Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
lowtechmagazine.com
Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
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Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#2Nice thing about wood power is that as long as you have a sustainable source of wood, you're 100% solar-powered and carbon neutral. That is to say, it's a source of energy that is (can be) non-fossil, nor derived from any fossil sources, and which recycles it's own CO2 emissions.
There are very few other alternatives that can claim the same. Perhaps Hydro? Solar panels don't offset their construction CO2 costs, and in fact almost can't even pay back their own construction energy costs if you factor in batteries plus materials, mining, and shipping.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#3Nice thing about wood power is that as long as you have a sustainable source of wood, you're 100% solar-powered and carbon neutral. That is to say, it's a source of energy that is (can be) non-fossil, nor derived from any fossil sources, and which recycles it's own CO2 emissions. There are very few other alternatives that can claim the same. Perhaps Hydro? Solar panels don't offset their construction CO2 costs, and i…
Still release a lot of syngas, which, if it was on world wide scale wouldn't be good.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#4Nice thing about wood power is that as long as you have a sustainable source of wood, you're 100% solar-powered and carbon neutral. That is to say, it's a source of energy that is (can be) non-fossil, nor derived from any fossil sources, and which recycles it's own CO2 emissions. There are very few other alternatives that can claim the same. Perhaps Hydro? Solar panels don't offset their construction CO2 costs, and i…
>Nice thing about wood power is that as long as you have a sustainable source of wood, you're 100% solar-powered and carbon neutral. That is to say, it's a source of energy that is (can be) non-fossil, nor derived from any fossil sources, and which recycles it's own CO2 emissions.
As long as you're happy pouring carcinogens into the air, sure. Also, compared to oil or coal there's not much energy in wood, so it doesn't scale very well.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#5I saw some of these in use while visiting DPR Korea. We weren't up close, but the government tour guide confirmed that they were wood-burning trucks. Sadly I was not allowed to photograph the trucks.
Like the article mentions, deforestation is an issue they can cause, something Korea suffers from greatly.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#6Would a steam engine make more sense? Then you could run it on anything.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#7There was a talk from the Royal Institution just uploaded yesterday (talk was in June), The Apocalypse and How to Avoid It[0], where Lewis Dartnell (author The Knowledge[1]) describes a gasifier stove you can make from a couple bean cans, and also brought up this gasifier engine technology and how it was used in London during the Blitz. This article has a ton of useful information that makes for a great followup.
Also at the talk were Vinay Gupta (Ethereum), Rosalind Eggo, and Hugh Lewis discussing different avenues to potential Apocalypse and their likelihood, etc.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPxBhqonZEQ
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-Rebuild-Civilization-Afterm...
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#8Would a steam engine make more sense? Then you could run it on anything.
In order to be efficient and powerful, a steam engine needs high-pressure steam, which can only be safely contained by thick, heavy boilers and pipes. This makes miniaturization of steam engines for cars difficult. Gasification of wood allows you to keep the benefits of the internal combustion engine.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#9Nice thing about wood power is that as long as you have a sustainable source of wood, you're 100% solar-powered and carbon neutral. That is to say, it's a source of energy that is (can be) non-fossil, nor derived from any fossil sources, and which recycles it's own CO2 emissions. There are very few other alternatives that can claim the same. Perhaps Hydro? Solar panels don't offset their construction CO2 costs, and i…
You're wrong about solar panels - they have an EROEI (Energy Return On Energy Invested) of between 4 and 15 times, depending on how you calculate it.
Re: Wood gas vehicles: firewood in the fuel tank
#10Would a steam engine make more sense? Then you could run it on anything.
In order to be efficient and powerful, a steam engine needs high-pressure steam, which can only be safely contained by thick, heavy boilers and pipes. This makes miniaturization of steam engines for cars difficult. Gasification of wood allows you to keep the benefits of the internal combustion engine.
I think the bigger issue is adapt vs rebuild.
The Doble steam cars are at least on the cusp of practical.
(they are very high maintenance compared to modern cars)