Re: Sunflower oil - a diesel fuel subsititute?

From: Ragnarok (lsct2004_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 11/02/04 

Date: 2 Nov 2004 02:24:29 -0800

"Chris R. Lee" <chrislee.fedupwithspm@freesurf.fr> wrote in message news:<1099340706.34482.0@iris.uk.clara.net>...
> It's one possible source. In France, biofuels ("diester" for diesel and
> ethanol as oxygenate for petrol) are added to fossil fuels. Production is
> several hundred kt per year and will shortly be increased.
>
> The price is about twice that of fossil fuel equivalents, so the industry
> survives at present by means of tax rebates. The payback is security (less
> dependence on supply sources that may be unreliable in the short term and
> will be in the long term), respect for neighbours (Kyoto), pacifying the
> agricultural lobby, and - in the longish term as production increases -
> price.
>
> Regards
>
>
> "Maximus" <frazzle@swampy.com> a écrit dans le message de news:
> cm5vvc$mnu$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> > I have heard from the grapevine that sunflower oil is an ideal substitute
> to
> > diesel fuel. Is this true?
> >
> >

  Guys, diesel fuel is a lot cheaper than anything obtained from
agriculture. The reason the prices are so high (and it's the same for
alcohol, tobacco, etc) is the abnormally high taxation. Keep in mind
that the planet is heading for a full-scale global food crisis, and
turning fertile land into "bio-fuel fields" is not going to be easy.
Meanwhile, Brazil uses only ethyl alcohol or alcohol/gasoline mixtures
for fuel. They have huge areas of land used for
sugarcane-->molases-->alcohol, but this also poses poblems (like
burning the leaves and residue, unemployment except at the time of
harvesting, etc.).
  For the time being, and for a limited number of vehicles, this may
be an option. And if you live in an european country, paying more than
1$/liter of gasoline, it would be quite interesting to use ethanol
instead of gas. But that means making your own from grain or potatoes.
Here, in Romania, I can buy corn for less than $0.25/kilo, so it would
be worth it. I am still looking into it.

                      Iulian

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