permaculture

["Luomuvegaaniverkosto" <von-fi@elonmerkki.net>]

Thanks for the interesting info on hydrogen.

There's a lot to focus on, but since it seems that natural biogas is used
as a source for hydrogen production and methane has a role in
transportation of hydrogen through the pipelines, it is good to also have
an eye on german research on biogas production potential through
fermentation of white clover, which states an amount corresponding to
3300-4700 liters of diesel fuel from one hectare in a year:

Stinner, Walter; Möller, Dr. Kurt and Leithold, Prof. Dr. Günter (2005)
Biogaserzeugung im viehlosen Betrieb: Effekte auf Stickstoffmanagement,
Erträge und Qualität  [Biogas production in a stockless farming system:
Effects on nitrogen management, yield and quality].

Möller, Dr. Kurt; Stinner, Walter; Deuker, Arno and Leithold, Prof. Dr.
Günter (2005) Biogaserzeugungspotential aus Gülle und Koppelprodukten in
viehhaltenden und viehlosen Betriebssystemen des ökologischen Landbaus
[Potential of biogas production by using slurry and coupled products in
organic farming systems with and without animal husbandry].

both can be found from Organic Eprints database at http://orgprints.org :

Diesel engines can propably use biogas as a fuel, (maybe with 10 % of
biodiesel), so that can be used in production of electricity and heat
(usefull at least in north). In transportation, I don't know how much
there is difference in between production of tanks for compressed biogas
and tanks for compressed hydrogen. Anyway, I wouldn't either hype
biodiesel as a solution for overconsumption of energy and unnecessary
transportation, but it can be used without any changes in the existing
diesel engine or fuel tank, without producing new engines with or without
more advanced technology. So biodiesel can be used as long as diesel
engines do exist in the world and we can still research the hydrogen even
though that wouldn't be available for everyone in the near future, even if
mass produced.

Orava Ituparta


>   Here is a very interesting article from the Environmental Research
> Foundation about the toxicity of diesel and the severe health problems
> it causes. I suspect that that PURE bio-diesel fuel might reduce the
> severity of the problem, but I am still left wondering whether
> bio-diesel is really any kind of a long-term solution.
>
> It seems to me that a more important first step -- before we start
> 'pushing' bio-diesel -- is to make FULL-use of today's technology to
> reduce the size of our vehicles and dramatically increase fuel
> efficiency. Today's hybrids are getting only 55-60 mpg, while RMI's
> hypercar designs (see bottom of the page at
> http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid18.php ) demonstrate that 150-200 mpg
> are possible with today's technology -- and NONE of the hypercar
> technology involves diesel.
> <mailto:rachel-replies@rachel.org>
>
>