[ RadSafe ] query

Wed Dec 13 16:19:38 CST 2006

Franz is partially correct.  Oil seed crops such as soy and rapeseed [i.e. Canola] have been used to make bio-diesel.  The crops are bio-based.  However, since it is a diesel substitute, it cannot be used for "conventional fuel" [i.e. gasoline] - for that, there is bio-ethanol.  The largest producer in the world of bio-ethanol is Brazil, where it is made primarily from molasses via a fermentation process [not unlike the manufacture of rum].

Cutting edge research is trying to make it from bagasse[wood stalks left over from sugar cane], or other grasses, corn stover or even wood from the separation of lignin from the fermentable hemicellulose and cellulose.  Steam explosion has been tried but to little effect, though it does work better for corn than for grasses like sugar cane.  The real problem in using nuclear power to generate the heat, is one of transportation - a problem which persists for corn stover fermentation but not sugar cane, since the entire plant goes to the factory.  Sugar cane factories are already energy balanced, as they burn bagasse in their boilers to generate heat and electricity for their mills.

Regards,

Lorraine

PS - Sugar Cane is our 2nd largest cash crop after Forestry, which follows the petro-chemical industry in Louisiana.  Just thought you might like to know

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 2:34 PM
To: 'John R Johnson'; 'Bernard L. Cohen'; 'RadiatSafety'
Subject: AW: [ RadSafe ] query

John & al.

"Biodiesel" has been produced since long in Europe. It is   n o t  a
biological product, but is chemically produced by esterification of products
obtained from natural resources. 

It can be sold at competitive prices at the gas stations (or be used as an
admixture to conventional fuel) because tax for this kind of fuel is
dramatically less than for "conventional" fuel. Another possiblity to
promote it has been to introduce legislation which makes admixture of a
certain amount to diesel fuel compulsory! With other words: consumers pay
for it in one way or the other. 

Nuclear power has no connection with these considerations except as a
probably cheap source of heat...

Franz 

Franz Schoenhofer
PhD, MR iR
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
AUSTRIA
phone -43-0699-1168-1319

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: John R Johnson [mailto:idias at interchange.ubc.ca]
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 13. Dezember 2006 20:57
> An: Franz Schönhofer; 'Bernard L. Cohen'; 'RadiatSafety'
> Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] query
> 
> Franz et al
> 
> And biodiesel is now being concidered. See http://www.dieselnet.com/ .
> 
> John
>  _________________
> John R Johnson, Ph.D.
> *****
> President, IDIAS, Inc
> 4535 West 9-Th Ave
> Vancouver B. C.
> V6R 2E2
> (604) 222-9840
> idias at interchange.ubc.ca
> *****
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl]On
> Behalf Of Franz Schönhofer
> Sent: December 13, 2006 11:47 AM
> To: 'Bernard L. Cohen'; 'RadiatSafety'
> Subject: AW: [ RadSafe ] query
> 
> 
> Bernard,
> 
> I have problems to understand your message - simply because consideration
> of
> methanol as a fuel is several decades old. In the late 70's there was a
> project (not executed) to build a pipeline from Poland to Austria through
> which a slurry of coal in methanol should be sent to Austria to substitute
> power from the "cancelled" nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf.
> 
> Methanol has a much higher value concerning energy efficiency per liter
> compared to ethanol. Without doubt there are much higher costs for
> producing
> it than for ethanol. Of course it may be produced from wood - but at what
> costs? Heat is not the only cost factor. What about the tremendous amount
> of
> by-products, which to a small part could of course be used commercially,
> but
> the major part would cause a lot of costs for disposal? A simple
> reasoning:
> If this kind of producing fuel would be financially favourable the big oil
> companies would have changed to it since long. Thinking of this
> possibility
> this might have changed politics dramatically - no invasion of Iraq would
> have been taken place, not tens or hundreds of thousands of people would
> have died. Another question is whether wood is really so easily available
> and so cheap. This depends on the region, sure this is not the case in the
> middle east. I see again that comments by US citizens do not take into
> consideration that there is a world outside the USA. Regarding the use of
> for instance corn for fuel production I would question whether it is
> politically and ethically correct to use potential food to produce fuel
> for
> thirsty car engines.
> 
> My opinion is, that if it would have been really economically favourable,
> it
> would have been done since long.
> 
> Franz Schoenhofer
> PhD, MR iR
> Habicherg. 31/7
> A-1160 Vienna
> AUSTRIA
> phone -43-0699-1168-1319
> 
> 
> > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> > Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im
> > Auftrag von Bernard L. Cohen
> > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 13. Dezember 2006 19:46
> > An: RadiatSafety
> > Betreff: [ RadSafe ] query
> >
> >     With all the discussion of ethanol from corn as a fuel, why is there
> > no consideration of methanol which can be made from wood which is much
> > more easily grown (and more cheaply available).than corn? All that is
> > needed to convert wood into methanol is heat which could be obtained
> > from nuclear reactors -- no very high temperatures required.
> >
> > --
> > ÐÏà¡±á
> >
> >
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