tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post5999635353766891778..comments2023-09-28T08:13:11.489-07:00Comments on Only In It For The Gold: Rural North AmericaMichael Tobishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-23419449188023758612011-07-26T16:28:16.285-07:002011-07-26T16:28:16.285-07:00Hank Roberts found an energy density page that ent...Hank Roberts found an energy density page that entertainingly counts energy in watts, volume in cubic litres, and then in the URL changes "watt" to "watter".<br /><br />But the graphic looks right. Storing chemical energy, when you don't use the atmosphere to store the oxidant, almost inevitably takes more space than liquid hydrocarbon does when the atmosphere <em>is</em> so used.<br /><br />Obviously, using it so is a good option. Build nuclear gasoline plants that split water, release the oxygen, and react the hydrogen with CO2, converting some of it back to water, and the rest to gasoline.<br /><br />One exotic chemical possibility exists -- but will not be put into practice -- that beats gasoline's fuel-only compactness by a few percent: beryllium plus lithium perchlorate.<br /><br />Aside from the obvious reason, there doesn't seem to be an energy-efficient way to reload the oxygen back onto the chlorine.GRLCowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03894036301406557803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-22302029441885014362011-07-25T19:45:01.000-07:002011-07-25T19:45:01.000-07:00Think REA and RFDThink REA and RFDEliRabetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07957002964638398767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-6581415874318554112011-07-25T14:42:00.399-07:002011-07-25T14:42:00.399-07:00All true, but I would add that rural areas have be...All true, but I would add that rural areas have been heavily subsidized by wealthier cities as well in the last century.<br /><br />Many people who live in rural areas now want and expect most of the conveniences of city life: plowed roads, post offices, water, etc. These areas may well revert to people who, as in most of the 19th century, lived without conveniences or access to services. People of a true settler culture - far fewer than are there now.Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11283520139228675119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-76618565331374180642011-07-24T09:20:56.928-07:002011-07-24T09:20:56.928-07:00Re: Bioasphalt......."The bike trail Bioaspha...Re: Bioasphalt......."The bike trail Bioasphalt contains <b>3% Avello pyrolysis oil and 97% crude petroleum.</b> These proportions were mainly due to the small size of the pilot plant. “It took two weeks to produce the 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of bio-oil we needed,” says Williams. “If we had wanted to use 25%, it would have taken two to three months with our pilot plant."_<a href="http://www.avellobioenergy.com/index.cfm?nodeID=22133&audienceID=1&action=display&newsID=13223" rel="nofollow">source</a><br /><br />I'm a big advocate of biochar mostly for the beneficial effects on soil and the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon but...... bioasphalt is vaporware at this point. Three percent is a rounding error in asphalt production.Pangolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18369503994505817789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-46904311419739381842011-07-24T08:33:16.747-07:002011-07-24T08:33:16.747-07:00PS, a bit from that site:
"... fast pyrolysi...PS, a bit from that site:<br /><br />"... fast pyrolysis ... types of biomass are quickly heated without oxygen. The process produces a liquid bio-oil ... plus a solid product called biochar ....<br /><br />... fast pyrolysis facility at Iowa State'... research was supported by the Iowa Energy Center and the Iowa Department of Transportation.Hank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-66025529654204775302011-07-24T08:30:11.384-07:002011-07-24T08:30:11.384-07:00> asphalt ... too expensive
http://www.avellob...> asphalt ... too expensive<br /><br />http://www.avellobioenergy.com/en/products/bioasphalt/<br /><br />Just one bike path installed so far, but perhaps promising. Info there on asphalt availability and prices and why there's a market developing for a replacement material for roads.Hank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-83400583570683025492011-07-23T13:01:30.815-07:002011-07-23T13:01:30.815-07:00> cannot be done
Until some renewable clean st...> cannot be done<br /><br />Until some renewable clean storage comes close to the energy density of gasoline. <br /><br />The problem, as of about now:<br /><br />http://www.chubbybrain.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/energy_density_watter_per_cubic_liter_gas_versus_lithium_ion.png<br /><br />Can be done, must be done, will be done.<br /><br />http://nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com/2011/04/research-into-batteries-will-give.html<br /><br />at which see:<br />http://www.risoe.dtu.dk/News_archives/News/2011/~/media/Risoe_dk/News/2011/Images/Li-batteri-sammenligning-web.ashx?w=450&h=383&as=1<br /><br />"Li-air batteries are a promising opportunity in the long term. “If we succeed in developing this technology, we are facing the ultimate break-through for electric cars, because in practice, the energy density of Li-air batteries will be comparable to that of petrol and diesel, if you take into account that a combustion engine only has an efficiency of around 30 per cent,” says Tejs Vegge, senior scientist in the Materials Research Division. If batteries with an energy density this great become a reality, one could easily imagine electrically powered trucks."<br /><br /><br />"Source: Lithium – Air Battery: Promise and Challenges, G. Girishkumar, B. McCloskey, A.C. Luntz, S. Swanson and W. Wilcke, IBM Research, published in J.Phys.Chem.Lett.2010,1,2193-2203."Hank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-49968768716691641362011-07-23T09:10:26.473-07:002011-07-23T09:10:26.473-07:00When I was growing up in Edmonton I learned that o...When I was growing up in Edmonton I learned that our city had nearly the same amount of area as Montreal. Ridiculous for such a small population. In the years since then I think Calgary must have become worse than Edmonton -- totally built for the car. Here in Vancouver, now, I think we're doing a pretty good job. But every year houses on the North Shore seem to creep up the mountain, and instead of refurbishing a railroad up to Whistler we spent millions widening a highway for the Olympics. The suburbs and rural areas are obviously going to have a difficult time adjusting, but these cities have a very long way to go.