Algae to bio-diesel: who to believe

An algae biodiesel researcher butts heads with the Algae Board spokesman.
One says making biodiesel from algae is not feasible, the other says that government funding is providing a disincentive to developing commercially viable solutions.

http://domesticfuel.com/2011/04/25/df-cast-researchers-advocates-clash-on-algae-biodiesel-feasibility/

What do you think?

oh! this hurts!

This ad for the new BMW diesel not only truncates one of my favorite songs of all time, but disses the 300 TD wagon I aspire to. Is nothing sacred?

BMWs hot new diesel

Neil Young's Linc-volt

Rocker extraordinaire Neil Young is known not only for some great cruising songs, but also for driving interesting vehicles.  A viewing of 1974 documentary Journey Through the Past illustrates this.

A recent project is the Linc-volt hybrid car which runs on biodiesel and electric batteries.



In developing the car, Young was aiming for the Progressive Insurance Company X prize, an award for creating a marketable 100 mpg car.  Unfortunately, in November 2010, a fire broke out in the Los Angeles area warehouse where the car was parked.  Several of Young's collectible guitars were lost in the fire, which was said to have started in the Linc-Volt.

Cars I have loved 3- the Cabriolet

The pre-diesel years

Cabriolet and me, somewhere in Arizona, 1996

Helioculture- genetically engineered cyanobacteria microorganism can "sweat" fuel from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/science/earth/14fuel.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=joule%20unlimited&st=cse


President Obama's call for biofuels that are "made from things like switch grass, wood chips and biomass"  is clearly a shout-out to biodiesel.  But the biodiesel energy has to be careful not to get lumped in with ethanol as a biofuel.  Ethanol production depends heavily on biomass, while biodiesel can be made from less earth intensive technologies like algae.  When you have to grow biomass, you run the risk of displacing land that could be used for food production.


Meanwhile, National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) president Charles T. Drevna, slams alternative energy with: “American taxpayers can’t afford to be burdened with billions upon billions of dollars in taxes to subsidize ethanol, electric cars, and other energy ideas that can’t survive in the free market."  
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/03/31/obama-calls-for-increased-natural-gas-biofuel-to-reduce-foreign-oil-dependence/.

Cars I have loved, part 2 -- more Valiant love

This is a 67, the one they called "the mini-Mercedes."

Autolog, continued

According to Wikipedia, the 1971 Valiant broke sales records of the time, with more than 250,000 deliveries that year.  That may account for why I ended up with two of them.

The first green Valiant was my car of the '79 gas crisis, that waited in line to buy 90 cent a gallon gas, while blasting Chuck Berry out of its four 7.5 inch speaker cones.  (wipe the windows, check the oil, dollar gas).   There was a great trick to starting this car if it was reluctant-- you could pop the hood, pull out the air filter and manually (digitally, actually-- with your finger) push the "butterfly" in the center of the air filter.  Sometimes you had to do this a few times.

Valiants came in an amazing array of colors, but especially greens.  Starting with the first Valiants in 1960, there was Chrome Green, Mint Green, Pale Jade, Emerald Green and Luminous Green.  By 1963, there was Metallic Green, Valiant Light Green, Frost Green, Ivy Green, and Limelight.  And the 70's Valiants came in Ralleye Green, Mist Green, Meadow Green, Forest Green, Sherwood Green, Dark Green and Amber Sherwood.

I don't remember exactly what fate that first Valiant met, but I am rather certain that it had no other owners after me.

The second 1971 Valiant, an olive sort of green known as Sherwood Green, had originally been owned by my maternal grandfather, the last car he'd had before he died.  My step-grandmother drove the car for several years, and I eventually inherited it.  Although considered a compact,  I could extend the length of my five foot, three inch frame out in the back.  This made the car extremely useful in a number of situations.

I always felt the protective spirit of my grandfather in that car, even as I drove it from West Virginia to Pennsylvania to get non-2% beer, or reeled down the streets of DC in it after a night in clubland.   And it was the car I learned to change out speakers on, when the paper cones started crackling in the high frequencies.

