Japanese make gasoline...

**epos159** · 03-03-2006, 07:10 AM

Hope this helps us save some $$ on gas

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060303/...ung_gasoline_1

TOKYO - Scientists in energy-poor Japan said Friday they have found a new source of gasoline — cattle dung.

Sakae Shibusawa, an agriculture engineering professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, said his team has successfully extracted 1.4 milliliters (0.042 ounces) of gasoline from every 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cow dung by applying high pressure and heat.

"The new technology will be a boon for livestock breeders" to reduce the burden of disposing of large amounts of waste, Shibusawa said.

About 500,000 metric tons (551,155 U.S. tons) of cattle dung are produced each year in Japan, he said.

Gasoline extracted from cow dung is unheard of, said Tomiaki Tamura, an official of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency. Japan relies almost totally on imports for its oil and gasoline needs.

The team, helped by staff from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology near Tokyo, produced gasoline by adding several unspecified metal catalysts to the dung inside a container and applying a 30-atmosphere pressure and heat of up to 300 degrees Celsius (572 Fahrenheit), Shibusawa said. Details of the catalysts could not be disclosed, he added.

The team hopes to improve the technology so that it can be used commercially within five years, Shibusawa said.

In a separate experiment revealing another unusual business potential for cow dung, another group of researchers has successfully extracted an aromatic ingredient of vanilla from cattle dung, said Miki Tsuruta, a Sekisui Chemical Co. spokeswoman. The extracted ingredient, vanillin, can be used as fragrance in shampoo and candles, she said.

Tsuruta said the vanillin was extracted from a dung solution in a pressurized cooker in a project co-organized by a Japanese medical research institute.

ebackhus · 03-03-2006, 08:03 AM

Este Pooper?

bry623 · 03-03-2006, 08:17 AM

That's total BS

ebackhus · 03-03-2006, 08:23 AM

On a more serious note now...

It seems that the procedure to extract fuel from waste seems to use quite a bit of energy as well! And at just 4/100th of an ounce from 3.5 ounces... They must have a very efficient extraction process using mecha or space radiation.

yustr · 03-03-2006, 09:25 AM

The extraction of fuel from biomass is not new. It’s called pyrolysis and has been around for centuries. This guy seems to have applied heat and pressure and that may change the properties of the resulting fuel but calling it “gasoline” is probably a misnomer. However, if 30 Atmosphere and 300C is close to the “supercritical point” where strange things begin to occur, I might pay more attention.

At normal temperatures and pressures, you usually get a gaseous product that is best suited for open flame type combustors – boilers come to mind. It would need to be cleaned and refined to be usable in most any type modern internal combustion engine. I suppose it could be condensed into a liquid. But you’re talking very low energy density compared to gasoline which has a high energy density.

And as EB points out, it appears to be inefficient. People have been extracting methane by digesting cow poop since the first farmer said “Eww that stinks…”. It remains a viable source of fuel in many parts of the world. Low tech. Low cost. Uses indigenous resources. But research has to start somewhere. Give the guy a few million and see what he comes up with…

Oh, you’ll still have large amounts of waste to handle…so hold your nose…

ebackhus · 03-03-2006, 09:30 AM

We're looking at the prospect of using methane emissions here in SA to produce electricity. It'd be extracted from the junkyards and used in some way to give us more juice. We're not starving for power or anything, in fact we give power to many surrounding areas.

yustr · 03-04-2006, 08:36 AM

If by junkyards yoiu really mean landfills - it's being done at literally thousands of sites around the country. It's easy, clean, low maintanane, essentially an unmaned operation, reliable, cost effective. And there may be companies that will do all of the work for a % of the revenue. Encourage your town to look into it.

ebackhus · 03-04-2006, 09:00 AM

Ah yes, landfills! Didn't realize I omitted that.

