Palm Oil ? A New Biodiesel fuel.

tikay

7th March 2007 - 04:46 AM

http://www.physorg.com/news90479245.html

"Meanwhile, European nations in particular are fuelling big demand for biofuel, which is derived from natural oils and plants and added to ordinary diesel, and is seen as an important tool for reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Last year Malaysian exports of palm oil, already the world"s largest, grew to a record 31.81 billion ringgit (9.05 billion dollars), five percent up on the last high set in 2004.

Biodiesel production is expected to double this year."

It seems that the animals are being hurt in the production...slash and burn methods of recovering the palm kernal, so that some European nations will not be stooping to buy in the future IF environmentally friendly measures are not taken and this is really good news for the oragutan, we cant keep destroying as if nothing matters and still get a big pat on the back anymore!

StevenA

7th March 2007 - 05:21 AM

It won't matter what sources of energy are used, there will always be environmentalists that oppose it. If it's wind farms, they'll complain about the landscape. If it's nuclear, they'll complain about radiation. If it's hydro, they'll complain about the dams or ocean ecology. If it's petroleum, they'll complain about pollutants, and even if you resolve that, they'll complain about the CO2 and if we stop bringing it up, they'll complain about using what's on top etc. etc. etc.

The commonality has little of anything to do with the environment and everything to do about energy. It's just the next phase of a push for global monopolization of energy resources, and you can see a lot of it in the middle east right now.

If Berkeley researches new energy technologies, some large company will foot a few bills for exclusive rights (and deny later similar research elsewhere), if biodiesel becomes a big thing, then it will be taxpayer subsidizies and become a government program and deny independent competitors. If it's called a deregulation of the energy markets and suppose to be free competition then it's a misnoemer like the "Patriot" Act and a few laws left in place that drive competition out of the markets etc. etc. etc. etc.

It's a giant scam and it's not going to help rich countries or poor ones, nor will it promote any improvements in the energy markets (which have been relatively stagnant for quite a while now despite the massive amounts of tax money we're handing out to supposedly further research into greater efficiencies or alternative resources).

solidspin

7th March 2007 - 09:33 PM

StevenA -

Considering I'm a registered biodiesel producer in NYS, I would have to say your (collective) position is, at least, uninformed and at most, ignorant.

My contacts in Malaysia (as well as the brokers here) are making TONS of $$. They are exporting like crazy.

As little respect I have for tikay (given his absence of scientific understanding), he is partially right. While slash-burn is illegal, and much less efficient that bulldozers (which is what they ARE using), they nevertheless are taking pristine lands and converting them to palm plantations.

-ss

Smithy

7th March 2007 - 09:54 PM

QUOTE (solidspin+Mar 7 2007, 09:33 PM)

they nevertheless are taking pristine lands and converting them to palm plantations.

So do you think that is right? Sounds like a similar problem to use of ethanol...

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8724592,

QUOTE

"There is not enough agricultural land available. Nor is it clear that ethanol is really that much greener, given the energy needed to produce it.

Ethanol is popular because it appears to be an easy option. It does not require higher taxes or rationing, it keeps the farmers happy and it makes the government look like it is doing something. Alas, dealing with global warming is likely to be more painful.

Guest_Don

7th March 2007 - 10:28 PM

A Channel 4 documentary with George Monbiot an environmental campaigner gave a very interesting commentary on biofuel last night (6th March). From what I can recall it was reported that vast areas of rainforest are being turned over to monoculture. The raw materials made go through several kinds of processing, which are then shipped across the planet in ships that use fossil fuels. When the materials arrive they are processed further before even being ready for consumption. The net result in this case seems to be no reduction in carbon emissions at all. We all need to look elsewhere for a clean and efficient energy sources.

tikay

7th March 2007 - 11:18 PM

QUOTE (solidspin+Mar 7 2007, 01:33 PM)

StevenA -

Considering I'm a registered biodiesel producer in NYS, I would have to say your (collective) position is, at least, uninformed and at most, ignorant.

My contacts in Malaysia (as well as the brokers here) are making TONS of $$. They are exporting like crazy.

As little respect I have for tikay (given his absence of scientific understanding), he is partially right. While slash-burn is illegal, and much less efficient that bulldozers (which is what they ARE using), they nevertheless are taking pristine lands and converting them to palm plantations.

-ss

You are right to have little respect for me I am undereducated. I have admitted it many times. Still I have a great interest in the Sciences and cannot help that my circumstances were that i was raised by hippy-types, who had taken a sort of vow of near poverty, and could not send me to the sort of school many of you were privileged to attend. I still have a voracious appetite to learn about science and our world.
I apologize for my ignorance and also I assumed (since the article was lacking here) that slash and burn was the method of establishing farmland, as it has been done here, and elsewhere for hundreds of years. having someone to clarify the truth of the matter is really cool, though. Glad you are here to set me strait, SolidSpin and for everyone to benefit from your knowledge.
By the way I am female, like that should make any difference, I hope it wont.

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