Posted on 08/01/2011 2:23:33 PM PDT by neverdem
I would look really hard at the combustion byproducts of methanol. One of the reasons methanol continues to not really catch on is because there are some really nasty issues with it. Uncombusted methanol getting into the water table can eventually cause blindness, and one of the byproducts is large quantities of aldehydes. Like formaldehyde. Which does all sorts of wonderful things to live humans.
Also, Wikipedia has this to say about it:
“Both methanol and ethanol burn at lower temperatures than gasoline, and both are less volatile, making engine starting in cold weather more difficult. Using methanol as a fuel in spark ignition engines can offer an increased thermal efficiency and increased power output (as compared to gasoline) due to its high octane rating (114[8]) and high heat of vaporization. However, its low energy content of 19.7 MJ/kg and stoichiometric air fuel ratio of 6.42:1 mean that fuel consumption (on volume or mass basis) will be higher than hydrocarbon fuels. The extra water produced also makes the charge rather wet (similar to hydrogen/oxygen combustion engines) and combined with the formation of acidic products during combustion, the wearing of valves, valve seats and cylinder might be higher than with hydrocarbon burning. Certain additives may be added to the fuel in order to neutralize these acids.
Methanol, just like ethanol, contains soluble and insoluble contaminants.[9] These soluble contaminants, halide ions such as chloride ions, have a large effect on the corrosivity of alcohol fuels. Halide ions increase corrosion in two ways; they chemically attack passivating oxide films on several metals causing pitting corrosion, and they increase the conductivity of the fuel. Increased electrical conductivity promotes electric, galvanic, and ordinary corrosion in the fuel system. Soluble contaminants, such as aluminum hydroxide, itself a product of corrosion by halide ions, clog the fuel system over time.
Methanol is hygroscopic, meaning it will absorb water vapor directly from the atmosphere.[5] Because absorbed water dilutes the fuel value of the methanol (although, it suppresses engine knock), and may cause phase separation of methanol-gasoline blends, containers of methanol fuels must be kept tightly sealed.”
“Methanol occurs naturally in the human body and in some fruits, however it is poisonous in sufficient concentration. Ingestion of 10 ml can cause blindness and 60-100 ml can be fatal if the condition is untreated.[6]. Like many volatile chemicals, methanol does not have to be swallowed to be dangerous since the liquid can be absorbed through the skin, and the vapors through the lungs. “
Don’t have a fuel spill.
Or we could just use gasoline since we have more oil than Saudi Arabia.
“....methanol can readily be made from any carbon-containing material.”
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Yes it can — by injecting more BTUs/gallon into the manufacturing process, than a gallon of the product contains.
Ever heard of beautiful cheap energy in the ground? Drill baby drill and put any access in the world’s oil market.
Hell, the world will worship while facing Houston.
We can DIG our way out of this!
Really sounds great. Can someone forward this to our congress critters for quick consideration.
Looks like we’ll be seeing yellow raps fields all over the country soon, with huge wind turbines too if this ever comes to light. Europe has them, E 10 gas is made of rap oils, so I’ve been told.
But that American empowerment is just the ooposite of what the democrats desire, and they are still in power. Odd that the pubbies didn’t address it wisely when they were in power. But then Bush is a globalist ...
You have to drink large amounts of methanol to become blind, IMHO. How if the formation of acetaldehyde from ethanol so different from methanol besides the formaldehyde?
Rap oil is used to made bio diesel. And it is cost effective, whereas making liquor requires water and sugar and a good hunk of tax payers money.
http://geology.com/usgs/piceance-basin/
“...Table 1 lists the estimated total in-place oil for each oil shale zone in each township (36 mi2) in the Piceance Basin. An “NA” on the resource table means that a particular zone was not assessed in that township due either to not being present or because of inadequate control. Richest oil shale zones in the basin are, in ascending stratigraphic order, (1) R-1 zone, 195.4 billion barrels; (2) R-5 zone, 198.2 billion barrels; (3) R-6 zone, 185.4 billion barrels; (4) Mahogany zone, 191.7 billion barrels; and (5) interval from Bed 44 to A-groove with 189.7 billion barrels. Total in-place oil in the seventeen oil shale zones assessed is 1.525 trillion barrels (table 1) or about 50 percent larger than the previous in-place assessment of about one trillion barrels. Almost all of this increase is due to (1) new areas being assessed that had too little data to assess in the previous assessment, and (2) new intervals being assessed that were not assessed previously. Much of this previously unassessed resource is of low grade. Figure 3 shows the total oil in place for all oil shale zones combined in each township in the basin. The richest resources are in Tps. 1 and 2 S., Rs. 97 and 98 W. with a combined total of nearly 286 billion barrels of oil in place.
What "consideration" would you like to see from them? Mandates and Subsidies?
We make methanol today. But it is fairly toxic.
From the article:
"Rather, it is one of the world’s top five chemical commodities, with an operating global annual production capacity of 27 billion gallons, and a current spot price, without any subsidies, of $1.28 per gallon."
How did this happen? It happened because of a corrupt Congress that accepted money from foreign oil porducers to vote certain ways.
IMHO, that is treason.
E10 Gasoline is 10% Ethanol. That ethanol is primarily made from corn in the US.
Here in East Tennessee, we have in operation two plants that produce methane from coal. The gassification plants have been in more or less continuous operation since the early 80’s. The plants are the basis for thousands of jobs and have made the owner the world low cost producer of many chemical products.
A third operational plant was recently announced to gassify coal in a nearby city.
There is also a fourth, a DOE joint venture pilot that has been out of operation for perhaps 15 years.
While sounding like an advertisement written for a “methanol” political lobby outfit, again we have someone saying, in their own way, “if only government would step in and mandate (flex-fuel) what organic markets, economics and technology have not” THEN we will have a magic bullet solution to a “problem”.
How about we let $100 oil start to instigate solutions in the markets; solutions brought to market by those who think they have the technological means and the risk capital to compete with $100 oil.
I think that would be better than any more mandates from government. Please note that neither Japan or Europe have “cafe” standards.
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