Start with the first article which introduces you to the top 8 alternative fuels:
1. Ethanol
2. Natural gas
3. Electricity
4. Hydrogen
5. Propane
6.Biodiesel
7. Methanol
8. P-series fuels
*** I would suggest maybe making a personal chart for these fuels for quick reference at a later date ) ****
Reviewing the carbon cycle link on the contradiction blog will help you as well.
Postings are due by 11pm 30 October ( Friday ) That is the better part of two weeks , folks! Really, Really pay attention to this material.
http://environment.about.com/od/fossilfuels/tp/top_alt_fuels.htm
http://biofuelguide.net/the-pros-and-cons-of-biofuels/
http://www.biofuelswatch.com/biofuels-pros-and-cons/
http://environment.about.com/od/ethanolfaq/f/ethanol_benefit.htm -ethanol ( follow the links at the bottom of the page for additional material
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-article_46/
http://earth2tech.com/2008/07/09/10-things-you-should-know-about-natural-gas-vehicles/
http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/mechanical/articles/2126.aspx
http://blog.homestars.com/archives/2009/08/11/the-pros-and-cons-of-green-electricity/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Water4Gas---Pros-and-Cons-of-Hydrogen-Fuel&id=1117787
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-86577.html
http://e85.whipnet.net/yellow/methanol.html
http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/pseries/a/Pseries101.htm
in general research of different biofuels, algae seems to show up a lot. is it ok to add this to my list of fuels?
ReplyDeleteabsolutely....that is one of the newbies and it looks pretty sweet....
ReplyDeleteI just read a few of the links and it sounds like electricity would be great because its not polluting anything but the cost of electricity would go up very high beause you have to recharge your car but by the way one of the articles was saying Biodisel would be the next best thing in a way i may be wrong (please correct me if i am) but i think it was biodiesel and something else that sounded pretty good.
ReplyDeletewhat about the fossil fuels used to create the biodiesel and or other considerations? Saw an ad tonight for natural gas that stated the United States has a minimum of 100 years of natural gas available and the supply is growing......comments?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jonte that the electricity idea seems like a convincing plan and it seems to be best for the enviroment although it is true that electricity costs would rise consistently. The biodiesel also sounds like a pretty good idea and I actually saw something on TV about people converting engines/making cars to fit the biodiesel criteria and spread the word about biodiesel as an alternate fuel. As for the fossil fuels and natural gas, that sounds like a pretty good idea too but i'm a little confused..where is this natural gas and how do we posses it?
ReplyDeleteA little " primer" on Natural gas
ReplyDeleteNatural gas is colorless, shapeless, and odorless in its pure form. It is combustible, and when burned it gives off a great deal of energy and is clean burning and emits lower levels of potentially harmful byproducts into the air. It is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases and is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane and pentane.
It is found in reservoirs underneath the earth and is commonly associated with oil deposits.
How does it form? Natural gas is a fossil fuel. There are three theories on formation:
1.The most widely accepted theory says that fossil fuels are formed when organic matter is compressed under the earth, at very high pressure for a very long time. This is referred to as thermogenic methane. It is formed from organic particles that are covered in mud and other sediment. Over time, more and more sediment and mud and other debris are piled on top of the organic matter. This sediment and debris puts pressure on the organic matter and compresses it. The compression and high temperatures found deep in the earth, break down the carbon bonds in the organic matter. The deeper under the earth's crust, the higher the temperature. At low temperatures (shallower deposits), more oil is produced relative to natural gas. At higher temperatures more natural gas is created, as opposed to oil. So, natural gas is usually associated with oil in deposits that are 1 to 2 miles below the earth's crust. Deeper deposits usually contain primarily natural gas, and in many cases, pure methane.
2. Natural gas can be formed through the transformation of organic matter by tiny microorganisms. This type of methane is referred to as biogenic methane. Methanogens, tiny methane producing microorganisms, chemically break down organic matter to produce methane. These microorganisms are commonly found in areas near the surface of the earth that are void of oxygen. These microorganisms also live in the intestines of most animals, including humans. Formation of methane in this manner usually takes place close to the surface of the earth, and the methane produced is usually lost into the atmosphere. In certain circumstances, however, this methane can be trapped underground, recoverable as natural gas. An example of biogenic methane is landfill gas. Waste-containing landfills produce a relatively large amount of natural gas, from the decomposition of the waste materials that they contain. New technologies allow this gas to be harvested.
