OT: PROUD TO BE A DUPONTER
The current issue of Fortune magazine has a very upbeat piece on the greening of my employer. Except for a few technical details, they hit the high points dead on. The company really is serious about cutting waste and reducing energy use. It’s good business, of course, but it’s also good for the environment.
And, BTW, I have a feeling (no inside knowledge– different division) that bio-butanol is going to be big. The energy content is significantly higher than for ethanol, and it’s easier on the engine and exhaust than the relatively caustic 2-carbon grain alcohol.
7 Responses to “OT: PROUD TO BE A DUPONTER”
![]() Comment by speedwell March 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm |
Daryil, it’s relatively simple to produce fuel-grade ethanol yourself(the permits are an impediment but not an insurmountable one), making it a good choice for self-sufficiency. I don’t know anything about bio-butanol. Is it possible for a self-sufficient individual to make it using small-scale machinery and available chemicals? Disclaimer: I work for an oilfield tools and services company (in IT), but that has nothing to do with my question except that I don’t want you to get in trouble for saying anything that might violate a confidentiality agreement. |
![]() Comment by speedwell March 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm |
Pardon the typos; I was typing around a desk cat at the time. 🙂 |
![]() Comment by Daryl Cobranchi March 24th, 2007 at 2:01 pm |
Producing the EtOH is easy enough; moonshiners have been doing it for centuries. But making it cost effectively is another matter entirely. Even industrial-scale plants can’t make it as cheaply as we can make gasoline. Bio-butanol is also generated by fermentation. There’s no reason that an individual couldn’t ferment some in the basement. And there’d be no fear of getting busted by the ATF. |
![]() Comment by Unique March 24th, 2007 at 7:47 pm |
“cellulosic ethanol” I’d rather see them use the ‘leftovers’ than the food part of corn (in particular) although silage is used for feed as well. I really hope they continue to research the hog waste to fuel product stream – that’s a double win/win. Some sort of moratorium on those lagoons is supposed be running out this year, IIRC Good link, Daryl – thanks. |
![]() Comment by speedwell March 26th, 2007 at 10:09 am |
Thanks, Daryl. This has me thinking. Denatured alcohol (regular ethyl alcohol with a nasty, toxic substance added to ruin it for human consumption) is the only alcohol allowed to be used for things like cologne and other body products. I’ve heard some people who make their own line of bath and body products express concern over the chemicals used to denature the alcohol. Again, I don’t know, and I wouldn’t think that butanol would be good to consume at all, but I wonder what its toxicity is compared to denatured alcohol. |
![]() Comment by Daryl Cobranchi March 26th, 2007 at 10:26 am |
I don’t know what’s in cologne, but the denatured alcohol available for lab use usually includes benzene. Butanol is less toxic than methanol but more toxic than ethanol. It’s considerably less toxic than benzene. |
![]() Comment by speedwell March 26th, 2007 at 12:33 pm |
Thanks again! here’s an intereresting link on biofuel I saw tis morning while poking around: scoop....30.htm |