Archive for the ‘feulcell energy’ Category

Green Friendly Motoring: Gas Up Your Car With Bio-fuels!

The alarming effects of pollution in the environment added with the fast depletion and rising costs of fossil fuels, has prompted scientific communities and governments to create measures to alleviate these problems the world over.

One of the solutions that sprang up from laboratories are bio- fuels- plant extracts and compounds which when added to gasoline and petrol will substitute fuel characteristics.

Bio- fuels certainly aids the environment as they are biological in nature and therefore do not add carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Coming from carbon dioxide digesters in nature, they typically remove carbon dioxide and in turn give off the same amount when burnt.

Though still in the introduction stage in the market, bio- fuels has proven to be promising with surprising results- they do not only cost much less to make than gasoline or petrol additives, but elaborate tests has proven that they can also improve vehicle performance and clean emissions! Further tests conducted have also proven that bio-fuels eliminate smog and engine build-up.

A lot of oil companies are slowly picking up the pace in marketing these types of fuel and a lot are reporting sales steadily on the rise due to the affordability and added benefits. There are also new oil market players that cater exclusively to the production and distributing bio-fuels and by-products, now gaining influence off the growing demand for cheaper and cleaner fuel alternatives.

Bio-fuel variants largely used in vehicles today include:

1. Bio- Diesel

For diesel engines. This type of fuel can be used with existing cars with little or no adaptation needed and scores well on the energy ratings. Cars on Bio- Ethanol basically land the same rankings as those running on gasoline. The difference however shows up on the combustion process as Bio-Ethanol only emits the carbon dioxide it has used up in the growth process of its plant source, while burning gasoline or diesel adds more CO2 into the atmosphere due to their underground containment in oil deposits for eons of years.

Large sources of plant extracts usually come from the following:

* Ethanol alcohol from Sugarcane
* Oil extracts from mature Jathropa seeds
* Coconut oil

2. Biogas

Another interesting alternative to fossil fuels, Biogas is the type of gas from animal or plant wastes or a combination of both. A mixture of both has been proven to yield the best results. The animal wastes produce the nitrogen for bacterial growth and vegetable matter supplies the needed carbon.

With the positive market feedback, researchers are still looking and testing other viable plant sources for an even improved fuel additive which will eventually (should the need arise) power vehicles in the future.

As a motorist this is truly a great news- now you?ll get relief over fuel costs and maintenance bills but the most rewarding above all is that in using bio-fuels, you?re contributing to the welfare of your environment.

Drive safely.

Jovir Amatong
jamatong@autoterminal.com

All About the Iron Wagon

Alternative Fuels History – Truth Of How People Began Using Alternative Fuels

Alternative fuels, or at least the concept of them, have been around since the early days of the automobile. The gasoline internal combustion engine changed the face of the planet, but since day 1 people have looked for other fuels to power this engine with.

It wasn’t until the American gas shortages of the 1970’s that research into alternative fuels really began in earnest. Faced with shortages of gasoline, there was no choice but to develop some alternatives to the standard gasoline engine. What they discovered was ethanol.

Ethanol

Alcohol made from corn has been around since mankind first learned to cultivate it, but it wasn’t until the 70’s that scientists realized it could be used in gasoline powered vehicles. Ethanol (denatured with enough methanol that people couldn’t drink it) could power an internal combustion engine as effectively as petrochemicals, but without a lot of the harmful byproducts of petrochemical combustion. It was cheaper to make than gasoline, and would require large amounts of corn, which was good for the farmers at the time.

There were other fuels that were discovered to work as well, with modifications to the engine to accomodate the new fuels. Natural gas, propane, and hydrogen will all power an internal combustion engine just as well as gasoline or ethanol. But there were (and still are) problems with fuel storage and delivery, and the engine must be modified to use these fuels – they won’t work in a standard gasoline engine design.

Why Aren’t We Using Alternative Fuels Then?

There is probably no simple answer as to why we aren’t already using these alternative fuels now – 30 years after research first began. Some cite the political clout of the big oil companies, others cite the expense of changing the infrastructure to a new fuel type (which is made all the more difficult by the millions of gasoline vehicles already on the roads), still others say that the technologies simply are not ready yet. The true answer probably lies with a blending of all these reasons and many more – societal inertia comes to mind. People are simply comfortable with there gas guzzlers, and until a good portion of the population wants this change, it won’t happen. But fortunately, this is occurring today. With gas prices spiraling up out of control at the pump, more and more cities cloaked in a thickening layer of smog, and global envornmental awareness hitting it’s peak, popular demand for alternative fuels that are cheaper and greener is at an all-time high.

Funding Alternative Fuel Research And Development – How The Government Helps

The alternative fuel industry has grown in popularity over the years, and the Federal as well as State goverments are getting involved like never before. Legislation is being introduced every day offering goverment grants for using alternative fuels. That means that research and technology can continue to progress as it has for several years now as scientists and researchers find new ways to provide us with power other than standard fossil fuels.

What types of goverment grants are available when it comes to the use of alternative fuels? Well, most of them involve businesses who are interested in converting their gas-powered vehicle fleets over to alternative fuel fleets that are environmentally friendly and will meet with the Energy Policy Act that President Bush signed in 2005.

Businesses such as trucking companies use a large amount of fossil fuels. The increasing cost of gasoline makes their operating costs rise and, in turn, passed on to the consumer ? that?s us! When these companies begin to convert their trucks over to alternative fuel and get a goverment grant to pay for the cost, they?re saving money, and so are we!

Of course, these goverment grants won?t cover the cost of switching to alternative fuel sources entirely. However, many grants can amount to millions of dollars of free money with the companies only having to pay about half of what is required to convert engines.

Some people don?t agree with the thought of their tax dollars paying for something like paying for companies to convert vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles. However, if they really thought about the advantages, they might actually change their mind and begin supporting the goverment grant program for alternative fuel use.

For example, allowing the goverment to provide grant money for those who want to use alternative fuels, we are decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and thus becoming much more self-sufficient. This will also help with the alarming phenomenon of global warming, which is a reality, and has been brought to the forefront through ex-Vice President Al Gore?s Oscar winning documentary ?An Inconvenient Truth?.

All of us in the United States should really be concerned about both of these problems: dependence on foreign oil and global warming. By getting involved with grant programs, the goverment is doing what it can to insure that we can find solutions to the problems instead of just sitting back and doing nothing. Alternative fuels are the wave of the future and having the support of the goverment through grant money can help make us a totally independent country when it comes to our energy sources.

Learn How To Make Your Own Fuel.

60 Page Step-by-step Manual With Illustrations Showing You How To Make Your Own Biodiesel Factory And Make Biodiesel From You Own Home!

Learn How To Make Your Own Fuel.

« Older Entries    Newer Entries »