An interview with the facilities manager of a large greenhouse operations. Topics covered include the use of biomass energy to create building wide heating. This greenhouse utilizes a Uniconfort G500 Gasifier to generate its winter time heating load.
Duration : 0:2:6
An interview with the facilities manager of a large greenhouse operations. Topics covered include the use of biomass energy to create building wide heating. This greenhouse utilizes a Uniconfort G500 Gasifier to generate its winter time heating load.
Duration : 0:2:6
Do you own a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV)?
What in the world is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle? It’s a car or
truck that is capable of burning certain alternative fuels. Now
we’re not talking gasoline vs. diesel engines here, we’re
talking about gasoline engines that can also burn ethanol,
natural gas, propane, hydrogen, methanol, and p-series fuels.
According to some chemist at the U.S. Department of Energy,
p-series fuels are “a unique blend of natural gas liquids
(pentanes plus), ethanol, and the biomass-derived co-solvent
methyltetrahydrofuran” just in case you were wondering.
Anyway, if you own one of these flexible fuel vehicles, and you
could own one without realizing it, then you might be able to
save yourself a whopping amount of money now that gas is nearing
the price of gold.
Although some of the more exotic alternative fuels may not be
flowing out of the pumps at your neighborhood service station,
there is a good chance that ethanol is.
Ethanol is alcohol-based and it’s made by fermenting and
distilling corn, barley, or wheat. It can also be made from
“cellulosic biomass”, which is just a fancy phrase for “chunks
of trees and grass”, except that this version is called
“Bioethanol” instead of plain “Ethanol”.
E85 is an Ethanol/Gasoline product that’s being sold at a lot of
gas stations. It’s a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E95
is a 95/5 blend of ethanol and gasoline. Both blends are capable
of being burned by most Flexible Fuel Vehicles.
Some service stations are selling an E10 (10/90 ethanol/gasoline
blend), that doesn’t really qualify as an alternative fuel. Its
primary purpose is to reduce carbon monoxide levels, and it can
be burned by most any engine that burns gasoline.
Unlike Hybrid Vehicles, flexible fuel vehicles are not
necessarily more expensive because of the alternative fuel
option, and they aren’t anywhere near as rare. In fact, there’s
a chance that you’re driving one right now. If the salesperson
didn’t tell you, and you’re not the kind that reads owner’s
manuals, and you’re ignoring the sticker that’s probably on the
inside of your gas tank cover, you could be in for a cash-saving
surprise.
If you’re not sure if you own an FFV, or you’re planning on
buying a new car soon, then visit the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Flexible Fuel Vehicle
(http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/models.html) list.
If there isn’t a FFV in your life, there’s still hope. You can
have an aftermarket conversion done. When you do a conversion,
your gasoline-only engine ends up being able to burn some
particular alternative fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG)
or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, or propane), or Ethanol. You
have three conversion choices; “dedicated”, “dual-fuel”, and
“bi-fuel”. Dedicated means that your engine only burns one fuel
after the conversion. Dual-fuel engines can burn two different
fuels, and with a bi-fuel conversion, your engine burns two
different fuels at the same time. So, if you think that you have
no choice but to continue paying through the nose when you’re
paying at the pump, look into getting a Flexible Fuel Vehicle or
an aftermarket conversion
Diane Nassy
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/do-you-own-a-flexible-fuel-vehicle-ffv-452.html
The Natural World – The world that developed without man’s influence
The natural world refers to all features of the Earth that were not artificially produced by humans. This encompasses everything from animals to weather to subatomic particles. The word “nature” stems from the Latin term natura, which was used to explain the features of the world which had developed of their own accord. The term was first used to refer to characteristics related to plants. However, its usage has expanded over time to its modern definition.
The natural world can be divided into two realms, the living and the non-living. The living natural world refers to all organisms meeting the generally accepted principles of life. This means it must reproduce without intervention, participate in some metabolic processes, and be capable of growing or adapting. Furthermore, creatures in the living natural world are made up of microscopic cells. All living things are located within Earth’s biosphere and considered part of the global biomass.
The non-living natural world refers to features of the Earth and its atmosphere which are not alive and were not created through artificial processes. This includes weather phenomena, minerals, water, and other naturally forming chemical compounds. The most popular fields of study related to this non-living realm are geology and meteorology.
Frequently, interest in the natural world relates to how Earth’s features can assist mankind. Humans have always subsisted by using various features of the natural world for food, clothing, shelter, and other basic needs. Today, studies of various plant species and animal traits may be able to reveal cures for diseases or locate new food sources. Research also highlights the usability of natural products for manufacturing, construction, and energy.
Some scientists focus on the reverse relationship; how the natural world is impacted by humans. One popular topic of study is global warming. Thus, researchers review the effects of artificial chemicals on the atmosphere to determine their overall impact. Researchers also investigate man’s effect on animal life and the functioning of various ecosystems. This often reveals the negative impact of artificial devices, such as the depopulation of a species.
In addition to scientific study, many people profess a special spiritual connection to the natural world. Throughout history, numerous religious faiths and belief systems have focused on appreciating features of the naturally occurring world. Most commonly, a greater spirit or deity is considered responsible for creating and maintaining features of nature. Additionally, some philosophies consider the natural wilderness to be the ultimate location for personal enlightenment. Thus, natural settings are frequently sought for meditative practices and certain spiritual rituals.
