[Bioconversion] Conserve -- Even the Air Force Wants to Cut Oil's Role

[Geoff Thomas]

Hi all, ranting is fine, but it has to be correct ranting.
In 2005, according to a study done by the Australian CSIRO. a conservative  scientific research
organisation, the human race managed to throw 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere, 2 billion tons more than 1995, - seems pretty grim eh, but in context, the natural
world, the world of the plant kingdom, cycles 100 billion tons between the atmosphere and the
land vegetation.
Every Year.
Now this is the natural cycle, plants grow, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, turning
into cellulose erc, then die or lose leaves and that material falls on to the ground, breaks down
into compost/mulch, is eventually eaten by worms or bacteria and the carbon dioxide returns to
the atmosphere, 100 billion tons per year.
By diverting  some of that carbon through gasifiers, wood stoves, methane digesters, charcoal
fuel cells, various fermentation techniques and others I may not know of in such a way as to save
electricity generated by fossil fuels, we reduce that 8 billion tons while not significantly
interfering with the natural cycle.
Of course any re-newable energy generated also helps greatly ( for example the wind industry
currently generates more than 1% of the worlds elctricity, and is expanding at 30% per year, - if
you do the figures, cumulative 30%, in 15 years wind energy alone will be generating all the
current world electricity requirement) as does conserving energy and avoiding usage such as
wasting fossil fuels on trivia, - we need to make every front a winner!
However the point is that there is 100 billion tons going up every year, a lot to work with, and
much woody mass can be heated to give off it's flammable gases, used to provide energy, and the
rest of that mass turned into charcoal which is far more effective than mulch or compost at
helping plants grow, and that charcoal will last at least 7000 years in the soil, - compost in
the soil here in far north Queensland lasts a year if you are lucky.
With the help of nature and our creative faculties we have the tools to turn around global
warming and indeed even claw back out of the atmosphere the extra 240 billion tons currently
"surplus to requirements'  we might say.
100 bilion tons is a hell of a weapon, 6.5 billion aware and caring human beings is a hell of a
weapon wielder, that is all we need.
Cheers,
Geoff Thomas.
Advanced Wind Technologies.
Australia

> G'day All,
>
> Biomass can't replace existing energy use (well, not with growing food
> as well, let alone conservation of forests etc!) so how is it going to
> provide the extra energy needed for all these conversions?
>
> Any conversion of energy is inefficient, so wastes our precious
> bioenergy - we just have to think of things other than driving cars
> everywhere, let alone flying! We have been far too inefficient with past
> "conversions" and wasted too much fossil fuel on trivia.
>
> Gaseous fuels are best suited to stationary applications and any liquid
> fuel will be needed for "emergency" uses.
>
> I think that's enough ranting for now,
> HOOROO
>
> Dick Glick wrote:
>>
>> Hello --
>>
>> It's time for renewable natural gas produced from biomass -- it can't be done inexpensively --
>> that is to convert methane to diesel fuel for planes and vehicles, but the technology is long
>> known -- the German's used a version of the technology -- first in WW I than WW II -- to
>> produce liquid fuels -- from coal.
>>
> SNIP
> --
> Mr. Paul Harris
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