![German Robot Pigs]()
"What I need for this project", I explained to my young son, "is an army of German robot pigs." His eyes went wide. "And I know just where to get them..."I have a project on my desk right now to look at avenues of disposal for sewage sludge in a specific location. There are lots of things you can do...
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![Keep Your Eye on DME]()
Di-methyl-ether (DME) is a fuel that I have been talking about since at least 2006. I have blogged about it, and I have classified it in several of my presentations as a "Sustainable Contender" (including in a slide at last year's ASPO conference). I want to use this post to explore DME in a little ...
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![Osmotic Power]()
Did you ever wonder why the skin on your hands sometimes shrivels when you have them in water for too long? The underlying reason is called osmosis (a simple explanation in more detail below), and the same driving force is now being utilized as a power source.Occasionally I encounter an energy story...
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![The DOE Funding Recipients]()
I am so far behind on the things that I have been intending to write. It is hard to believe that it has already been over a week since the most recent US DOE biorefinery grants were announced. I have been meaning to list them and comment, but I have finally decided just to list them without too much...
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![Three Gallons Per Mile]()
Often when I am flying, I think about the amount of fuel that the airplane is burning. Then when I am off the plane, I usually forget about it. I have heard mixed opinions on the overall efficiency of airline travel versus automobile travel, but just never got around to investigating the matter myse...
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![Son of Xethanol Goes Bankrupt]()
I have written several essays on Xethanol over the past few years. If you recall, they were a poster child for the theme of "overpromise, boost your stock price, and get rich quick" on biofuels.For me, this story dates back to 2006, when an investigative journalist working for Dallas Mavericks' owne...
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![Catching Up]()
Back home now, just trying to catch up on the energy news of note. Four stories that I want to highlight. First was POET's announcement on their progress on cellulosic ethanol:Poet hits 'long shot,' cuts cellulosic ethanol costsWASHINGTON - The head of the world's largest ethanol producer, Sioux Fal...
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