Biofuels: false good idea?

crude vegetable oil, diester, bio-ethanol or other biofuels, or fuel of vegetable origin ...
guilom
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Biofuels: false good idea?




by guilom » 14/02/06, 17:30

According to a press article (see below) of the English newspaper "The Guardian", the mass development of biofuels would be very bad for the planet (see article below). : Cry:


Biofuels: Attention, Danger Posted on February 9th, 2006 in Politics, English, Environment.

For editorialist George Monbiot, biofuels are a false good idea. Their production encourages the destruction of tropical forests and enhances the greenhouse effect.


According to the calculations of biologist Jeffrey Dukes, the fossil fuels we burn in one year represent "44 x 1018 grams of carbon, more than 400 times the amount of organic matter produced annually by the different biota of the planet". In everyday language, this means that we consume each year the value of four centuries of plants and animals. Replacing this centuries-old fossil treasure - and its extraordinary energy capabilities - with ambient energy is still science fiction. There is simply no alternative energy source that would solve the problem. Yet everyone is looking for one. The use of biofuels was encouraged at the 2005 conference on climate change in Montreal by countries that do not want to make the tough decisions needed to tackle the problem of climate change. Yet using these substitutes is even worse than burning fossil material. Until now, I thought the biggest problem with biodiesel was that it created competition for land use: on arable land, we would not grow food for men, but enough to manufacture fuel. But what is happening today is even worse. The biodiesel industry unintentionally invented the world's most carbon-producing fuel.

Encouraging the use of biodiesel is likely to create a market for old cooking oil, rapeseed oil or oil derived from algae grown in desert areas. In fact, we are creating a market for the most destructive crop on the planet: that of palm oil. The Malaysian Spatial Planning Ministry recently announced the next start of a new biodiesel plant. This is the ninth decision of this kind in four months. Four other refineries are already under construction in the country. Two foreign industrial groups - one German and the other American - are currently building their competitors in Singapore. All will produce fuel from the same source: palm oil. "The demand for biodiesel will come from the European Union and will absorb most of Malaysia's raw palm oil stocks," says local daily The Star. Because the fuel obtained from palm oil is cheaper than the others. The association Friends of the Earth published in September 2005 a report on the impact of this production. "It is estimated that in Malaysia, 87% deforestation was caused by the development of palm plantations between 1985 and 2000." In Sumatra and Borneo, 4 million hectares have been transformed into palm groves. And things will not stop there. Malaysia plans to clear 6 million hectares more, and Indonesia 16,5 million.

The rest of the forest is also in danger, including the famous Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo, which has been torn apart by palm planters. The orangutan may disappear in the wild, and the same fate awaits the rhinoceros, tigers, gibbons, tapirs and nasals of Sumatra, as well as thousands of other species. Thousands of natives were expelled from their lands and 500 Indonesians were tortured for trying to resist. Forest fires that regularly plunge the area into thick smoke are usually lit by palm planters. The whole area is becoming a gigantic oil palm field. And before planting these small trees, we must cut down and burn the tall trees of the tropical forests, which contain much more carbon. On the other hand, after colonizing the drylands, the palm groves now encroach on the mangroves, whose soil is peat. Once the trees are cut, the soil is dry. When it dries, peat emits even more carbon dioxide than trees [burning]. Palm oil diesel is therefore even more harmful to the local and global environment than Nigerian oil.

The British government gave the green light

The British government is aware of the problem. He knows that creating a market for biofuels will lead to a surge in palm oil imports, that he can do nothing to prevent them and that they will help accelerate climate change, but he still given the green light. Like the Conservatives, at the beginning of the 1990 years, the Labor government is ready to go out of its way to meet the demand, even if it is to reach new heights. Instead of trying to reduce it, he tries to change the offer. He is willing to sacrifice the rainforests of Southeast Asia to give the impression that he is doing something and to allow motorists to have a better conscience.
All this illustrates the futility of the "technobricolages" proposed in Montreal. Attempting to satisfy a growing demand for fuel is madness, regardless of the origin of this fuel. Every effort was made to avoid making difficult decisions and another part of the biosphere was condemned to go up in smoke.

