Diesel made with sun, water, CO2

[nottelling]

A MASSACHUSETTS biotechnology company says it can produce the fuel that runs cars and jet engines using the same ingredients that make grass grow.

Joule Unlimited has invented a genetically-engineered organism that it says simply secretes diesel fuel or ethanol wherever it finds sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company says it can manipulate the organism to produce the renewable fuels on demand at unprecedented rates, and can do it in facilities large and small at costs comparable to the cheapest fossil fuels.

What can it mean? No less than "energy independence", Joule's website tells the world, even if the world's not quite convinced.

"We make some lofty claims, all of which we believe, all of which we've validated, all of which we've shown to investors," said Joule chief executive Bill Sims.

More at the link: http://www.northernstar.com.au/story...sun-water-co2/

The Joule website: http://www.jouleunlimited.com/

The patents:

http://www.google.com/patents/about?...t+%237,981,647

http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=UTnnAQAAEBAJ

Other patents by Joule Unlimited: http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&t...mited,+Inc.%22

I'm usually a little wary of anything which is genetically engineered. If this bacteria mutated and got out into the wild, we'd have an environmental disaster of global proportions which would far exceed the evils of the oil industry.

But having said that - Sounds awesome if it's feasible. Imagine a vehicle fuel reactor in every backyard? No more resource wars. Of course it remains to be seen if this technology will be "acquired" by some faceless multi-national and buried or not. I hope not. In the article the head honcho of Joule Unlimited is clearly obsessed with money, which is a clear sign he can be bought out. Open source tech which cannot be suppressed is needed in this situation.

[BPIpsychic]

Yeah, any organism that can run on such common substances could potentially poison the entire planetary water supply with "diesel fuel". Sounds like potentially the most dangerous thing I have ever heard of after self replicating nano machines.

[RMorgan]

Posted by BPIpsychic (here)
Yeah, any organism that can run on such common substances could potentially poison the entire planetary water supply with "diesel fuel". Sounds like potentially the most dangerous thing I have ever heard of after self replicating nano machines.

You can´t take it so literally. This micro-organism needs special conditions in order to reproduce, like specific temperature, special filtered water, special pressure conditions and a specific amount of CO².

It´s not the kind of thing that you just throw on the water and it becomes diesel like a miracle.

Cheers,

Raf.

[Anchor]

My tractor is interested in this news

[Wantsthetruth74]

I'm usually a little wary of anything which is genetically engineered. If this bacteria mutated and got out into the wild, we'd have an environmental disaster of global proportions which would far exceed the evils of the oil industry.

We already have one of those, Fukushima!! At this point what difference does it make. Our planet is hosed as far as i'm concerned.

[Anchor]

Posted by starchild111 (here)
We already have one of those, Fukushima!! At this point what difference does it make. Our planet is hosed as far as i'm concerned.

Thats a sad way to think.

Just last week I watched a sunset, I watched parrots playing, Kangaroo's larking about.

I drank pure rainwater, I ate some vegetables that we grew.

My hair is not falling out.

My teeth are not loose.

I am not bleeding.

I ache, but thats because I spent 2hrs bashing in star pickets to make fences round some oak trees to protect them from clumsy roo's.

I know that there are things wrong and that this planet is taking unnecessary damage.

She is not hosed.

She could shrug it off in an instant if it gets too much.

She wants to take the long road and let us work stuff out.

You are living in a time when this may happen before your eyes

Dont give up on us (humans+gaia) yet!

[Wantsthetruth74]

Difficult to not be cynical these days. My apologies. Some days it just really seems that its alswys gonna be 3 steps forward, and 4 back. I would like for us and Gaia to win this race, but (for me) sometimes it feels like a never ending battle.