Re: Summation of Dr Olah's interview on Methanol



AKA Gray Asphalt wrote:

"Eeyore" <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message news:44CF0C10.E7E7D8ED@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


AKA Gray Asphalt wrote:

"K. Jones" <K. Jones@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Ok, I'll bite. Why methanol?

K. Jones

My understanding is that it can be produced from many sources, can be
delivered through present gasoline pumps and pipes, is relatively safe -
compared to hydrogen, produces little emmissions, and can be run in a way
(through a methanol battery) that will change co2 into something less
harmful. It can be produced from ethanol, as one of its sources.

It would be nuts to use energy to convert ethanol to methanol when ethanol
is
already a viable fuel in its own right.

But if methanol can be produced without crops and converted to ethanol then
any arguement for ethanol must apply to methanol minus the cost of
conversion but adding the advantage of having more ways to produce, no?

I'm not familiar with how your good Doctor intended to make his methanol I'm
afraid. 'Conversion' implies a possible energy loss so isn't to be done lightly.



Desirable fuels as petroleum replacements / substitutes should be liquids
at
room temp and pressure and compatible with exisiting fuel infrastructure.

Obvious candidates are methanol, ethanol and butanol for gasoline engines
and plant-oil derived bio-diesel for diesel engines !

Isn't butanol more complex of a structure than methanol, thereby creating a
more expensive and complicated conversion, etc.?

No. They are all ( methanol, ethanol, butanol ) alcohols.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol
Just like methane, ethane and butane are alkanes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkane
It's the number of carbon atoms in each that distinguishes them - not unlike the
individual components of petroleum fuels ( octane is C8H18 for example - 8
carbon atoms giving the 'oct' ).


Graham

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Denatured Alcohol for fuel?
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  • Re: Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon
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  • Re: Methanol -- back to the future
    ... they made methanol for $0.25 per gallon in the 1990's. ... Pure ethanol is considered too dangerous for the same reasons as pure ... ethanol has better energy density than methanol due to longer carbon ...
    (sci.energy)
  • Re: Bioethanol water mix (e.g. overproof Rum or vodka e.g. Stroh 80) as an engine fuel?
    ... catalytic action to keep the glow plug lit, ... model aircraft engine from OS that runs on a pure ethanol and oil mix. ... You can get denatured alcohol which is 85% ethanol and 15% methanol. ...
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