A recent short article in Popular Mechanics magazine told of a man in Virginia who is creating a solid fuel by charring algae. It is intended to be a one-for-one replacement for coal, but without the pollutants. It's ash would be good fertilizer.
Neat!
Char-gae?
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Char-gae?
by DR Johansen » Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:44 am
- DR Johansen
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- Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:03 am
- Location: Northern VA
Re: Char-gae?
by DR Johansen » Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:39 am
A bit more on this subject.
Turns out the process is called "hydro-thermal carbonization". Dump pretty much any bio-mass with a mild acid into a pressure cooker for about 2 hours at about 200C. Out comes what is effectively coal. And the liquid remainder is typically a very good fertilizer.
Lets see. The Germans have a system for grading coal. It goes (with translation to English):
Braunkohle (Lignite)
Flammkohle (Flame coal)
Gasflammkohle (Gas flame coal)
Gaskohle (Gas coal)
Fettkohle (Fat coal)
Esskohle (Forge coal)
Magerkohle (Non baking coal)
Anthrazit (Anthracite)
I guess this would be Algaekohle and might come in somewhere around Braunkohle but without the ash problems!
Turns out the process is called "hydro-thermal carbonization". Dump pretty much any bio-mass with a mild acid into a pressure cooker for about 2 hours at about 200C. Out comes what is effectively coal. And the liquid remainder is typically a very good fertilizer.
Lets see. The Germans have a system for grading coal. It goes (with translation to English):
Braunkohle (Lignite)
Flammkohle (Flame coal)
Gasflammkohle (Gas flame coal)
Gaskohle (Gas coal)
Fettkohle (Fat coal)
Esskohle (Forge coal)
Magerkohle (Non baking coal)
Anthrazit (Anthracite)
I guess this would be Algaekohle and might come in somewhere around Braunkohle but without the ash problems!
- DR Johansen
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:03 am
- Location: Northern VA
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