Posted on 04/08/2006 3:51:10 PM PDT by ckilmer
Turkey droppings (mixed with used sawdust bedding) is Grade-A compost material for landscaping soil. Yes, turkey-offal is really a commodity, as was/is bird guano of all forms.
Actually not far off. I'm guessing the product is more refined than ME crude, and might command a slightly higher asking-price. Factor in economy-of-scale efficiencies at industrial, rather than boutique, level of production... They're not far off the mark, at all. I'm wondering if the market-value of the fertilizer by-product has been factored-in to the $80/bbl figure.
bump
with world oil prices the way they are--this company can now draw a profit
Maybe so, but they cannot compete with oil even now. It would take an actual oil shortage to let that happen, something that does not appear to be in the cards. Cost of oil may increase without limit and still be cheaper than this.
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The Carthage plant has been optimized and is expected to turn a small profit. A tax credit has leveled the playing field with other renewable fuels like biodiesel and ethanol.
The fuel Appel makes, known officially as renewable diesel, received a subsidy of $1 per gallon from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took effect in January. That boosted the company's income by $42 a barrel, allowing a slim profit of $4 a barrel.
It's not easy to compete with what can be sucked out of the ground for free, the expenses being pipe and fees, leases, taxes, graft, and the US Marines.
Its really too bad the economics don't work. Had some hope for this one.
Appel offers no apologies for needing government largesse to make money. "All oil, even fossil-fuel oil, gets government subsidies in the form of tax breaks and other incentives," he says, citing a 1998 study by the International Center for Technology Assessment showing that unsubsidized conventional gasoline would cost consumers $15 a gallon. "Before we got this, I had the only oil in the world that didn't get a subsidy."
The Carthage plant has been optimized and is expected to turn a small profit. A tax credit has leveled the playing field with other renewable fuels like biodiesel and ethanol.
The fuel Appel makes, known officially as renewable diesel, received a subsidy of $1 per gallon from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took effect in January. That boosted the company's income by $42 a barrel, allowing a slim profit of $4 a barrel.
Since we don't get oil from Iraq, it might be asked why our military is there so big, and then the wide-angle lens has to be used. Europe and Asia get oil from the region, and we get some small amount from Saudi, but since oil is a world commodity, what China buys from the ME affects what we buy from Nigeria. So we do China's work and Europe's work in protecting the oil. Why should we do their work? The oil is that important to us that if waited for China and France/Germany to pick up their share of the workload we would find our oil prices escalating beyond the comfort zone. The free ride is in China and Europe, but since we are the big piece of the world economy we have to do this to remain the big piece.
Why should we do their work?
This is an interesting question that I've wondered about myself. Part of the reason is that oil is pegged to the dollar. In order for countries to buy oil they have to pay for it in dollars--and that includes china.
What would bankrupt the USA in a day would be if major oil producing countries decided to peg their oil in another currency. This is something that major minor oil producers like like Iran and Venezuela are already trying to do.
Don't forget exploration, tooling, drilling, and transport costs. It takes more infrastructure to pull crude out of the ground overseas than to produce it from TDP domestically. The seed energy consumption is what's keeping the cost higher, ATM. LP or NG are probably more cost-effective than burning their product for the process.
Why not just harness waste heat from the electrical generation process as part of an integrated Electricity/TDP oil plant? Most of our electrical generation comes from processes that produce waste-heat.
Oil refineries and landfills reek to high-heaven, as well, but we still manage to find a place for them.
1. Abolish all current fuel tax.
2. Replace with a $50 per barrel tax on imported oil.
3. Announce plans to increase this tax by $1/year in inflationn-adjusted terms 4. Make exceptions for Canada and Mexico, though limit their tax- free exports to the US to current production plus 10%.
5. Watch the innovators go to work.
Don't forget the millions of gallons of sewage generated daily in major cities like New York and LA.
Imagine the money those cities could earn if they scrapped their sewage treatment plants and converted them into TDP facilities.
The municipal government could charge city residents a sewage fee...
...and then sell the oil for a profit.
In essence, they'd be able to collect payment two-fold for one service.
And if that isn't a sweet deal, I don't know what else is.
True enough. In addition to sewage, think of the dumb-a55 recycling centers. The only "recycle" stream that works at a profit is aluminium. Plastic, glass, and paper are not profitable. The state and local recycling centers enjoy federal subsidies (source: Penn and Teller's "Bull5h1t"). The petroleum recovered from plastic could be really big.
2. Replace with a $50 per barrel tax on imported oil.
3. Announce plans to increase this tax by $1/year in inflationn-adjusted terms
4. Make exceptions for Canada and Mexico, though limit their tax- free exports to the US to current production plus 10%.
5. Watch the innovators go to work.
Best Idea I've seen.
I think the only way you'll get Americans to recycle in a big way will be if you reward them with fuel for their SUVs.
:::: Jan Steinman, Communication Steward, EcoReality -- be the change! ::::
"What would bankrupt the USA in a day would be if major oil producing countries decided to peg their oil in another currency. This is something that major minor oil producers like like Iran and Venezuela are already trying to do."
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