[RushCrush]

I've already solved this problem. My car runs efficiently on bald eagle heads.

[Rodney King]

While no one plans to put people into a thermal depolymerization machine, an intimate human creation could become a prime feedstock.

Ahh, turning liberals into oil. The dream is just too good to let go of.

[G32]

One of these days a cheap energy company will come out and flood the market with their product and all our problems will be over.

This will happen shortly after the tooth fairy pays me back with compounded interest several million bucks.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

I read about this some time ago. Finding a way not to depend on FOREIGN oil is key. Whether or not this is the answer, time will tell.

[Arkie2]

"If a 175-pound man fell into one end, he would come out the other end as 38 pounds of oil, 7 pounds of gas, and 7 pounds of minerals, as well as 123 pounds of sterilized water".

Soylent Green! Well, sort of. If you could eat it. Since it's so environmentally friendly maybe they could name it Green Soylent

[camle]

a fool and his money...

[wk4bush2004]

This is a great idea! It could solve our oil needs. We also wouldn't have to worry about sewage treatment.

[BadAndy]

"If a 175-pound man fell into one end, he would come out the other end as 38 pounds of oil, 7 pounds of gas, and 7 pounds of minerals, as well as 123 pounds of sterilized water"

It's also a solution to the problem of overcrowded prisons.

[AbeKrieger]

I get 75 miles per Tom Daschle I grind up.

[Servant of the 9]

Nothing new but the low cost claims.

You can bet they are hype to bring in investors and the true cost won't be significantly lower than current sources.

At least it's home grown.

SO9

[JerseyHighlander]

Check out a Wired magazine article about one year ago on the subject. It was the feature article. Also, Warren Buffett has a lock on the market alreday, and is said to be investing as much as necessary (over $200 million) to get this up and running.

[TheForceOfOne]

I'm waiting for Ted Kennedy and Michael Moore to beach themselves so that I can cut them up for heating oil.

[r9etb]

Technological savvy could turn 600 million tons of turkey guts and other waste into 4 billion barrels of light Texas crude each year

Lessee... 4 billion barrels at 55 gallons/barrel * 8 lbs per gallon = 880 million tons.

So apparently we can get greater than 100% mass efficiency on this miracle process.....

[ruiner]

I hate to point out the obvious . . . but if oil sells for $50 a barrel, these guys can make it for $15, why not patent the process and just sell it for $49 a barrel. That one dollar differences is BILLIONS in profit.

[Greg_99]

An article on this was posted here a couple of years ago. At that time they were building the plant for the Turkey Ofal. It's wonderful to see this coming to fruition.

[joesnuffy]

Oilent Green Is People

[Centurion2000]

Appel strides to a silver gray pressure tank that is 20 feet long, three feet wide, heavily insulated, and wrapped with electric heating coils. He raps on its side. "The chief difference in our process is that we make water a friend rather than an enemy," he says. "The other processes all tried to drive out water. We drive it in, inside this tank, with heat and pressure. We super-hydrate the material." Thus temperatures and pressures need only be modest, because water helps to convey heat into the feedstock. "We're talking about temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of about 600 pounds for most organic material—not at all extreme or energy intensive. And the cooking times are pretty short, usually about 15 minutes."

Once the organic soup is heated and partially depolymerized in the reactor vessel, phase two begins. "We quickly drop the slurry to a lower pressure," says Appel, pointing at a branching series of pipes. The rapid depressurization releases about 90 percent of the slurry's free water. Dehydration via depressurization is far cheaper in terms of energy consumed than is heating and boiling off the water, particularly because no heat is wasted. "We send the flashed-off water back up there," Appel says, pointing to a pipe that leads to the beginning of the process, "to heat the incoming stream."

The guy's a G-danged genius for thinking so far out of the box. Once it's explained it makes perfect sense.

[bvw]

"We will be able to make oil for $8 to $12 a barrel," says Paul Baskis, the inventor of the process. "We are going to be able to switch to a carbohydrate economy."

Somehow I doubt that number. About 35 gallons per barrel. A tenth of a ton. He may be assuming his feedstock is free or even taken for a profit . Once you have plants like these, competition with force feedstock price up. Hard to beat the price of pumped crude at the well-head.

[Ignatz]

While no one plans to put people into a thermal depolymerization machine,

Lib's will make it mandatory for babies and the handicapped, probably through some idiot judge somewhere.

[dalereed]

After the government entities add their combined taxes the $15/barrel puts it way above the world market price.