3. A third way in which natural gas is believed to be formed is through abiogenic processes. Extremely deep under the earth's crust, are hydrogen-rich gases and carbon molecules. As these gases gradually rise towards the surface of the earth, they may interact with minerals that also exist underground, in the absence of oxygen. This interaction may result in a reaction, forming elements and compounds that are found in the atmosphere (including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, and water). If these gases are under very high pressure as they move towards the surface of the earth, they are likely to form methane deposits.
Ashlee remined me of something hahaha. I seen somthing on tv a few months ago saying a man found a way to have a car run off of water now that is a great idea you don't have to mix the water in with anything only thing there is in the gas tank is water it is awsome lol. The man was saying he still need to work out a few kinks in it but the car can run off of water correctly.
ReplyDeleteSo Mrs. B what catergorey would cars running off of water fall under lol
Would it be considered a natural gas or natural....
well ms.b do you think that these water powered cars, if they became really common could help deplete the overrunning of water in the ocean because we are using more, or not because its still being put up into the atmosphere?
ReplyDeletei think ethanol is one of the best choices cuz it takes something we already have which is gas and mixing it with something that isnt hard to find....crops! the only thing bad about ethanol is that its using gas which is the problem right now. the most environmental one is the biodiesal. it uses all natural resources and its biodegradible and its safe. but where do they get the animal fats? slaughter houses? idk if i like that idea :/! on what jonte said, i also remember hearing something about that on tv. but wouldnt that cause issues considering people would be using like 2 times more water than we use now? we were suppose to state our opinion right?
ReplyDeleteKez-you are right people would use twice as much water as they normally do but by doing so it helps the environment in two ways possibly,
ReplyDelete1. decreasing water in ocean (if they decide to filter the salt water and make it into fresh water, it costs a lot of money though) because don't we a increase in ocean water anyways? so i think that would help
2. Its not throwing out any harmful gasses into the air which decreases our global warming issue and personally i think it will make the air a lot cleaner idk i may be wrong
(please correct me if i'm wrong)
and ethanol well i don't think is good because we are using gas and crops so you are in a way still throwing out gases into the air which would worsen the global warming thing
(please correct me if i'm wrong
Hahah,
ReplyDeleteJonte..that whole water in the cars thing sounds interesting. How would that work though? Is there special water or a special engine or..?
just to start off i love the car and imma start with the pros and hope this is right:
ReplyDeleteEthonal: low cost, lower carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions, and widely avaible
Natural Gas: burns clean, produces fewer emissions than gasoline already widely avaible
Electricity: transportation, battery-powered, fuel-cells, battery-powered that are rechargable by plugging into a standard power outlet, fuel-cells electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen
Hydrogen: fuel for vehicles that has certian types of combustion engines
Propane: already widely used for cooking and heating, produces fewer emissions
Biodiesel: can be used in the purest form for vehicles, biodegradable, reduces air pollutants
Methanol: vehicles designed to run on m85, could be an alternative
P-series: clear, highoctane, flexible fuel vehicles
I do not think that running cars on water is a good idea because some people already have trouble getting water. The increase in water demand will cause tensions between countries because if there is a body of water that touches more than one country then each country would claim that body of water which could led to a war. Methanol is not the best choice because it uses corn and wheat and since more of those is used for fuel then the amount left for it to be used as food is going to decrease causing corn and wheat prices to increase.
ReplyDeleteethanol and biodisel seems to reduce pollution but again they use plants and animals which we use as food. The will reduce pollution and are easy to produce but still plants and animals are our food. We are trying to end hunger in the world but by creating ethanol and biodisel fuels then we reduce the amount of food available thus increasing world hunger. Food comes first than anything else we can live without cars but we cant live without food.