Ironic corporate logos and tweaked bumper stickers were all the rage among my punky friends, so this car sported a large Visa/Mastercard emblem, and a 7-11 sticker that promised Freedom of Choice.  This seemingly entrepreneurial display was hard to explain to a cop who stopped me once to inquire why I was driving with one headlight.  Due to the vagaries of Washington DC DUI laws, this police stop also resulted in my losing the right to drive in DC for a period of time.  I worked in DC but lived in Virginia.   In those pre-digital days, the state of Virginia would not necessarily know when someone's right to drive was suspended in adjacent Washington.  So every day I would drive to Rosslyn, pull my bicycle out of the Valiant's trunk (where it fit comfortably) and ride across Key Bridge and through Georgetown to the Dupont Circle restaurant where I mixed the veggie burgers and tended bar.  

Cars I have loved, Part 1

A little background on me:  I have loved every car I ever owned.  Sometimes it was love at first sight, like with the Cabriolet who I travelled cross country with.  Sometimes the vehicle had to grow on me, like the noble green Subaru I call Sooby-Doo.  The utility car.

My first automotive experience was with an AMC product, a blue Rambler with a bumpersticker that said "Onward Through the Fog", and pictured a cartoon character from the Furry Freak Brothers stable.
Listened to great radio in that car, the WHFS of Weasle, Bob, John and Damien.  When it got a head of steam, that car could go pretty fast.

When the Blue Rambler wouldn't go up hills anymore, I got what may be my defining car-- the first of two Plymouth Valients, both green, both with a family connection.  The first one had been owned by my grandparents neighbor, Mr. Heisel.  He lived right across the street from them in Pineville, WV in the 1960's and '70's.  Mr. Heisel was an amputee, never knew why, whether he was a veteran or an injured miner or a farm boy who fell under the plow.  Well, Heisel died and I guess my grandparents got the car, and somehow it devolved to me.  Automotive care-taking is a strong area for my dad.  He loves to find cars and hook people up with them.

The Valient was the legendary Slant-6 engine and Heisel hadn't gone much of anywhere in it.  Those cars have room to put a bicycle in the trunk.  On that car I learned to check oil, change a solenoid, the air filter, and add Automatic Steering Fluid, Automatic Steering Fluid, Automatic Steering Fluid.

Viscosity

Society of Automotive Engineers "W" system chart for oil viscosity

Fill up at Mill Valley B-100
$4.15 / gallon
mileage 182070

Its a cold end of March for the Eastern Seaboard, but despite the chill in the air my duties called me to drive to the DC area and spend the day outside with a video camera.

Madeline has been leaving puddles of oil behind her front passenger side tire, and last time she was in to see Dr. Doug he said that she'd at one point run nearly dry of oil.  She takes a special diesel oil, 15W40.  So today started with a quest for 15W 40 oil here in Baltimore.  Checked first at the Royal Farms in Hampden, where the face of everyone standing in line at the cash register snapped in my direction when I came through the door.  You get the feeling that place is the nexus of Hampden's street life.  The Farm Store only had 5W30 and 10W40.

Next, I "excuse me sir"-d the elderly gentleman fixing a screen in the back of Sirkis Hardware.  Same deal,  only 10W40 and 5-something.  Up the street at the Mieneke up the street, the girl at the cash register clued me that i'd have have to go to Advanced Auto Parts at 20th and Howard.

At Advanced Auto Parts, a young black clerk with a fanciful neck tattoo was very helpful.  Turned out that 15W40 is only available in gallon jugs-- $15, please.  I fear that I may actually need that much!  Out in the parking lot, I popped the hood and took stock.  I'd put a quart in a few days ago but thought she might need more.  When I removed the cap to the crank case, there was a steam/smoke emanating from it, and I muttered aloud "That can't be good", which attracted the attention of a large, friendly black man.  I fired up the engine, and we looked at it, determining that it was a head gasket issue.  I didn't add any oil after all, since the dipstick showed "full".  And the big friendly guy assured me i'd have no problem driving to DC and back before getting it fixed.  Then he asked if I was interested in selling the car.  I explained that she was a special case who ran on biodiesel, and that I was documenting my experiences with her.  He looked at me quizzically and walked away.

A little research on why diesel engines need 15W40 revealed that that designation refers to starting temperatures in Centigrade, the number followed by "W" referring to the starting temperature in Winter and the other one referring to starting temperature when its... warmer.  And all that time I thought the W meant "weight".

Turns out the viscosity of various types of oils varies by temperature, and the Society of Automotive Engineers created the "W" system to refer to oils by temperature range.

The wonders of Glycerine

 Cleanser, fuel, food sweetener-- glycerine is a by-product of the biodiesel creation process.  I am buying everyone in my family glycerine soap for Christmas.