George Monbiot
The Guardian
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Mike.be
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by Mike.be » 14/02/06, 19:12

Hi Guilom
I am 100% agree with you and it makes me all the more happy that it comes from a student who does not have a great experience of life, it makes me hot in the heart.
The soil which contains humus and which is the support of the biodiversity is with the ocean the best carbon reservoir that can exist and our industrial development is in the process of burning it.
When these palm groves are overgrown, only the desert will remain.
Do not they say, The man precedes the forest, the desert follows him.
But like Jean Pain I say: The reforestation will be the sign and the work of the authentic civilization.
It is certainly not by increasing the supply of energy that we will solve the problem.
Truce of discution. Go see my site and tell me news.
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jean63
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by jean63 » 15/02/06, 01:44

Welcome to all 2.

You both bring a new vision in 2 different areas that come together.

The truth is there, of course, first correctly manage our resources without degrading our environment and only then take care of the energy supply of the planet with fuels (in the broad sense) to advance the explosion machines that pollute our beautiful planet.

Congratulations for these new and constructive 2 articles (including the Mike.be website). They really make us think about how to preserve our soils and associated flora + fauna by not throwing ourselves headlong into solutions that may seem ecological at first.

What do you think is the best way to move oil-free piles of scrap metal on wheels? in an 1er time and in an 2th time?
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Christine
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by Christine » 15/02/06, 09:25

Once again, we must relativize.

1) The fact that Malaysia's forests are poorly managed does not mean that biofuels must be rejected in their entirety.

2) We must stop believing that we will replace one fuel with another. It is intellectual laziness, it is to undergo the "unique thought". The future is at the diversification of sources of energies. A little imagination, what the hell!
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by Christophe » 15/02/06, 09:38

Christine summed up my thoughts ... some journalists would do better to spend more time econo more often before writing their article ...
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by neant » 15/02/06, 12:37

jean63 wrote:What do you think is the best way to move oil-free piles of scrap metal on wheels? in an 1er time and in an 2th time?


Well, in my opinion, I do not see thousands of solutions, the energy future of man goes through the heat of the sun.

At first it is absolutely necessary to develop electro groups driven by external combustion engine.
In a second time, profoundly change the design of our vehicles.
Imagine two seconds a vehicle whose roof would be equipped with solar thermal panels, these solar panels, supplying heat to an electric generator, which recharges batteries or capacitors that will power an electric motor to move this vehicle.
Technologically it's quite achievable, it's clean, and you can even look good.
How long are we going to move, very little.
Your car parked in the sun quietly recharges its batteries.
On days where there is no sun, and well connect renewable energy sources between countries where there is a lot of sun and those where there is less.
Equip our homes to recharge our batteries, parking, set terminals, share the electric energy from the sun.
Networks are often already in place.

I am convinced that this is largely achievable, however, I am convinced that this will probably never happen, too many conflicts of interests are opposing the world.

The sun hits on this earth an equivalent quantity of energy 10000 times higher than what we are currently consuming.
There is no problem, just solutions, and since everything that has begun at an end, at the rate we are going, it will be the end of civilization and the annihilation of all life on earth if we do not take not radical measures in terms of energy.
Nature knows how to manifest itself when it receives profound upheavals in its cycles. (the US is starting to pay for it, and this is just the beginning ...)
Why are we able to eat thanks to the earth, and unable to draw our energy from the sun?
That's a big paradox ...
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by Christophe » 15/02/06, 13:24

Paldeolien wrote:
Well, in my opinion, I do not see thousands of solutions, the energy future of man goes through the heat of the sun.


Fully agree to free themselves from fossil fuels. Which does not mean that we must continue to spoil them as we are doing now! We must fight on 2 aspects: new sources and better uses of fossils.

The problem is that the sun, although inexhaustible on the scale of humanity, is a "diffuse" and "irregular" energy.