ReplyDeleteEthanol- Despite the relatively low cost, ethanol seems to be a potential hazard. It has been more widely available, and stimulated the agricultural economy, but It takes more fossil fuels to create the ethanol than it even produces...so techinically its takes more energy to produce less energy.In my opinion, we are better off finding something more efficient.
ReplyDeleteNataural gas- Natural gas is STILL considered a fossil fuel, and therefore has to be drilled fom the ground, and WILL eventually come short just as gasoline is now. It may be cheap now, but when it becomes more highly demanded, prices will skyrocket. Natural gas also emits 80 percent of the
greenhose gases that gasoline does, so it would clean up the atmosphere a little, but I believe we would still run into the problem we are having with gasoline right now.
Electricity- Using green electricity is potentially a great idea. You may still be connected to a main power grid, but by the using renewable sources for energy, the carbon footprint will become a lot smaller. Green electricity consists of things such as hydroelectricity, windmills,wind turbines and others which are renewable souces, not like petroleum which we have to drill out of the ground, which is also becoming scarce.
Hydrogen- Having all hydrogen powered cars would be pretty nice.I mean, not having to pump gas into your car and pay half of your paycheck in gas would definitely stimulate the economy, giving more money to the people to spend on things other than gas. it hasn't been totally figured out , but only having to put water into your car to make it run is the future of automobiles. It wouldn't pollute the environment, but the drawback is using a whole bunch more water, and even though it is circulated through the water cycle, i believe it could lead to a dry spell, or a worldwide drought.
Propane-It may burn cleaner than gasoline, but it seems like propane is more of an inconvenience. With less gas mileage, you will spend more time at the gas pump than its really worth. Conversion kits are reasonably cheaper as well, but propane isnt available at most gas stations.If you are stranded, you are virtually screwed. Yes, propane won't hurt the atmosphere as bad as gasoline, but its not too far from it....its not really worth the hassle.
Biodiesel-This is actually the only biofuel to pass the Clean Air Act, proving it shows no harm to human health. Using biodiesel in
a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. The drawback id taht since it is made from corn,soy, and other plant matter, food sources could become lessened, and if a farm or cropland is destroyed, and fuel is not able to be made,we would have nothing to rely on.
Methanol-the production of methanol itself seems hypocritical, for it creates lots of excess CO2, only creating a small amount of energy for the the energy used to create it. It doesn't make any sense. Methanol is also extremely corrosive, having to be handled with extreme care when being transported which is not worth the hassle.
P-series-Not widely advertised, p series fuel seem like a green solution. Especially since they are recycling biomass which would otherwise be thrown away.
Personally, I believe green electricity is the best bet at the moment. It is easy to manufacture, and creates minimal harm to the environment. It may cost more than standard electricity, but I think once it becomes more widely used and produced it will become fairly reasonable.
Angelica-I disagree, the car that runs off of water is not going to cause any problems such as the country's fighting ir going to war. The oceans are international waters so no country that I know of owns the oceans or anything of that sort. I do agree with you on the methanol not being the best choice in an alternative fuel and yes from what i've read ethanol and biodisel do reduce pollution but like you said we are using items that are vital to our lives. So i don't think that it is the best idea to use ethanol or biodisel.
ReplyDelete(i have not read to much on biodisel i will do a little more research on that).
well first of all, biofuels have their pros and cons. they are created to help the environment but sometimes they can wind up being more harmful than helpful.
ReplyDeletei think a car that runs off of water would be awesome. Jonte is right about the whole international water thing. The only problem the car that runs off of water presents is the fact you would have billions of people in the US alone trying to use the ocean as their source of water which could possibly cause the ocean to lose more water than it should.
I think that the electricity idea would be the best because it would be easy to just hook a car up to a battery at night and charge it. But the price would be veryy high also! Electricity is used SO MUCH EVERYWHERE, and that would be more added on to the electricity already used so it would be very costly.
ReplyDelete& i agree with angelica about the Methanol being a bad idea to use..because like she said it would make the corn and wheat prices higher, making it worse for the people that buy those products.
