Almost 100% efficient bio-diesel production

[Cobos]

I read this article a few days ago and thought I should share how you can get almost 100% efficient bio-diesel from forestry work.
So how do you do this, simple... You take all the cellulose compress it into bio-pellets and burn them in an oven at your home to produce the cozy warmth you need during wintertime and then you use the electricity you do not use to heat your home to power your electric car!
It's incredible how simple and smart this idea is instead of all that nonsense about bio-diesel. The article is in Norwegian, but this illustration might be understandable.

Cobos

[mt2]

Ha!

I chuckle because I recall reading an article where the author looked at various sources of ethanol, and concluded that we'd be better off if we just burned the damn switchgrass and be done with it.

[Takumi]

So when are we implementing this? Is there an ongoing project to show proof of concept?

[Cobos]

Currently in Norway you can buy a special oven that burns bio-pellets (and you even get a small tax-break from doing so) for single home usage and use that for heating. This will free electricity from the grid since currently about 90% of Norwegian houses uses electricity for heating.
You then buy an electric car and recharge at home and presto you're using each source for what it's best for. (Of course the electric car will eventually be a new Think or a NEV).

The point I was trying to make is that bio-diesel and ethanol cars is enviromentally a dead end as you're loosing too much in the conversion to liquid fuel. Better to use that for heating and use electricity in a EV. I was just being provocative/sarcastic

Cobos

[Takumi]

Proof of Concept

"The technical name for the system is a biomass-fueled gasification electric generation system."

"The only byproduct of the process is activated charcoal, which remains after the gasification process is completed."

Now that's a useful byproduct.

Related Companies

Wikipedia - Wood Pellets

Community Power Corporation
FlexEnergy
Lennox Hearth Products

[Cobos]

That's the exact point I was trying to make...
Using wood chips or pellets to create electricity or bio-fuels is not efficient. You will loose energy by doing that, while using an oven to burn them directly for heat creates a cozy atmosphere in the home and is over 90% efficient. In fact looking at pelletsovens they are said to be 97% efficient in creating heat (Source www.bionordic.no ).
If you then use the pellets for heating and then use the electricity you don't use for heating to power a car you will always end up with better total efficiency than converting any woodbased material into fuel or electricity...
Thats the point I was trying to make anyway

Cobos

[JRP3]

I think you're overlooking the energy costs involved in making the pellets and transporting them. There have to be some inefficiencies involved there.
But yes it's probably better than electric heat since that's so inefficient, unless your electricity is from hydro.