By diffuse I mean that it is not "concentrated or dense" as fossil fuels are, in other words it cannot be used "instantaneously". Even when the sunshine is at its maximum, you can not expect to be able to drive a vehicle with the current technology (even by coupling Stirling, hybrid and photovoltaic) and even when the vehicle is charging batteries at a standstill given the low efficiency of the vehicles. solar panels It seems that Jean Luc Perrier had found a solution to condense solar energy see
https://www.econologie.com/forums/solaire-je ... t1520.html
et https://www.econologie.com/jean-luc-perr ... -2564.html

It might be time to relaunch the concept, right? The interest groups have no needs! Let us self-finance our R&D and show that we can do better than the large industrial groups ...

For irregular I think everyone will understand, the sun is not permanent (especially in our countries) not counting the alternation day-night ...

ps: it is not 10 000 but 40 000 times ... but that is on a planetary scale ... but there is only 30% of "exploitable" surface (the submerged lands) either 12.
Last edited by Christophe the 31 / 08 / 08, 21: 34, 1 edited once.
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neant
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by neant » 15/02/06, 14:02

Well, I really do not agree with you that it's not possible to move our vehicles through the sun.
Already do not count with electric solar panels, but thermal, in two, must lighten the vehicles, in 3 must as I have specified connect the countries that have the least sun with those who have the most, we do not let's not miss deserts on earth.
Then, the stirling at a much higher efficiency than the combustion engine, as long as you use helium gas, or even better hydrogen, you decuples performance.
For generators, must surely not count with the kind that we are offered on our current cars, using more powerful magnets, it greatly reduces the size of them and therefore the weight.
I had the chance to take a ride at Renault F1 and see the evolution of the engines, and what struck me the most is the size of the alternator, 6 cm diameter instead of a 10 cm big as present on our cars.
For batteries it's the same, open your mobile phone, look at the size and weight of the battery, and the recharge time, often less than two hours.
Weight being the enemy of speed, it is quite possible.
You talk about hybrids, of course that hybrids do not work well, as long as you rely on a motor whose architecture has not moved since its invention, the engine is an abyss, yield of 25%, an electric motor at a yield around 90%.
In addition, for the mechanical aspect, today we know how to manufacture parts with complex geometry, as we know how to machine an ellipse. or any other form that is not revolution or extrusion, but we do nothing in this sense, and yet it would revolutionize many engines and transmission devices.
So you put all this information one after the other and you will realize that it is quite possible.
Do not forget that, electric motor, 90% efficiency, combustion engine, 25% yield, already there, you made a huge gain.
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The sun is a source of inexhaustible energy




by jean63 » 15/02/06, 16:54

The sun is a source of inexhaustible energy ... on a human scale!

Totally agree with you (see in the subject "my bioclimatic house" how a newcomer whose pseudo I forgot, will heat his house)

Well, in my opinion, I do not see thousands of solutions, the energy future of man goes through the heat of the sun.

At first it is absolutely necessary to develop electro groups driven by external combustion engine.
In a second time, profoundly change the design of our vehicles.
Imagine two seconds a vehicle whose roof would be equipped with solar thermal panels, these solar panels, supplying heat to an electric generator, which recharges batteries or capacitors that will power an electric motor to move this vehicle.
Technologically it's quite achievable, it's clean, and you can even look good.
How long are we going to move, very little.
Your car parked in the sun quietly recharges its batteries.
On days where there is no sun, and well connect renewable energy sources between countries where there is a lot of sun and those where there is less.
Equip our homes to recharge our batteries, parking, set terminals, share the electric energy from the sun.
Networks are often already in place.


.... and if that's not enough we can of course also use the other HVB systems, bioethanol, and especially the system invented by JL Perrier who uses the sun our friend who warms us and brings us free energy . But men are far too stupid to use this FREE energy.

Off topic ! but as I have the info I circulate => for solar collectors (housing) things are moving: 50% tax credit + regional aid.
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by Christophe » 15/02/06, 19:26

Paldeolien wrote:Already do not count with electric solar panels, but thermal, in two, must lighten the vehicles, in 3 must as I have specified connect the countries that have the least sun with those who have the most, we do not let's not miss deserts on earth ..


Sorry but all your reasoning is valid in rebuilding new vehicles ... immagines the cost (econological) and the time it would take to replace all the vehicles of the world? (600 Millions according to the figure I have in mind)

While a solution like that of Perrier, with some modifications of carburation could be much more econological ....
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