1. Ethanol: it is good because it can be produced domestically and it is a renewable recource. The cons are the price is going to sky rocket on corn another is that it is only widely avalible in the mid-west.
ReplyDelete2. Natural gas: this contains 45% less CO2 wich is definately a plus! it is also very easy to transport through pipelines. The down fall is if it leaks it can contribute to greenhouse emmisions.
3. Electricity: It is good because it is a lot cheaper than gasoline, but just electricity wont get you very far without having to recharge..
4. Hydrogen:Is a widely avalible resouce, the only emmison is water, it also has higher milage. A con is there is no redistribution system.
5. Propane: It is very dangerous! But it is cheaper and much cleaner.
6.Biodiesel: It is remnewable and can be used from any diesel engine. Milage is higher but it can contribute to other pollutants in the atmosphere.
7. Methanol: It is quiet and powerful. they burn cleaner and have a lower carbon emmison that gasoline. A con is it may have trouble starting a cold engine and the storage of this will be hard to do.
8. P-series fuels: they are cleaner and 70% renewable. a con is a special car will have to be used.
I believe that electricity may be the best thing to use because it doesnt have many emmisions. Maybe they can regenerate a car to run longer on electricity. Or even create a hybrid but instead of using gasoline use a different biofuel.
I think I agree with Hollis about electricity being a good idea because it is efficient to just plug the car in... but you have to consider taking long trips like I do to go home to Philly... I am pretty sure the car will not last 9 hours and you cannot just stop to plug up ya know?
ReplyDeleteThe thing with natural gas is that it is as Chrissy said, still a fossil fuel and will eventually run out, so there in lies the problem, even though it is very eco-friendly.
Ethanol is an environmental hazard and I do not think it should be used in general.
Hydrogen is cool and I have heard things about the production of hydrogen cell cars. The only issue is where the hydrogen will be stored and how much will be in supply.
Well I think of propane I think of BBQ... I just cant imagine using propane to fuel a car because of the low mileage it would get and how much money youd wind up forking over.
Biodesiel would be pretty cool because the sites show that it is the only one that would really not harm humans as much.
Methanol is just a bad choice to even consider because of the drawbacks. the co2 emissions and cost alone can turn a person away from using the methanol.
I am actually curious about what Clinton was talking about with using the algae for fuel. I may have to research that myself just to see what would go on with that one...
and here are my cons
ReplyDeleteEthanol: contributes to global warming, green house gas is emitted has to use diesel powered equipment to get it
Natural Gas: will be imported, sold for 24,590, so it is very exspensive
Electricity: comes from low hydro wind farms in ontario
P-series: not widely used, requires a flex-fuel vehicle
Hydrogen: you would have to learn to switch
Menthanol: corrosive miles per gallon ratio is bad, hasters global warming
Biodiesel: moreland will be used, used for biofuel not for food
Propane: avaibility, fuel milage, hard time gettitng smells
1. Ethanol-easily available source of fuel. Lower emissions of CO2, reduces the amount of smog, Provides jobs for farmers who need to grow the crops to make the fuel. However, crops that were meant for the stores will now be meant for the gas tank. You can't eat them anymore, so there will be a higher demand for the crops, and a lower supply.
ReplyDelete2. Natural Gas-fewer emissions than gasoline or diesel, clean-burning.
However, it is still a fossil fuel, and it will eventually run out, and there are very few fuel stations open to the public.
3. Electricity-runs on fuel cells that do not have harmful emissions. No need for fuels.
However, I have heard that the electric cars have issues with the batteries, and If you have a long road trip, how will that work? Will there be places where people can stop and recharge their cars?
4. Hydrogen-Hydrogen produces less emissions, but the main issue to my understanding is where will the hydrogen be stored because I think the hydrogen and oxygen are kept separated in the engine until they are combined, or something like that. (it's probably wrong).
5. Propane-already widely used, so there is a set structure for delivering the gas. However, it is a byproduct of natural gas processing, which means that Propane is produced through the processing of a fossil fuel.
6. Biodiesel-makes it possible to fuel a vehicle from vegetable oil, which would be pretty awesome. I'd really like my car to smell like french fries. It is biodegradable and reduces emissions. However, you would need to convert your engine to allow for the use of biodiesel.
