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Renewable Petroleum: Microbes Eat Waste and Excrete Crude Oil
DBKP ^ | June 15, 2008 | Mondoreb

Posted on 06/15/2008 6:34:27 PM PDT by mondoreb


Diesel fuel produced by genetically-engineered bugs.

Several Silicon Valley companies are already genetically altering microbes and small organisms--bugs, so to speak--so that they produce something for nothing.

The something? How about petroleum products.

The nothing? How about agricultural waste--wood chips or straw or other biomass.

The organisms eat the waste products and excrete crude oil.

“Ten years ago I could never have imagined I’d be doing this,” says Greg Pal, 33, a former software executive, as he squints into the late afternoon Californian sun. “I mean, this is essentially agriculture, right? But the people I talk to – especially the ones coming out of business school – this is the one hot area everyone wants to get into.”

This sounds far-fetched, but the bugs are producing crude right now. In about a month, the experimental microbes will have produced enough oil to fill the first gas tank with something engineers call "renewable petroleum".

Mr Pal is a senior director of LS9, one of several companies in or near Silicon Valley that have spurned traditional high-tech activities such as software and networking and embarked instead on an extraordinary race to make $140-a-barrel oil (£70) from Saudi Arabia obsolete. “All of us here – everyone in this company and in this industry, are aware of the urgency,” Mr Pal says.
Besides making Saudi oil a thing of the past, it will also render Al Gore's dreams of taxing the world back into the Stone Age obsolete.

(Excerpt) Read more at deathby1000papercuts.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: crudeoil; energy; environment; excrete; ls9; microbes
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To: ninonitti

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


41 posted on 06/15/2008 10:11:35 PM PDT by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: mkjessup

There’s only one biproduct of an eaten liberal.


42 posted on 06/15/2008 10:14:06 PM PDT by Skenderbej
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To: mondoreb

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


43 posted on 06/15/2008 10:31:35 PM PDT by EagleandLiberty (El Rushbo Tribal name -- RinoHunter Coming Soon - a new CONSERVATIVE PARTY --- www.falconparty.com)
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To: mondoreb

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.


44 posted on 06/15/2008 10:34:44 PM PDT by IrishCatholic (No local communist or socialist party chapter? Join the Democrats, it's the same thing.)
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To: Melinda

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


45 posted on 06/15/2008 11:01:01 PM PDT by ari-freedom (McCain must pick a conservative VP if he wants conservative support)
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To: mkjessup
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."

46 posted on 06/16/2008 12:57:59 AM PDT by Erasmus (I invited Benoit Mandelbrot to the Shoreline Grill, but he never quite made it.)
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To: driftdiver
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.

47 posted on 06/16/2008 1:03:44 AM PDT by Erasmus (I invited Benoit Mandelbrot to the Shoreline Grill, but he never quite made it.)
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To: mondoreb
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.

48 posted on 06/16/2008 1:31:07 AM PDT by jonrick46
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To: jonrick46

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


49 posted on 06/16/2008 5:42:59 AM PDT by cyberdox
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To: VietVet
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.
50 posted on 06/16/2008 6:53:18 AM PDT by Melinda
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To: ari-freedom

Thanks for the link.


51 posted on 06/16/2008 6:54:28 AM PDT by Melinda
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To: cyberdox

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.


52 posted on 06/16/2008 7:33:34 AM PDT by jonrick46
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To: fso301

Well I was never that good at chemistry.


53 posted on 06/16/2008 2:52:46 PM PDT by Little_shoe ("For Sailor MEN in Battle fair since fighting days of old have earned the right.to the blue and gold)
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To: mondoreb

54 posted on 06/16/2008 5:05:24 PM PDT by G8 Diplomat (I hear Australia is lovely in November)
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To: Dusty Road

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.)


55 posted on 06/16/2008 6:23:53 PM PDT by rmichaelj
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To: neverdem; AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...

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


56 posted on 06/16/2008 6:25:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_________________________Profile updated Friday, May 30, 2008)
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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


57 posted on 06/16/2008 6:46:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_________________________Profile updated Friday, May 30, 2008)
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To: SunkenCiv

thanks, bfl


58 posted on 06/16/2008 8:36:26 PM PDT by neverdem (I'm praying for a Divine Intervention.)
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To: neverdem

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


59 posted on 06/16/2008 9:37:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_________________________Profile updated Friday, May 30, 2008)
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To: mondoreb

btt


60 posted on 06/16/2008 10:17:10 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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