 acres = ~6700 sq miles = Connecticut + Delaware

I'm glad you did the math. That entire 70 x 100 mile stretch could be distributed around Texas without much trouble.

47 posted on 02/27/2011 6:17:30 PM PST by Stegall Tx (Joined the Obama economy on 19 March, 2010. Found part-time work on 12 Feb, 2011.)
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To: GnuHere

>> Let me know if you want in on the ground floor.

Hmmm... depends. If unicorn farts are lighter than air, then yes.

If they’re heavier than air I’d prefer to work in the penthouse.


48 posted on 02/27/2011 6:21:02 PM PST by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Iron Munro

Exactly - it’s genius.


49 posted on 02/27/2011 6:55:22 PM PST by GnuHere
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To: GnuHere
Exactly - it’s genius.

Do be cautious when smoking or bringing your bag-equipped livestock near fire or flame.

They will explode in an unpleasant fashion.


50 posted on 02/27/2011 7:11:08 PM PST by Iron Munro ("Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy." -- Ron Paul)
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To: Eleutheria5

Imagine that bug getting loose in the ocean, secreting oil till the water films over and the sea dying from lack of oxygen.

One bug, one dead planet...

GM is stoooopid.


51 posted on 02/27/2011 7:11:37 PM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: ChiefJayStrongbow
its blue-green algae ... its food is CO2 and sunlight.

Different strokes for different microbes. (I read the article)

52 posted on 02/27/2011 7:31:46 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month)
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To: nomad

If a man had half his wishes, he’d double his trouble.

Johnny Cash - The Farmer’s Almanac


53 posted on 02/27/2011 7:53:02 PM PST by AlmaKing
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To: Kickass Conservative

It’s the one in between...


54 posted on 02/27/2011 9:57:49 PM PST by phatus maximus ( John 6:29. Learn it, love it, live it.)
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To: phatus maximus

You’re right. You have to add the Pixie Dust to make it a Premium blend.


55 posted on 02/27/2011 10:08:08 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (They bring a Bible to a Memorial, we bring a T Shirt - Long Legged Mac Daddy)
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To: Eleutheria5
cyanobacterium can produce 15,000 gallons of diesel full per acre annually

Holy mackarel!
That much diesel full?

As soon as I sell that bridge I bought last week...

BWAAAAHAAAHAAAAA! '

56 posted on 02/27/2011 10:12:45 PM PST by Publius6961 ("In 1964 the War on Poverty Began --- Poverty won.")
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To: pingman
Math impairment alert!
A barrel is 42 gallons.

General knowledge impairment alert!
a barrel of oil IS NOT a barrel of gasoline.

57 posted on 02/27/2011 10:18:25 PM PST by Publius6961 ("In 1964 the War on Poverty Began --- Poverty won.")
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To: Publius6961

Personally, I don’t buy gasoline by the barrel, but if I did, I’d expect 42 gallons. You?


58 posted on 02/28/2011 4:48:07 AM PST by pingman (Price is what you pay, value is what you get.)
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To: Stegall Tx

Greater Houston perhaps? Ah, but that’s just diesel. The point is that the discovery has a big problem with scale.


59 posted on 02/28/2011 5:20:48 AM PST by NonValueAdded (Palin 2012: don't retreat, just restock [chg'd to comply w/ The Civility in Discourse Act of 2011])
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To: Eleutheria5

[ Petroleum will one day (soon, I hope) become obsolete. ]

No, just digging it from the under the ground from people who hate us will...


60 posted on 02/28/2011 9:03:00 AM PST by GraceG
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