[Gasification] Path from Biomass to Ethanol by way of Ethane.

[Carefreeland at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/5/06 4:44:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
kenboak at stirlingservice.freeserve.co.uk writes:

DD: Dan Dimiduk comments

> Dan ,
> 
> Can you illustrate the price rises in fertiliser over recent years?

DD Actually you caught me flat footed on this Ken.  After a 25 year 
relationship with custom chemical applications on landscape, I allowed my pesticide 
applicators license to expire this spring. My long standing observation, was of a 
direct relationship between the cost of Urea and the cost of natural gas. The 
rest of the fertilizer commodities are going up in cost. This is due to fuel 
costs to run a mine and transport heavy material. 
DD I should be doing a through cost analysis this winter, and could provide 
real data then. You might remind me then. My plans are to rebuild my chemical 
application business with the benefit of all that I have learned. Somewhere, 
buried in my archives are cost analysis done in through the 1980s and 1990s. 
Maybe I burned them to heat my greenhouse by now?

> 
> I know most nitrate fertlisers are made from natural gas,  and this has
> quadruped in price since 2000.
> 
> As a result of this increase in feedstock costs, some manufacturers have
> moved their operations to Asia and China, and others have closed their US
> plants completely.
> 
> I read James Howard Kunstler's "The Long Emergency" earlier this week -and
> it looks like we are all in for a bumpy ride.
> 
> 
> regards,
> 
> 
> 
> Ken
> 
DD I feel that most conversions of Biomass to energy neglect to salvage 
valuable minerals and fixed nitrogen. These are produced at great expense. I have 
been experimenting with wood ash as a greenhouse fertiliser for two years now. 
I have Osage Orange trees growing well with wood ash added at time of potting. 


       Dan Dimiduk