Renewable Petroleum: Microbes Eat Waste and Excrete Crude Oil

DBKP ^ | June 15, 2008 | Mondoreb

[Veto!]

You’ll end up with the Microbe That Ate Cincinnati.

[Skenderbej]

There’s only one biproduct of an eaten liberal.

[EagleandLiberty]

Hmm.. micro-bugs making gasoline and an engine that runs on SALT WATER...SHORT the GASOLINE FUTURES!! :)

[IrishCatholic]

There is also some talk about bacteria in the Earth producing oil to begin with. Which would make oil the ultimate renewable resource. Wouldn’t it be great if all those pools of oil under the earth are the result of recycling?
It would be fun to see greens foam at the mouth.

[ari-freedom]

go to the source
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece

[Erasmus]

It would be more efficient if the microbes could eat liberals and excrete crude oil, it seems there would be a never-ending supply! LOL

The first step will be getting them classified as "agricultural waste."

[Erasmus]

Ok so they excrete crude oil. That means you have an oil spill. You’ll have to spend millions to clean that up, restore the environment, fines and so forth.

Solution: You have simultaneously engineered bugs that eat oil, and bugs that eat the bugs that poop oil. These bugs then secrete agricultural waste.

[jonrick46]

It was not good to see your link fail. However an earlier post had the information I needed. With this process it is possible to get microbes to grow enough oil to meet this nation's fuel consumption: The article states that we use 143 million barrels of oil per week to make our needed fuel. Everyone should know that a 42 gallon barrel of oil only produces 20 gallons of finished gasoline and 7 gallons of diesel fuel. The article is very vague about the fuel demands of the United States. It does not break down gasoline consumption and diesel consumption. Microbes will not create diesel from what I read in the article. It only says that we consume 143 million barrels of oil per week. Doing the math that is a yearly consumption (X52) of 743,600,000 barrels of oil. The math falls apart as you will see later.

The article says they could produce enough fuel in 205 square miles to equal our oil consumption. However, my source says we consume 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year and 63 billion gallons of diesel fuel. For those who want to see this in long hand, that is 140,000,000,000 gallons of gasoline and 63,000,000,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

I say, make the 140 billion gallons of gasoline using the microbe method. 140 billion gallons of gasoline takes 7 billion barrels of oil to make. That is about 6.3 billions barrels off from the article's calculations of 743.6 million barrels of oil! My calculations say that each 42 gallon barrel of oil makes 20 gallons of gasoline. 140 billion/20 gallons = the needed barrels to make gasoline. That is 7 billion barrels of oil. Instead of 205 acres, we would really need 1929.8 square miles. That does not even take into consideration the diesel consumption, which requires 2 billion barrels more (if 7 billion were made from the same barrels of oil) to meet our needs. We need diesel fuel to run our aircraft. For the diesel fuel, I say use the algae oil method.

Algae oil technology is going to be capable of making 100000 gallons of fuel grade diesel per acre per year. 63 billion gallons/100000 gallons = 630,000 acres to make our current demand for diesel fuel. That is 984.4 square miles of area. Our total land usage would be 2914.2 square miles for gasoline and diesel using both methods. This is about 1.8 million acres, the amount of land used to grow sunflowers in the United States.

[cyberdox]

It only says that we consume 143 million barrels of oil per week. Doing the math that is a yearly consumption (X52) of 743,600,000 barrels of oil. The math falls apart as you will see later.

Your math is off, not the article. 143,000,000 x 52 =7,436,000,000

[Melinda]

Thanks. I was more poking fun at the site than I was at the science, which I recall the basics of from junior high. I'd be happy with a plant the size of NYC wherever they want it if it solves our crisis.

[Melinda]

Thanks for the link.

[jonrick46]

Yes, it is a yearly consumption of 7,436,000,000 barrels of oil. Thanks. This means that our gasoline needs, could be met with 205 square miles and the diesel requirement could be met with 984.4 square miles. That totals up to only 1,089.4 square miles for all or our fuel needs!

Mu big problem with the article is it did not factor in the diesel component of our fuel use.

[Little_shoe]

Well I was never that good at chemistry.

[G8 Diplomat]

[rmichaelj]

Unless they could make it like Home brew- Each person has about 3 to 4 setup and you’ve got enough gas for your car(s) for the month.

(Of course it is probably to complicated to purify/maintain, but if it could work- sure would be nice.)

[SunkenCiv]

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
Times on line | June 14, 2008 | Chris Ayres
Posted on 06/16/2008 3:48:27 PM PDT by Born In America
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031983/posts

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
The Times of London | June 14, 2008 | The Times of London
Posted on 06/16/2008 4:50:53 PM PDT by aclusux.com
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2032028/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
The Times (UK) | June 14, 2008 | Chris Ayres
Posted on 06/14/2008 12:12:56 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031138/posts

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[SunkenCiv]

This one:

Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol
The Times (UK) | June 14, 2008 | Chris Ayres
Posted on 06/14/2008 12:12:56 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031138/posts

[Cacique]

btt