7. Methanol-similar to ethanol in its use. Potent fuel that allows for a greater efficiency than gasoline. However, companies have stopped manufacturing cars with engines that can run on methanol. It is extremely corrosive, and gets about 51% of the efficiency of gasoline.
8. P-series-don't need to be mixed with gasoline. 70% renewable. Reduced emissions. However, it is not readily available, and very few companies produce it. Requires a flex fuel engine.
All of these fuels have one problem: they do not have the same efficiency as gasoline. These fuels do not get the same mileage as one tank of gas, so they may be cheaper and more affordable, but they will end up costing more in the long run.
The best fuel would be electricity. It has no emissions, is cleaner, and despite all of the protesting on the blog about the cost, is it really that much more expensive to charge up your car than to fill it up with gasoline?
After reading these links my ideas on alternative fuels are basically the same. Years ago when i herd about biofuels i thought that it would be a great idea. You know just grow some corn and have fuel; however i now know that to be a bad solution. Using any form of plant matter to fuel cars and other things is working backwards. It would take up far to much land and call for deforestation, if we can afford to grow that amount of food we should do it for the good of the starving people in the world not our cars!!! It would lead to massive deforestation and create major problems in the natural balance of things.
ReplyDeleteI am also against most forms of chemically induced reactions to produce energy. These reactions tend to still emit harmful gases and while it partially solves the problem it really just prolongs it. Not to mention many gases in liquid form are very expensive.
Electricity however I feel is a great alternative to other fuels; however their is a catch. Currently producing energy is, like holis said, very expensive. It also typically requires burning, and therefore releasing CO2, to produce. I Believe that the flaw that needs to be fixed lies in physics and chemistry not the car industry. If we can master nuclear fusion we would have all the energy we need. In nuclear fusion so much energy is produced that it is almost 100% efficient. It also emits very little waist. The current problem is that to fuse hydrogen atoms we need temperatures nearly reaching that of the sun which we cannot harness yet. Once we discover how to do this, which we are not far from, We can convert all things in the world to electric power. The way to accomplish this is to successfully cold fuse hydrogen, which means to fuse it at nearly room temperature.
Now i understand that my choice is not invented yet which is why i think we should just conserve as much as possible and use other earlier discussed versions of fuel until we discover how to cold fuse hydrogen. 8^)
After reading all of the articles it seemed like ethanol had the fewest cons and the most pros. So I'm thinking that ethanol might be the best out of that list. It is made from a renewable resource, it is cheap and easy to make, and it reduces carbon monoxide and dioxide emissions. One con is that it does not get as many miles per gallon as gasoline. But at least it is renewable, while gasoline is not. I also like the idea of electric cars, but it might take too long too charge and as Matt said it might not last on long trips. Well I was thinking that maybe you could combine the two kinda like the hybrid cars that are out today. You could utilize the pros of both while canceling out some of the cons.
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for the most efficiency then i believe electricity is the best alternative-fuel. But it isn't ideal, for it would be difficult to take long trips!
ReplyDeleteSo i think bio-diesel would be the best choice. It greatly reduces emissions and is biodegradable. I think its the best choice because it wouldn't have as bad as an affect on humans as the others.
Sorry if my wording is confusing ;] my minds all jumbled..
after taking a little better look at algae, i immediately decided it is not a very viable option due mostly to the amount of room a harvesting center would take up. for example, if algae was to completely replace ALL petroleum used in the US, it would require an area of land approximately the size of Maryland. with that said, and without nuclear fusion being realistic currently ↑, electricity and hydrogen split my vote, but slightly more towards electricity. they would both require transitioning of vehicles, but hydrogen fuel cells havent been made very efficient yet. so i guess i say electricity gets my official vote, with hydrogen a close second.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading all of these articles. I definatley think I learned a lot about biofuels i didn't know before.
ReplyDelete1. Ethanol: It can boost our economy by saving our national budget. Farmers will be able to plant more crops. the negative to this is that it takes up more land and an argument is it can cause a loss of habitats for animals and plants. There will be less emissions but it does emit enough to produce a Nitro oxide greenhouse gas effect.
