[Changleen]

Cool stuff is afoot in NZ's sewage works...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3665147a7693,00.html

Firm claims biofuel breakthrough
12 May 2006
By DAN HUTCHINSON

A Marlborough company says it has made a huge breakthrough in alternative fuel by turning sewage waste into a diesel substitute.

After eight months of research, the international team of New Zealand-based scientists yesterday announced it had successfully turned sewage algae into biofuel.

Nick Gerritsen, director of Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, said many people were finding it hard to believe that a viable fuel had been developed so quickly.

The company was now increasing its capacity to produce one million litres over the next year from the Blenheim sewage ponds.

High sunshine hours in Marlborough already produced quality wines and most of the country's salt, and it was the same sunny climate that made the fuel project successful.

Aquaflow spokesman Barrie Leay said the company had achieved a world first with the commercial production of biodiesel outside the laboratory.

The resulting product could be added to regular diesel, bulking it up without any need for engine modifications.

Far from pooh-poohing the idea, the Marlborough District Council had welcomed the company into its sewage ponds, because the process provided a way of cleaning up excess algae.

"The market potential for this product is almost unlimited in the peak-oil environment we are in, as there is now a global demand for biodiesel of billions of litres per year," Leay said.

Production of the necessary algae was enhanced by high sunshine, and Leay said that was why the oxidation ponds at the Wairau Lagoons were chosen.

"We expect to produce one million litres of biodiesel a year from Blenheim," Leay said.

Gerritsen said the process had been designed so that plants could be set up at sewage ponds anywhere, providing a large quantity of fuel close to markets. The new fuel could also be made from dairy farm effluent and waste from food-producing factories.

The Government has a target of five per cent biofuel in its diesel by 2008.

Leay said their production would help meet those targets and increase the ratio to 20% as production increased.

Gerritsen said the one million litres produced from the Blenheim ponds would be a commercial-scale trial. It was a drop in the bucket compared with what could be produced from sewage ponds round the country.

Aquaflow had applied for government funding and would also raise money from a share float.

Gerritsen said there had been considerable interest in the product overseas.

He said the United States Department of Energy had identified algae as the most promising large-scale source of alternative fuel after the last oil shock.

 

[H8R]

Cool stuff is afoot in NZ's sewage works...

This will catch on in the states like WILDFIRE!



Oh, wait. No it won't.

Nevermind.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i wonder if there will be any funny smell...
diesel smells funny already.

 

[H8R]

i wonder if there will be any funny smell...
diesel smells funny already.

Biodiesel exhaust from vegetable oil smells like french fries.

Who knows what algae based smells like. Burning swamp?

 

[valve bouncer]

I heard that you get crap mileage although the price difference sh*ts all over the opposition.

 

[H8R]

I heard that you get crap mileage although the price difference sh*ts all over the opposition.

??

From biodiesel?

You get way better mileage than gasoline engines. Same mileage as petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel is better for the engines too.

 

[DaveW]

I have been tempeted by This But hey It's a fiat..... But

The charger with spare lead is on-board and plugs into any 240V 3 pin socket for charging away from home.
This allows a range of 100km per day - much greater than the 30km per day the average driver does.

Cost to Run is $2 for 40km = 1/3 the cost of petrol.
$1 is for electricity and $1 is for Road User Charges.

This is also tempting.....

 

[valve bouncer]

??

From biodiesel?

You get way better mileage than gasoline engines. Same mileage as petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel is better for the engines too.

No no mate it's true. The government in NZ is said to be actively looking at this proposal but they're really just going through the motions. If it's not approved they'll just dump it on the market.

 

[DaveW]

No no mate it's true. The government in NZ is said to be actively looking at this proposal but they're really just going through the motions. If it's not approved they'll just dump it on the market.

This is due to NZ's strategic fuel management plan.
Up till now thanks to the maui field NZ has produced one third of all it's P.O.L (Petrolium, Oil, Lubricant) need's which is enough in an emergency situation to supply all our govenmental food distribution and public transport needs (not private vehicles/transport).
However as Maui is running out they are looking at other ways we can still have a strategic reserve capacity.... Not having a small oil/gas rich neighbour like Timor to bully, It's called insurance.

*edit* also.... why waste cash reserves on forign govenments/corperates buying oil when you can spend your cash in the domestic economy.

 

[valve bouncer]

Sigh, I give up.

 

[DaveW]

Damm

 

[ohio]

Sigh, I give up.

Don't let a few thick chunks block you up. You just keep on pushing.

 

[valve bouncer]

Don't let a few thick chunks block you up. You just keep on pushing.

Oh thank christ, thought I was bunged up there for a while.

 

[Echo]

Far from pooh-poohing the idea,

oh man where do they come up with this stuff