Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol

From ''The Times'', June 14, 2008:

They start out as industrial yeast or nonpathogenic strains of E. coli, but LS9 modifies them by custom-designing their DNA. Because crude oil is only a few molecular stages removed from the fatty acids normally excreted by yeast or E. coli during fermentation, it does not take much fiddling to get the desired result.

Using genetically modified bugs for fermentation is essentially the same as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, although the energy-intensive final process of distillation is virtually eliminated because the bugs excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.

"Our plan is to have a demonstration-scale plant operational by 2010 and, in parallel, we'll be working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility to open in 2011," says Mr Pal, adding that if LS9 used Brazilian sugar cane as its feedstock, its fuel would probably cost about $50 a barrel.

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Dyson working on "green" cars

The Independent informs us (22 June 2008):

Britain's most famous inventor Sir James Dyson, is working on a project that could lead to the creation of a fast, green car.

Engineers at his research laboratory in Wiltshire are developing a powerful lightweight motor that could enable electric cars to zoom along for hundreds of miles without causing pollution. Solar panels on their roofs or in garages would charge them with renewable energy.

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, the scientist forecast that electric cars would be "the future" of transport, and predicted they could outnumber petrol vehicles in as little as 10 years' time.

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Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation

The Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation of New Zealand has "set itself the objective to be the first company in the world to economically produce biofuel from wild algae harvested from open-air environments, to market it, and meet the challenge of increasing demand".

They inform us that their two-step process harvests algae directly from the settling ponds of standard Effluent Management Systems and other nutrient-rich water, and that the process can be used in many industries that produce a waste stream, including the transport, dairy, meat and paper industries.

Their FAQ adds that they showed a proof of concept in December 2006 with a normal diesel engine Landrover whose engine ran on a B5 blend (5% biodiesel mixed with petroleum diesel) created using biodiesel derived from algae harvested from effluent management system ponds.

Car owners 'turn to vegetable oil'

BBC Newsbeat, Monday, 16 June 2008:

With fuel prices rising by the day, more and more people are looking for cheaper ways to run their cars and many are choosing to fill up with vegetable oil.

When Chris Bennet runs out of fuel he doesn't stop at a petrol station, he goes to his local fish and chip shop.

"I'm lucky enough to have a friendly chip shop, I go over there and pick up a couple of buckets," he said.

He filters the oil through a sack in his shed then pours it straight into the fuel tank.

The car's been fitted with a conversion kit to allow the engine to run on vegetable oil.

Chris's company Veggie Power makes the kits and recently they've been selling more than ever.

(continues)

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Vapo to manufacture bio diesel raw material from peat

13 Dec 2007:

Vapo, the "State Fuel Centre" co-owned by the Finnish State and the forestry industry group Metsäliitto, will start turning swamp peat and wood into raw material for bio diesel. Vapo presented its diesel plans on Monday, and the final investment decision will be made in a couple of years’ time.

For Vapo the diesel plant is a large investment, as the facility comes with a price tag of around EUR 300 million. Vapo Group’s turnover in 2006 was EUR 600.9 million.

Vapo director Mikko Kara refers to Finland’s self-sufficiency in justifying the peat diesel project. "The securing of supply is an important criterion. For example, in the United States the armed forces' aim is that the entire military machinery run on domestic fuel", Kara says.

...

Vapo has the technical capability to produce crude oil from peat alone, but for environmental reasons this will not be the case. The European Union still considers peat a form of fossil fuel, despite the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has placed peat between biomass and fossil fuels in its ratings.

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