Studying the natural world involves observing how things exist, behave, and change without artificial interference. Although research in this field has been conducted for millennia, there are still many topics related to the natural world that we do not thoroughly understand. For example, the concept of evolution, which is the natural change and adaptation of organisms over time, is greatly debated by experts in the field. Furthermore, scientists theorize that there are still thousands of plant and animal species not yet discovered by man. Thus, there is still must to study within the natural world.
John W. Martin
http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/the-natural-world-the-world-that-developed-without-mans-influence-698661.html
http://www.victorygasworks.com
Earth Day 2010 and some of our other recent demos of the new Victory Gasifier.
Duration : 0:9:57
That’s a good question I’m glad you asked. Bio-fuels are actual fuels that forms well when biological matter decomposes. Bio-fuel exist in gas, solid, and liquid, in all of the three states of matter, and they are mostly deprived from plants. >b>Okay here’s the difference between fossil fuels and bio-fuels Another great question. 1. Bio-fuels can be made super fast, in as little as a few days or so, while Fossil fuels takes a lifetime time to build, such as a million years. Interesting huh? Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways: 2. Bio-fuels are definitely renewable sources of energy while fossil fuels are not. 3. Did you know that fossil fuels creates very large amounts of unsafe pollution while Bio-fuels are much safer? Well yes, it’s true. What are different types of bio-fuels? Here’s the four types of bio-fuels… 1. First generation. 2. Second generation. 3. Third generation. 4. Fourth generation Now the first generation fuels are deprived from fats, animal fats, sugar, starch, and vegetables, and obviously these foods are in return deprived from food-crops. Three types of bio-fuels are biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil. Alright the second generation of bio-fuels mainly comes from waste biomass. This makes it a much more balanced option when compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. The second generation of bio-fuels consist of different kinds of diesels and alcohols from wood. Now we’re on the third generation of bio-fuels. The third generation bio-fuels are deprived from algae. Algae are great at creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are great! and are extremely friendly because they can decompose into the soil without harming it. Bio-fuels here in the fourth generation are comprised by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel. Does Bio-fuels have any Advantages? Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways: 1. Bio-fuels really does lessens the burden on less valued, vanishing fossil fuels. 2. They are friendly to the environment, and one of the greatest advantages is that they help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. 3. Extremely cost effective. Disadvantages of bio-fuels Bio-fuels have received criticism for a lot of reasons, and here’s a couple of them… 1. There has been a long debate on the usefulness of the first generation fuels when it’s compared to the lack of food they caused. They generate food from fuel crops and it makes them unworthy for a human to consume. A disadvantage of bio-fuels is that it requires acres of farming land.
Richelle Whiting
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/what-is-the-difference-between-bio-fuels-and-fossil-fuels-709852.html
On August 10 1893, an engine running on Biodiesel ran for the first time. This is why this day has been declared as “International Biodiesel day”. This model was proposed by Rudolf Diesel. The transesterified oil that was used as source for the first run was Peanut oil. Biodiesel is a liquid produced form materials or biological origin unlike petrodiesel made from fossil fuel. Known previously as American Society for Testing and Materials, the ATSM has certified Biodiesel as confirming to the ATSM D 6751 standards.
The sources of biodiesel can be divided into:
1) Lipid accumulation in plants and algae
2) Hydrocarbons produced in algae or plants.
The lipid sources can be sunflower, linseed, Jatropha, safflower, peanut, rapeseed, olive seeds etc. These lipids have high energy value but are highly viscous. Hence they cannot be easily injected in the engine combustion chambers. This limitation is suggested to be solved by a process called pyrolysis or blending with solvents, emulsification with addition of water or fuels etc, but none proved fit. It was later decided that synthesizing esters of fatty acid was the solution to the viscosity problem. But production from edible oils commands a high price even in developed countries. Hence non-edible oils are the fresh sources for biodiesel. E.g.: Jatropha. These are now cultivated in large areas and researched for biodiesel production.
Certain algae accumulate large (about 60%) of Lipids in their cells when grown in a nutritionally suffucient medium. This property can be exploited to produce large amounts of lipids. Some freshwater algae and plants also store hydrocarbons (made of hydrogen and carbon atoms). E.g. in Botryococcus braunii, 75% of biomass is made of hydrocarbons. Other brown, red and green algae consist of varying amounts of Lipid content. USA, Austria, France, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Malaysia, Italy & other Asian countries have realized the benefits of Biodiesel. These countries are now competing in research on Biodiesel and its production.
The basic chemistry of biodiesel synthesis lies in transesterification process, where an ethyl ester reacts with methanol to form methyl ester and ethanol. Glycerol is a by – product developed in the process which ahs other industrial applications. Methyl esters are favoured for biodiesel production because of the cetane number.
Cetane number is a dimensionless value assigned to indicate the ignition quality of a liquid. This value is high, in case of long unbranched alkanes which are similar long chained compounds. High cetane numbers are related to compound that have low idle noise and easy starting even in cold weather. Though Biodiesel holds much promise for the future, its list of cons includes its properties as being a solvent, able to take up water from the atmosphere etc and sometimes providing reduced power in engines.
Many have patented the process of producing Biodiesel and one such patent is owned by DuPont and Colgate-Palmolove-Peet, and also by CLRI (India). Biodiesel is available nationwide. It can be purchased from the legalized biodiesel distributors, producers and marketers, or even at a public pump throughout any nation. Biodiesel does have its cons, however the pros outweigh them. From the looks of it, biodiesel is going to have a bright future ahead of us.
Joseph Long
http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/processing-of-biodiesel-732341.html
admin | 
08 29th, 2010| 
My science project
this is an animated science project i made for school