Re: HOW FORD PLANS TO CUT AUTO EMISSIONS

From: G. R. L. Cowan (gcowan_at_eagle.ca)
Date: 10/11/04 

Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 13:47:11 -0400

hanson included:
>
> Don't hope for fossil oil to get scarce or to run out! Not a chance.
> Ain't gonna happen. Listen. Initially, "they" say the earth had an
> anaerobic envelope:~0 % O2. Present was only (relevant) CO2 and
> Carbonates. Photosynth. etc. has liberated by now ~21% free O2 into
> the air: That translates into ~1E+21 gr or ~1E+15 tons of available O2.
> So, each 32 gr O2 buried somewhere 12-14 gr = 1 C (max CH4). Hence,
> there is 1E+21 * 12/32 = 5E+20 gr or ~ 5.E+14 tons of fossil C in store,
> buried somewhere. So, at a current use of 3E+15 gr/yr of oil, the fossil
> stuff will be reoxydised in 5E+20 gr/3E+15 gr/yr =~ 1.5E+05 years!.
>
> Alas, no EARLIER than in 150'000 years from now will all the fossil carbon
> be burned.

But perhaps quite a bit earlier, if 3e15 g/y burn rate,
supposing that's right, were slavishly continued,
all the fossil carbon whose combustion would yield more energy
than would be taken in setting up said combustion, would be gone.

Minor detail.

--- Graham Cowan, former hydrogen fan
http://www.eagle.ca/~gcowan/Paper_for_11th_CHC.doc --
How individual mobility gains nuclear cachet

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