Alcohol Fuel
At this time of year vast quantities of alcohol are being consumed.
It occurred to me, why not use alcohol as a bio-fuel?
Instead of using things like corn oil, rape seed oil, and so forth -
What about using alcohol - directly as a fuel?
Small scale steam engines - as used in scale sized railway engines - use alcohol to heat the water - so could this not be scaled up to power steam engines for practical uses?
Steam powered trains, ships, even (perish the thought) cars, lorries, and what about power stations (after all nuclear ones are steam engines - if you think about it).
Would it be viable and ecologically sound?
Well the alcohol to be used would of course be mostly water - which is obviously plentiful and cheap - sugar (glucose) is required as is yeast - and then a system of distillation to raise the alcohol content to make it useable.
Could it be done cheaply enough?
I haven`t got the foggiest idea - question is has anyone?
If it was financially viable (compared to alternatives) then it would be a cleaner form of fuel - compared to fossil fuels and nuclear - and it might well be far more efficient than bio-oil and use far less land for equivalent energy produced (leaving the land for food and life - wildlife and farmed animals).
Maybe some major flaw in this idea - but then again has Alcohol simply been overlooked?
And as an afterthought - might alcohol be burnt directly in Internal Combustion Engines or even used as the "fuel" for Fuel Cells?
As a "peoples fuel" - might it even be possible to produce small scal systems so villages/communities, even individuals, could produce their own Fuel Alcohol?
Anyway just a thought - seasonally inspired!
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Monday 14 December 2009
Milking
Milking Cows
Recently I heard about an automated system for milking cows.
The machine is effectively self-operated by the cow - she walks into the milking bay, when she wants, the machine attaches itself to her udders and the milk is taken from her.
The interesting thing that has been discovered (accidentally) is that cows using this system are actually producing more milk.
Firstly - I think they are producing more milk using this system because it mimics nature - calves after all do not feed twice a day at the same time each day.
Calves feed as and when they need to - and the cow produces milk to supply this need. The new machine returns the cow to this more natural rhythm - perhaps she even regards the machine as a calf which she needs to feed? (Somewhat touching thought if that is the case).
Anyway two things occur to me regarding this innovative machine.
1) Many criticise farmers for taking away calves from their mothers when they are at a very young age. Maybe with this machine a cow might produce milk for the calve and still have plenty of milk for the farmer?
2) If this machine is truly mimicking nature - then perhaps cows may continue in milk for longer than the single year? So the necessity of having them calve each year might be taken away? Might it be worth testing this possibility?
My thanks to BBC`s Countryfile for bringing the machine to my attention - hopefully the technology will get cheaper and bring it within more farmers reach - and maybe a fully outdoors/field model will at some point be available.
(P.S. If Google put a spam blog warning on this post - apologies, seems to be a standard thing when you start a new blog)
Recently I heard about an automated system for milking cows.
The machine is effectively self-operated by the cow - she walks into the milking bay, when she wants, the machine attaches itself to her udders and the milk is taken from her.
The interesting thing that has been discovered (accidentally) is that cows using this system are actually producing more milk.
Firstly - I think they are producing more milk using this system because it mimics nature - calves after all do not feed twice a day at the same time each day.
Calves feed as and when they need to - and the cow produces milk to supply this need. The new machine returns the cow to this more natural rhythm - perhaps she even regards the machine as a calf which she needs to feed? (Somewhat touching thought if that is the case).
Anyway two things occur to me regarding this innovative machine.
1) Many criticise farmers for taking away calves from their mothers when they are at a very young age. Maybe with this machine a cow might produce milk for the calve and still have plenty of milk for the farmer?
2) If this machine is truly mimicking nature - then perhaps cows may continue in milk for longer than the single year? So the necessity of having them calve each year might be taken away? Might it be worth testing this possibility?
My thanks to BBC`s Countryfile for bringing the machine to my attention - hopefully the technology will get cheaper and bring it within more farmers reach - and maybe a fully outdoors/field model will at some point be available.
(P.S. If Google put a spam blog warning on this post - apologies, seems to be a standard thing when you start a new blog)
Sunday 13 December 2009
Why Idea Stall
Stall - why?
A blog a bit like a stall in a bazaar or market -
But a stall displaying ideas not physical things -
Ideas that anyone can come along, pick up - try out - play with - work with - accept - reject - make comedy with -
Free to all -
If someone uses one of the ideas and makes a lot of money - then how about a payment to the Stallholder?
I know that`s not how its generally done - but heck, maybe this might - if it takes off - stimulate greater creativity and joy?
A blog a bit like a stall in a bazaar or market -
But a stall displaying ideas not physical things -
Ideas that anyone can come along, pick up - try out - play with - work with - accept - reject - make comedy with -
Free to all -
If someone uses one of the ideas and makes a lot of money - then how about a payment to the Stallholder?
I know that`s not how its generally done - but heck, maybe this might - if it takes off - stimulate greater creativity and joy?
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