2.Natural Gas: This gas emits less Carbon monoxide and there are cars like the honda civic GX that can run off of the fuel. A benefit is greener cars may be able to ride in the carpool lane and have tax incentives. The negatives are a shorter driving range, the amount of money spent on the car and the amount of fueling stations.
3.Electricity: This source lowers your home "Carbon Footprint" and does not have to be maintained or monitored. Which is a huge positive! The negative though is it's more expensive and the storage is difficult to figure out. If you're looking to be independent this probably is not the best way to get off of the power grid, it keeps you on it!
4.Hydrogen: This source is the cheapest way to "go green" with your car. There is a course with books on how to build and install the right equipment. I think it takes a lot of work but it has to be the best way. It runs off of water how much more awesome and easy can it get?
5.Propane: This source is very popular and can run on any angle, it's cheaper, and it's dependable. It burns cleaner, and has no spillouts or runovers. The only negatives are it's availability, it's power percentage (74) compared to gas, the smell of it while driving, and you get a smaller amount of miles to the gallon.
6. Biodiesal Fuel: It's biodegradable and can be made from vegetable oil. I remember this being advertised on channel one news. I literally saw someone pour it into their car straight out of the bottle. It's a way to take waste and reuse it!
7.Methanol: It's a very powerful form of fuel, but is less efficient than gasoline and car companys have stopped making cars that use methanol.
8. P-series: This fuel is used straight and doesn't require a mixing of any kind. It is 70% renewable and is cleaner and less toxic than gasoline. The cons are its availability and to use it you must have a flex fuel vehicle. But it also turns waste into useable fuel.
I think alternative fuels are the best way to go. A small step like this one if taken by many people around the world could help our ecologic footprint not be so huge and negative. We wanna save the earth not kill it!!!Conserve conserve conserve!
ok so i was reading everyone elses comments about electricity and everyone's main concern is that will cost a lot of money so i was wondering would it be possible to set up solar panels at everyhome and some how transfer the energy consumed into the car to provide battery life?
ReplyDeleteidk it seems like a good idea to me but i'm not sure it's possible?
i don't think ethanol is a good choice because like mrs b said in class it would cause things like cereal to become really expensive, but it might be one of the easier things do because of availablilty
ReplyDeletenatural gas seems to be a good choice seeing as people already use it in daily life and it produces less harmful emmissions than gasoline
with electricity a battery powered car sounds awesome. a lot easier and definitely helpful to the environment, like i was saying before i really want to know if we couls somehow use natural energy from the sun to reduce major costs???
hydrogen- i don't really understand this one. how could you store it in a tank?
propane- its already used and many like it so it would seem like a good option to consider but i don't know if i like the idea of less miles to the gallon..
biodesiel- this would be pretty sweet to actually put into action. its recycling in a very unique way :)
methanol- it seems pointless to even consider this because car companies don't make cars that use this fuel anymore and it emits a lot of co2 in the air.. so bump that!
p series-this is one isn't high up on my list. although its a flex fuel its not produced by a lot of companies so obviously its not popular.. and also not very available
i'm in between electricity and biodesiel. i think both are very good optionss :)
i want to know if my solar panel idea would work? :)
Any of the Physics guys want to jump on board with Emilee's question about the solar panels?
ReplyDeleteI think ethanol is a pretty good choice for bio fuel. While the price may fluctuate, ethanol can improve emissions quality when it's combined with gasoline. It is better for the environment than gasoline, and helps vehicles produce less carbon emissions. Relying on ethanol would also support farmers and create more domestic jobs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
ReplyDelete1. Ethanol=low carbon emissions, available, and good for the economy.
ReplyDelete2. Natural gas=few emissions, and very available in many parts of the world. But: slow process of creating it, and it has safety concerns
3. Electricity=maintenance and monitoring free, reduce carbon footprint. But: not energy independent, still connected to main power grid
4. Hydrogen=We learned in AP Biology that hydrogen could screw up the water cycle and thus our weather.
5. Propane=burns cleaner, cheaper, higher octane, safe, no maintenance. But: low mileage, smelly, lower availability
6.Biodiesel=safe, biodegradable, reduces air pollutants. But: might lead to more killing of animals.