<br />[Welcome to Vancouver MT]Steve Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11808202186253600821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-52430023981856154582011-07-23T08:38:06.755-07:002011-07-23T08:38:06.755-07:00I assume you'll join in the general celebratio...I assume you'll join in the general celebration of the massive flight to the cities going on throughout the world, a trend that will have 80% of the population living in cities covering 3% of its surface by mid-century.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12747117922597525042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-51041520830181151002011-07-23T05:44:04.230-07:002011-07-23T05:44:04.230-07:00A few years back I was doing a lot of road cycling...A few years back I was doing a lot of road cycling in rural areas west of Ottawa, and it gave me plenty of time to ponder how dependent the rural lifestyle is on the automobile and fossil fuels. Many of these "homesteads" have several cars +/or large pick-up trucks, huge lawns for which a riding lawnmower is de riguer, an ATV +/ dirt bikes for the kiddies to play with, snowmobiles, and probably a few other categories of gas-consuming machines I can't think of. The inhabitants seem to have an animus against urban types using their roads to exercise on... often I'd get unwanted attention by yahoos in trucks trying to run me off the road and yelling insults. There are signs in the field installed by on particular tea-partyish group complaining about the interference of government on their freedoms ( although they don't complain about all the subsidies needed to maintain their lifestyle ). It seems to me most of these people have nothing to do with agriculture and this is just a lifestyle choice that didn't actually exist a few decades ago.<br />Personally, I wouldn't mourn the disappearance of this pattern of settlement.Chris Pellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15600270123513618004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-83696783162508167902011-07-23T02:16:06.213-07:002011-07-23T02:16:06.213-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Rental Mobil 911https://www.blogger.com/profile/05140133549383460885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-15441506693937279152011-07-22T23:35:29.290-07:002011-07-22T23:35:29.290-07:00I actually think that small hamlets will become mo...I actually think that small hamlets will become more viable rather than less as the ability to travel long distances rapidly declines. There used to be a hamlet or village every ten miles or so in the U.S. in any country with better than 15 inches rain a year. <br /><br />These towns died as automobile reliability increased and roads were improved and people could drive to larger urban areas for entertainment, groceries and supplies. Squeeze down the available transportation radius and abandoned town sites might see a revival. <br /><br />Here's an example of <a href="http://users.ap.net/~chenae/socotown.html" rel="nofollow"> small towns of Sonoma County California</a> an area I'm familiar with. At one time there were seven named hamlets in the 27.4 miles from Petaluma landing to Bodega Bay. At least five of those had post offices. <br /><br />Something will be lost but other things will gain.Pangolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18369503994505817789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-22937609263008417702011-07-22T18:18:45.779-07:002011-07-22T18:18:45.779-07:00Very good point Michael. The change of the downtow...Very good point Michael. The change of the downtown area from an empty wasteland after dark to a vibrant core of shopping and housing is already beginning. A good case can be made that cities will be the winners and rural areas/suburbs will be the losers in a decarbonised economy.<br /><br />How will they cope? A big question considering they have no choice.Dan Satterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17103428750040230969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-3649299534502015102011-07-22T16:26:43.811-07:002011-07-22T16:26:43.811-07:00It occurs to me to add that this is why the "...It occurs to me to add that this is why the "transition town" strategy from the UK cannot be transported to the US. The goals may be universal but the strategies do not work for the geography of post-automotive settlement.<br /><br />There are no Totnes towns west of the Potomac, or not enough of them to matter anyway.Michael Tobishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08229460438349093944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-52127969141221730472011-07-22T13:28:40.413-07:002011-07-22T13:28:40.413-07:00Thanks - a very helpful perspective. It was these ...Thanks - a very helpful perspective. It was these realities in rural Australia which lead to the exclusion of petrol "forever" from the government's proposed plan to put a price on carbon. It was no coincidence that two of the key independent MPs required by the minority government to pass the legislation are from rural areas.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-68222631274640913962011-07-22T12:21:35.870-07:002011-07-22T12:21:35.870-07:00As Paul pointed out fuel can be had in rural areas...As Paul pointed out fuel can be had in rural areas if people are willing to convert to wood gasifiers. These will eat more or less any dry carbohydrate and turnkey kits are available. <br /><br />The bottleneck is asphalt. It's simply too expensive for rural areas to afford to repair and maintain the paving they have. The alternative is dirt and gravel roads and travel on such roads is significantly slowed and more often halted entirely in bad weather. <br /><br />This can mean that what was formerly a two-hour round trip to get supplies can stretch to four-hours or more with significantly more wear on drivers, passengers and equipment. This time and energy tax on communication and supply is going to heavily tax rural areas and is already causing <a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/118713504.html" rel="nofollow">significant resentment.</a><br /><br />An interesting fact is that the 19th century response to bad roads was a rapid expansion of interurban light rail. A rail-bed and track is significantly cheaper, faster, and easier to maintain than a road carrying the same tonnage of traffic.Pangolinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18369503994505817789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8524070301101240472.post-71448230728919208652011-07-22T10:48:00.127-07:002011-07-22T10:48:00.127-07:00I had no idea that such a thing as "wood-burn...I had no idea that such a thing as "wood-burning vehicles" existed, so I asked the almighty Google:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.beaverenergy.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.beaverenergy.com/</a><br /><br />No foolin'.Paul Daniel Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17633446166342778475noreply@blogger.com