Methane as a replacement for petroleum
Why aren't we using methane to power our vehicles? Global warming is here and the effects are presenting themselves in the arctic with the permafrost melting and the oceanic clathrates. Why not use it to help? I have read of a farmer who collected the methane from cows to heat the milking barn in the winter, so it can be done, the science is there.
In the book, "The Long Emergency" by James Kunstler, the author advises us that we have peaked in our oil exploration and production. It's all downhill from here folks. Methane is a light hydrocarbon just a few less atoms per molecule than oil. With the global warming advancing on us, we going to be dealing with this anyway,so let's make the best of it and perhaps delay the end of our species.
In the book, "The Long Emergency" by James Kunstler, the author advises us that we have peaked in our oil exploration and production. It's all downhill from here folks. Methane is a light hydrocarbon just a few less atoms per molecule than oil. With the global warming advancing on us, we going to be dealing with this anyway,so let's make the best of it and perhaps delay the end of our species.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ron Everitt on -
So where does methane come from?
W.D.J.D.
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Permalink Reply by Greg M on -
Methane is a gas, which I believe you are well aware of. Yah, sure, this could go on and on as a funny thread but this is not a joke. We do not have a renewable resource in oil, so where is the fuel going to come from in the future? Coal, no way. You know that it is a contributer to the planet's global warming. What is going to power our economy? Picken's is so right to get off the oil but we have to replace it with some other fuel source, the best of which would be renewable for our children and grandchildren sakes.
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Permalink Reply by neil cox on -
Methane CH4 is found near the ocean bottom in an unstable compound of water and methane. A practical way to harvest is still likely decades in our future. Most animals, especially cows, burp and fart methane. I don't think there is a cost effective way to harvest this methane. Methane can be harvested from animal poop, and other biological waste products, possibly cost effective soon. 99% of the comercial methane comes from wells similar to oil wells, and as a byproduct of oil. Natural gas and CNG = compressed natural gas are mostly methane.
We may have 20 more years before peak oil, but no years of cheap oil, except when Opec decides it is time to discourage alternatives.
The USA government bueacracy is the main deterent to CNG as a vehicle fuel. Global warming will likely kill a few humans, but it will be a minor factor in the extintion of humans, who will possibly be around for several billion more years. Neil
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Permalink Reply by Ron Everitt on
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Thanks Neil,I thought it was the same gas. Here in Indiana it went over for just? awhile by the big push of heaping solid waste then harvest the gas it created. Of another issue you once asked of,maybe I had it twisted. Maybe it was that T. Boone on Wall Street was well known as a Corperate Raider. I don't have time to know much about Wall Street when about mid-month anymore my billfold flatlines.
W.D.J.D.
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Permalink Reply by Greg M on
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Thank you for your comments Neil and Ron. When you can, I recommend reading James Hansen's newest book. In his book, he is trying to be our Paul Revere and let everyone know what is coming. The book is not an easy read. He is one of our foremost authorities and has been muzzled by the Bush administration.
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Permalink Reply by neil cox on
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Hi Ron, I think of three ways corporations raid other corporations and businesses. Hire their best employees, find ways to get around patents and intellectual property laws and the hostile take over = buy up enough shares so they can vote out the current management and move in their own managers. Most corporations do all three, if they think it will help their bottom line. Likely T. Boone Pickens does not approve, but if he interferes with top management, this makes for trouble, so likely it has happened in corporations where Boone was a big share holder. Neil
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Permalink Reply by Ron Everitt on
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That's much the defination I thought Neil with exception of moving out old management and moving in new. But I guess raiding means raiding. What you said maybe what happened and I missed it that T. Boone was a victim of corperate raiding,thanks for the reply/defination.
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Permalink Reply by Tom Bailey on -
WOW;
My county is finally engaging into allowing a company to come in and capture the meth gas at our larger landfill.
Awareness is catching on.
Go to my page and click on the link to send message to the house committee regarding Nat Gas act.
Best; Tom
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Permalink Reply by Ron Everitt on
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I don't know,I kind of oppose landfills...
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Permalink Reply by neil cox on
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Hi Ron: Numerous variations on the incinerator have been built over the centuries as an alternative to landfills. Until recently all of them emitted dangerous levels of dioxin and/or other toxic substances. If carbon dioxide emissions are bad, the closed system incinerators may be cost effective, especially if USA adopts boo-hiss carbon credits. These new design incinerators use plasma arcs, extreme power microwaves, or very hot flame. Some flame is produced unless the free oxygen is removed from the trash, by all these methods. The byproducts of these processes are water vapor, ash and fuel, all three of which are likely to have trace.amounts of nasty polutants such as dioxin. Has anyone seen what might be honest reports of how much dioxin and other toxins enter our environment indirectly as well as directly from any of these new pilot plant systems?
There are other alternatives to landfill, I call my plan recycle 2: On Saturdays volunteers do an extra trash collection in which home owners are encouraged to put out only trash that might be useful to someone sometime. Other volunteers sort the trash, so we have the equivalent of a poor man's Walmart, except nearly everything is free. Some items would change hands several times over a decade, before reaching a land fill etc. That is an important advantage for reducing consumption of nonrenewable resources and polution. Disadvantages are some fuel is used moving the stuff to the recycle site, and by the "customers" of recycle 2. There also is some cost, for miscellaneous overhead which donations may not cover fully, such as volunteers who get sick or injured due to the trash. Volunteers would be encouraged to take home what ever they wished, and they typically get first choice before the "customers.. The new stuff manufactures and their retailers will be unhappy about the unfair competition. How can they undersell free? Neil
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