03-03-2006, 07:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
epos159 I helped the forums. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: PA Posts: 553 OS: Windows XP Home	Japanese make gasoline... Hope this helps us save some $$ on gas http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060303/...ung_gasoline_1 TOKYO - Scientists in energy-poor Japan said Friday they have found a new source of gasoline — cattle dung. Sakae Shibusawa, an agriculture engineering professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, said his team has successfully extracted 1.4 milliliters (0.042 ounces) of gasoline from every 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cow dung by applying high pressure and heat. "The new technology will be a boon for livestock breeders" to reduce the burden of disposing of large amounts of waste, Shibusawa said. About 500,000 metric tons (551,155 U.S. tons) of cattle dung are produced each year in Japan, he said. Gasoline extracted from cow dung is unheard of, said Tomiaki Tamura, an official of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency. Japan relies almost totally on imports for its oil and gasoline needs. The team, helped by staff from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology near Tokyo, produced gasoline by adding several unspecified metal catalysts to the dung inside a container and applying a 30-atmosphere pressure and heat of up to 300 degrees Celsius (572 Fahrenheit), Shibusawa said. Details of the catalysts could not be disclosed, he added. The team hopes to improve the technology so that it can be used commercially within five years, Shibusawa said. In a separate experiment revealing another unusual business potential for cow dung, another group of researchers has successfully extracted an aromatic ingredient of vanilla from cattle dung, said Miki Tsuruta, a Sekisui Chemical Co. spokeswoman. The extracted ingredient, vanillin, can be used as fragrance in shampoo and candles, she said. Tsuruta said the vanillin was extracted from a dung solution in a pressurized cooker in a project co-organized by a Japanese medical research institute. Last edited by epos159 : 03-03-2006 at 07:11 AM.

03-03-2006, 08:03 AM	#2 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 12,762 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System Blog Entries: 25	Este Pooper? __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

03-03-2006, 08:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
bry623 Manager, The Conversation Pit/Analyst, Security Team Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NW Territory circa 1787 Posts: 10,621 OS: winxp pro sp2	That's total BS __________________ "Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." -Ronald Reagan

03-03-2006, 08:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 12,762 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System Blog Entries: 25	On a more serious note now... It seems that the procedure to extract fuel from waste seems to use quite a bit of energy as well! And at just 4/100th of an ounce from 3.5 ounces... They must have a very efficient extraction process using mecha or space radiation. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

03-03-2006, 09:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 4,994 OS: XP Pro My System	The extraction of fuel from biomass is not new. It’s called pyrolysis and has been around for centuries. This guy seems to have applied heat and pressure and that may change the properties of the resulting fuel but calling it “gasoline” is probably a misnomer. However, if 30 Atmosphere and 300C is close to the “supercritical point” where strange things begin to occur, I might pay more attention. At normal temperatures and pressures, you usually get a gaseous product that is best suited for open flame type combustors – boilers come to mind. It would need to be cleaned and refined to be usable in most any type modern internal combustion engine. I suppose it could be condensed into a liquid. But you’re talking very low energy density compared to gasoline which has a high energy density. And as EB points out, it appears to be inefficient. People have been extracting methane by digesting cow poop since the first farmer said “Eww that stinks…”. It remains a viable source of fuel in many parts of the world. Low tech. Low cost. Uses indigenous resources. But research has to start somewhere. Give the guy a few million and see what he comes up with… Oh, you’ll still have large amounts of waste to handle…so hold your nose… __________________ I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said. J. McMurtry In Vino Veritas

03-03-2006, 09:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 12,762 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System Blog Entries: 25	We're looking at the prospect of using methane emissions here in SA to produce electricity. It'd be extracted from the junkyards and used in some way to give us more juice. We're not starving for power or anything, in fact we give power to many surrounding areas. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

03-04-2006, 08:36 AM	#7 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 4,994 OS: XP Pro My System	If by junkyards yoiu really mean landfills - it's being done at literally thousands of sites around the country. It's easy, clean, low maintanane, essentially an unmaned operation, reliable, cost effective. And there may be companies that will do all of the work for a % of the revenue. Encourage your town to look into it. __________________ I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said. J. McMurtry In Vino Veritas

03-04-2006, 09:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 12,762 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System Blog Entries: 25	Ah yes, landfills! Didn't realize I omitted that. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.