Making our own diesel from straw

[Klause]

Exactly.


AAFC has researchers, and the technology and is working on it, but in our model it'll be sold off and Bayer or whoever will charge $70/acre for it.

However, INTA, EMBRAPA, and others will bring it into the common marketplace.

Argentina already has salinity tolerant wheat. Russia has N fixing hybrid wheat... Just a few years from commercialization in both cases. There's massive money including Bill Gates' money behind the technology in the USA.

[the big wheel]

Exactly.


AAFC has researchers, and the technology and is working on it, but in our model it'll be sold off and Bayer or whoever will charge $70/acre for it.

However, INTA, EMBRAPA, and others will bring it into the common marketplace.

Argentina already has salinity tolerant wheat. Russia has N fixing hybrid wheat... Just a few years from commercialization in both cases. There's massive money including Bill Gates' money behind the technology in the USA.

The technology is there but the money we save will be replaced as GDR stated by new TUA agreements with these companies for their proprietary needs that will be supported by our grain and farm organizations because they all
Will need money to keep improving their product for our benefit of which we will actually only see a convenience benefit but I doubt not a monetary benefit. The big input companies will buy out these companies to keep the monopoly going. And our stupid laws protecting them and patents will ensure we pay the same or more.

[MBgrower]

The technology is there but the money we save will be replaced as GDR stated by new TUA agreements with these companies for their proprietary needs that will be supported by our grain and farm organizations because they all
Will need money to keep improving their product for our benefit of which we will actually only see a convenience benefit but I doubt not a monetary benefit. The big input companies will buy out these companies to keep the monopoly going. And our stupid laws protecting them and patents will ensure we pay the same or more.

exactly. TUA for $70/acre, and if we can grow grains without nitrogen fertilizers that should drop the price of wheat a solid $1-2/bu.

[biglentil]

Process looks ultra energy intensive, cook bail for hours and hours at 500c, cook gas at 1400c, cool using refrigeration.... I would be surprised if there is any excess energy available in the fuel after the energy input used in the conversion. Efficiency losses every step. Have to also consider energy used to make the bail and haul. Don't forget to make up for the loss of biomass to the soil with extra fertilizer. More energy, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

You would be better off converting your truck to steam power and burn round bails to do it. Would look awesome going down the road. Oh one can dream...

[farmaholic]

Sounds like a bit of a Rumpelstiltskin tale to me. Spinning straw into fuel. Not saying its not possible but have to wonder about the net benefit. It will be hard to supplant using crude for diesel or the process already in place to produce nitrogen fertilizer. I think the two options that stand a chance are biodiesel from oilseeds and some kind of biological organism for nitrogen fixation for non-legume plants, the cost of using the latter....just keep public research and breeding funded and maybe the entire benefit of the technology won't be stolen by the Ag goods and services Industry.

[Klause]

Sounds like a bit of a Rumpelstiltskin tale to me. Spinning straw into fuel. Not saying its not possible but have to wonder about the net benefit. It will be hard to supplant using crude for diesel or the process already in place to produce nitrogen fertilizer. I think the two options that stand a chance are biodiesel from oilseeds and some kind of biological organism for nitrogen fixation for non-legume plants, the cost of using the latter....just keep public research and breeding funded and maybe the entire benefit of the technology won't be stolen by the Ag goods and services Industry.

Actually biogas / biodigesters already exist and are in high use.


The process to turn gas into liquid is also in use and proven... I e for turning coal and natural gas into diesel (invented by the Germans in WWII and used a lot today in countriee like south Africa)

Can use the waste heat for heating your home or for power generation.

[wd9]

It's not that cures for cancer and technologies are hidden and bought out by big ugly corporations, its that they are either too expensive or just don't work. Like getting diesel from straw.

Can't even justify biodiesel - and its already diesel FFS.

A video of the "new" technology from 2007.

[Klause]

It's not that cures for cancer and technologies are hidden and bought out by big ugly corporations, its that they are either too expensive or just don't work. Like getting diesel from straw.

Can't even justify biodiesel - and its already diesel FFS.

A video of the "new" technology from 2007.

Actually it happens all the time.

At the Uof S they developed a natural organism that kills thistle, Dandelion and other Compositae plants. It was then bought by Scott's and shelved.

The amount of biotechnology and novel traits researched and created then sold to commercial interests and shelved is incredible.


Companies don't make money from major groundbreaking strides. They make money from phased improvements.