How to make Fuel with WaterHow to make Fuel with Waterby Daniel, March 2011
We are now more than 6 billion on Earth. Consequently we need more and more food and energy. The problem of energy will be present when gas and petrol disappear. Production is not covered by new discoveries or soon will not be.
Therefore countries and petroleum companies take more and more risks to find resources deeper and deeper at the bottom of the oceans. We saw the result in April 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico where the BP rig Deep Water Horizon caught fire, blasted and sank, creating a slick that lasted several months. The economical and ecological consequences are not really known. It is said that about 650 000 tons have spilled into the ocean.
The conclusion of the expertise commission of the 11th January 2011 set up by the president of the USA is that such a catastrophe could happen again if no important reform is established in industry practices and in government policy.
For some years scientists in chemistry have had a simple idea: try to develop a fuel chemically. Gas and fuel oil are made of carbon and hydrogen, like butane and propane, the chemical formulas of which are C4 H10 and C3 H8. They asked: "Why not use water which is made of Hydrogen and graphite which is Carbon?". The problem is only to find the process. They have been working on this project for several years already but it seems not to be so easy to succeed. Could we see the day that the industrial product is there ? In fact I'm not sure of that. The energy problem would be partially solved.
Do you believe in such a possibility ? …. I don't because this story doesn't exist. It is simply invented and I have never heard of any such research. Well too bad it's just a dream. If you have any idea how to succeed; you should try and you might win the Nobel science prize. Imagine the money you'll earn for a such discovery …..
We have also heard about using algae to make fuel. Trials have begun some years ago and this is a true story. Where is the research now ? Curiously no scientific magazine gives news. Perhaps there is still too much petrol to hear of it. It is probably yet more profitable to distill petrol. Earning money is certainly more important than emitting less Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere!
by Daniel, March 2011
| to do research = chercher, faire de la recherche |
scientist = chercheur, scientifique | oil slick = nappe |
| to blast = to explode | deep = profond | shallow = opposite of deep |
This article - which is more relevant than ever - was not published on time due to human error.
My apologies to all members of P&L, and especially Daniel.
Yours sincerely,
Jan