I wonder how long it will take them to implement. BLUF: Genetically altered bacteria can make 35 cubic feet of garbage (fermentation machine taking up 40 sq ft of space) will make 1 barrel of crude oil which is 42 US gal per week. This equals to 19.5 gal of gas plus other stuff (ie cooking oil). It is considered carbon negative (uses more carbon to make than to burn). Times of London Article
This is fascinating research. There are bacteria that "eat" crude and diesel fuel, why not bacteria that excrete crude? I think a lot of folks would have justifiable concerns over the safety of genetically altered organisms. Although this approach wouldn't have a hope of replacing more than a small fraction of our current crude consumption, it's nice to take a "waste" material and turn it into something useful
The only drawback that I can think of is that this relies on a living organism. Mother nature has a habit of changing the rules when you least expect it. They would have to closely monitor the the bacteria to ensure it does not mutate into something else. Flesh eating bacteria that turns people into zombies. - okay maybe I have been watching too many movies.
Yeah, you think the world has "oil security" issues now.... Just wait until the oil becomes alive and turns on us !! ound: Anyway, I've heard just about all these ideas before. These articles come out now when oil is high of course. It IS interesting just as science, but wake me up when they have a commercially viable solution. ...
If you watch the documentary "A Crude Awakening" you will see why this will not help us. The amount of oil we consume in the world is incredible. There would not be enough organic material to fulfil the amount of oil we consume. Basically without oil (or a breakthrough in solar, etc...) the amount of energy consumed each year (in the world) cannot be handled organically. The experts agree organic energy could sustain about 1.5-2 billion people on the planet. Like I said you should really watch that documentary.
If our politicians don't wake up and start pouring money into alternate forms of energy research you will get a REAL wakeup when our energy resources are not enough for the planets 6 billion plus people. Our whole financial system is based on cheap energy.
Along with alternatives drill the living crap out of ANWAR and the cont. shelf. We need everything now, not some now some never. We don't need politicians to do anything we just need them to get out of the way.
Aren't we all genetically altered bacteria who make more than 35 cubic feet of garbage? I think we have them beat! ZC1
I do not agree. Too many people are still not aware of the "crisis" we face in terms of energy scarcity in a time when energy demand continues to grow. Drilling for more oil will not solve anything. It will allow people to play ignorant and continue to waste energy on non-essentials until time runs out and drilling or energy alternatives are even an option anymore. No, better to let people start to feel the hurt and make adaptations and weaken their resolve to fight against alternatives. Those other oil sources can stay where there are and work as back-up in the event we truely end up in a ration situation. Using them as a source of energy while we are still so wasteful is like eating all your MREs while you still have a pig roasting over a fire......
gasoline is still the same price or cheaper than milk, I'm not sure where the crisis is. when it's 10 bucks a gallon, well now we are rationing it a bit.
The crisis is VERY near but the masses are mostly unaware of it and the general media is not going to mention it because keeping people hooked on oil as long as possible right before we run out is VERY lucrative! Yes, oil is still very cheap but I fear what will happen when it gets truely expensive and our infrastructure (and everyone elses around the world) is not ready.
Nothing new about this technology. It *should* be applied to animal waste, processing, etc, but the facility still needs scrubbers to handle the smell complaints With suitable co-generation, such a facility can power the processing plant and have enough left over for small amounts of oil. Nowhere near enough to wean us off Mid East oil
First of all, it's "ANWR" which is an acronym for Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Not sure what "ANWAR" stands for, though a lot of the dumber neocon reporters have called it that ANWR extraction will make a slight profit with oil priced as it is now. It will probably follow the same production curve that Prudhoe has, so you can count on about 25 years Coastal oil is far more expensive than ANWR, which is pretty expensive itself. As an example, the huge Hibernia field near the Grand Banks was an expensive taxpayer funded boondoggle most of its pumping history. The Canadian government even had to set up a Crown Corporation to fund it Shale, well don't get me started. It's the most expensive source of oil on the planet
