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Tue 1 Apr, 2003 01:01 pm
Techies in Philladelphia developed a technology that can turn just about anything into oil. It can turn anthrax spores, infectuous medical waste, computers, paper, dredged canal sludge - just about any left over waste - into high quality oil, clean-burning gas, minerals, and sterilized water. All with market value.
"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, 7 pounds of minerals, as well as 123 pounds of sterilized water."
more stats per 100 lbs of:
plastic bottles = 70 lbs oil, 16 lbs gas, 6 lbs carbon solids, 8 lbs water
municipal liquid waste (75% sewage, 25% grease trap) = 26 lbs oil, 9 lbs gas, 8 lbs mineral, 57 lbs water
mixed tires = 44 lbs oil, 10 lbs gas, 42 lbs mineral, 4 lbs water
medical waste (transfusion bags, needles and razor blades and wet human waste) = 65 lbs oil, 10 lbs gas, 5 lbs mineral/metal, 20 lbs water
Amazing..... it's called thermal depolymerization process. Sounds very sci-fi to me!
Source: Discover Magazine, May, 2003
Oil for 8-12 dollars a barrel!
littlek
Do you have a link?
The article I read is in the current issue of Discover magazine, they don't post their articles until the issue is one month old. BUT! Phoenix has provided some sort of link above that you can check out (I'm on my way).
And the phtotos for the article are disgusting!
Well, hydrocarbons may be obtained from any organic matter. The problem is: what are the operational costs? Will not this oil be $1,500 per barrel?
I don't have the article with me today, but the procedure seemed easy, plus it runs on it's own product. They said $8-12/Gln
Well, the raw materials are cheap. But what about equipment and energy used? By the way, if 1 gallon is $8-12, then 1 barrel will be $336-504, much more expensive than a barrel of crude oil. And how many barrels of oil (in energetic equivalent) are needed to get 1 barrel of the turkey bowel oil?
I'm sorry, I meant to type barrel. I'll check to make sure that's what the article said when I get home. I think the reference was for the final product taking into consideration the production costs.
Just by the way, a barrel in the oil industry is 42 US gallons - not 55. This is a worldwide tradition.
look - criky! - I'll check the numbers when I get home, but I am not an expert on this. I suggest anyone really interested go out and buy Discover mag's May issue.
Not that it relates or anything... but a search for discover magazine led me
here (Discover.com).
And a link from Discover.com led me to a great
Trilobite Link.
It looks like the May issue of Discover is not on the web at this time (early April), but maybe it'll be there in May
Discover tends to be a bit on the speculative edge with its articles due to the type of audience it is targetting, but there is lots of good entertaining stuff out there to think about anyway.
Best Regards,
Ok, in the small original plant, they estimate production at $15/barrel. After a few years, they think they'd be down to $10/barrel.
It doesn't process nuclear waste, no carbon.
As to energy efficiency: "For every 100 Btus in the feedstock, we use only 15 Btus to run the process." That's 85% energy efficiency. Maybe someone who knows more science could fill in some details there.
after production costs comes mark-ups, taxes, etc. until it reaches the consumer. what will be the final cost per barrel?
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I DON'T KNOW!
and why not?!?
answer me!
just foolin' around with you lil'k. btw, just love what you've done with your hair. :wink:
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