Posted on 04/13/2004 10:24:01 AM PDT by m1-lightning
URBANA, Ill. - A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity.
Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said.
"This is making more sense in terms of alternative energy or renewable energy and strategically for reducing our dependency on foreign oil," said Zhang, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Definitely, there is potential in the long term."
The thermochemical conversion process uses intense heat and pressure to break down the molecular structure of manure into oil. It's much like the natural process that turns organic matter into oil over centuries, but in the laboratory the process can take as little as a half-hour.
A similar process is being used at a plant in Carthage, Mo., where tons of turkey entrails, feathers, fat and grease from a nearby Butterball turkey plant are converted into a light crude oil, said Julie DeYoung, a spokeswoman for Omaha, Neb.-based Conagra Foods, which operates the plant in a joint venture with Changing World Technologies of Long Island, N.Y.
Converting manure is sure to catch the attention of swine producers. Safe containment of livestock waste is costly for farmers, especially at large confinement operations where thousands of tons of manure are produced each year. Also, odors produced by swine farms have made them a nuisance to neighbors.
"If this ultimately becomes one of the silver bullets to help the industry, I'm absolutely in favor of it," said Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association.
Zhang and his research team have found that converting manure into crude oil is possible in small batches, but much more research is needed to develop a continuously operating reaction chamber that could handle large amounts of manure. That is key to making the process practicable and economically viable.
Zhang predicted that one day a reactor the size of a home furnace could process the manure generated by 2,000 hogs at a cost of about $10 per barrel.
Big oil refineries are unlikely to purchase crude oil made from converted manure, Zhang said, because they aren't set up to refine it. But the oil could be used to fuel smaller electric or heating plants, or to make plastics, ink or asphalt, he said.
"Crude oil is our first raw material," he said. "If we can make it value-added, suddenly the whole economic picture becomes brighter."
Zhang's site: Zhang's site: http://www.age.uiuc.edu/faculty/yhz/index.htm
While I whole heartedly support your statements, and am very pleased (on a personal note) to hear of your recommendation of Mr Riodan; I must disagree with your time table.
Given the price of oil at ~$30+, the national interest in relieving our dependance on (hostile) foreign nations, and the profit potential that TDP provides ... I think that 20 years is pretty pessimistic. Might I venture that the answer is closer to 5-10?
That's the case in any production of fuel. But, at 85% effeciency, it's in the right range of pumping and processing raw crude. Plus, we would be getting rid of millions of tons of waste saving us money. It's not profitable yet (no industry is at the beginning) but it has the potential of being very profitable.
This was the Achilles heel to the process, until Changing World Technologies came up with a brainstorm. Getting the water out of the material has been the most inefficient part of the process. It used to take MORE energy to dehydrate the material, than the material would produce. Here's the spin.
Heat the material to 300 F, under about 350 psi. Quickly remove the pressure, and the water/steam will immediately leave the material - reclaim the super-heated steam to pre-heat the next batch; then cool the steam and you have sterile water.
The rest of the process can now be done at much higher temperatures/pressures to do the 'cracking' process. The water is gone, and instead of burning energy to dehydrate, you used the water to efficient pre-heat the next batch. Problem solved.
Nothing, unfortunately; I'm not a chemical engineer. Obviously nitrates could be as much a problem in diesel exhaust as sulfur is in current diesel products. It needs to be looked at as do the other byproducts in fuel from this new process. However the efficiency of the process, if it holds up, will allow for additional refining of finished products to remove harmful contaminants without making the end products too expensive to use.
Having said all that, it just seems too good to be true. Nonetheless, I'd consider putting a few dollars (just a few mind you!) into the company if it was public.
It seems so unlikely for any conservative to be an advocate like you are for windmills, an alternative source of energy that isn't economic unless taxpayers are forced to pay the producers more than the market price for any electricity produced.
In other words... all this dreamy speculation is irrelivant for at least the next "20 years or more." By that time the phoney energy crisis will be resolved in some other, more conventional way. It happens repeatedly!!!
The laws of thermodynamics, economics and common sense make all this hoplessly laughable on it's face!!! (plus the timing)
Witness MTBE. Both the major oil companies and the EPA knew that MTBE contaminated groundwater as early as 1981 and they went ahead anyway. You can thank the Natural Resources Defense Council for that.
Absolutely nothing. But you are comparing bio-diesel with TDP; which are two totally and completely seperate processes. They literally have nothing in common, other than they can produce a fuel source.
Thermal De-Polymerization is a process in which just about any long hydrocarbon molecule is broken down into smaller molecules. Like in nature, the components are time, pressure and heat.
Biodiesels, on the other hand are usually fancy names for refined french fry oil. These are typically vegetable oil derivatives, which contain various ingredients for flavoring, preservatives and color. What these various 'ingredients' do, when used as a combustable fuel is something I cannot comment on; because I simply do not know.
However, chemically speaking, TDP uses the SAME ingredients that mother nature uses. The process is just sped up a few billion-fold.
"Irony" was the first word that popped into my head when I saw the headline.
The 1980's and 1990's were the best years for GRI. They did wonderful research in areas of natural gas exploration, processing, transportation and end use. It was mainly funded by a FERC surcharge on pipeline gas until the era of deregulation when the pipelines successfully fought for its removal. Some of the products that came out the research are in common use today by industry and GRI research in coal-bed methane technology, which allowed development and production of that gas, significantly expanded our domestic natural gas reserves.
No, not at all. Neither is newgeezer.
It seems so unlikely for any conservative to be an advocate like you are for windmills, an alternative source of energy that isn't economic unless taxpayers are forced to pay the producers more than the market price for any electricity produced.
It's a very small supplement. Wind is not the most expensive form of electricity by the way. All forms of power are supplemented in some way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.