7. Methanol=high octane, blendable. But: corrosive, net increase of CO2
8. P-series fuels=clean, 70% renewable. But: restricted availability, requires a flex fuel car.
I personally believe that electricity is the way to go to replace gasoline. I believe that electricity is the cleanest fuel with the most benefits. While electricity may have some issues with cars going on long trips, I think with more research, these issues could be overcome. I also believe that the majority of the biofuels in these articles have promising benefits, so I think the ideal solution is to find a way to make a car that could be compatible with all of the fuels, so that people have choices.
1. Ethanol=little carbon emissions and is readily available
ReplyDelete2. Natural gas=little emissions, but very slow to create
3. Electricity=no need for much maintenance but is still attached to the main power source
4. Hydrogen=good but can really screw up the weather
5. Propane=clean but very low mileage
6.Biodiesel=good for enviornment but may lead to a animal concern
7. Methanol=good combustion but ends up releasing more emissions
8. P-series fuels=is very renewable but you have to have a flex fuel car
Well i think that renewable is the way to go but there will still be people like me who will want to drive their classic cars that take good old gasoline.
natural gas- less emissions of harmful gases, there is a limited supply, gives less mileage per gallon and it will still made us depend on other countries to get it so it will be the same as with oil
ReplyDeleteelectricity- it is cheaper and has less emissions but it is difficult to store it
propane- convertion kits are cheap, requires little maintenance, burn clearer than gas but it gives less mileage per gallon and its availability is limited
methanol- more efficient than gas, requires special materials to be storage, emits more co2 gives less mileage per gallon, and it has to be blend with gasoline
p-series- requires natural gas and ethanol, and the good thing is that it also uses waste and has less emissions than gas.
Mrs. B!! No one wants to answer my question :(
ReplyDeleteHey Emilee, im not really a physics guy but ill see if i can help here.
ReplyDelete1. Hydrogen would be in liquid form, stored in a tank like gasoline.
and 2. I remember when researching the solar panel idea for the prairie project this thing called photovoltaics, if im spelling it correctly. It is a way to convert solar panel collections directly into electricity. Not sure if its available on a small enough scale for a car, but its something you might want to check out for what youre asking.
Well Clinton, I was interested in your step in algae... but thanks for shootin that down...
ReplyDeleteIt sounded interesting until the information you stated above, now I am kinda upset it didnt work =[ that woulda been cool if it woulda worked more efficiently.
Just wanted to say that another option to be considered is nanotechnology. Im currently doing an extensive research paper on nanotechnology and its application to alternative forms of fuel and energy. Through Nanotechnology, scientist have been able to develop a much more effective solar cell. The new solar cell is made from nanotubes and it is much much more efficient and flexible than its silicon based predecessor. Current solar cells are silicon based which makes them rigid and fragile, also they are only about 25% efficient. The nano alternative is much more efficient and flexible and can even be painted on substances, which extrapolates the possibilities of its uses far beyond the silicon solar cell. Another thing that nanotechnology is making progress in is the use of hydrogen as a fuel source. In the recent past, hydrogen was not a feasible source of fuel for automobiles due to the fact of storing it. The current technology could not store enough hydrogen for long enough to make it worth while. A group of nanotech scientist have come up with a nano tech sponge that store and holds the hydrogen very effectively and at much greater amounts, which has allowed for hydrogen to become a much more viable source of energy. There are so many possibilities with nanotechnology and alternative fuels so i just wanted to add that into the mix of other options.
ReplyDeletesounds good.....but what are the drawbacks to the "sponge" thats absorbs the hydrogen? or is it just not fully developed yet?
ReplyDeleteits not fully developed yet... currently it has to be kept below room temp for it to work... but the development of it has opened many other doors that have led to other advances and they are currently working on the "sponge" and improving it.
ReplyDeleteok thanks.
ReplyDelete