I found this story online at the New York Times so fascinating that I had to share it.

Two scientists are proposing a concept for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.  They call their idea Green Freedom.  The air would be blown over a liquid solution of potassium carbonate, the CO2 would be extracted and subjected to a chemical reaction that would turn it into fuel.  Sounds simple enough.  And is it actually doable?  Yes!  So why hasn’t anyone done it yet?  Because apparently it takes a ton of energy to produce, preferably a huge nuclear power plant!

The article goes on to evaluate and compare all alternative fuels we are looking into nowadays – hydrogen, biofuels, and electric cars.  They all have their pros and cons; but here’s a paragraph I found really interesting:

Gasoline, it turns out, is an almost ideal fuel (except that it produces 19.4 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon). It is easily transported, and it generates more energy per volume than most alternatives. If it can be made out of carbon dioxide in the air, the Los Alamos concept may mean there is little reason to switch, after all. The concept can also be adapted for jet fuel; for jetliners, neither hydrogen nor batteries seem plausible alternatives.

Gas is the most perfect fuel!?!  If this idea can actually come true, we could have the perfect close-loop cycle: gas to CO2 back to gas.

Here’s the link to the full article written by Kenneth Chang on 2.19.08 at the New York Times.

Let’s hear it for the Biodiesel ladies!  Biofuel Oasis is an all female co-operative that values sustainability, local production, and community.  In our quest to find alternative energy sources, especially clean ones, these ladies have set up shop in Berkeley, California (just a stone’s throw from San Francisco) and specialize in a high quality grade of Biodiesel fuel made from recycled vegetable oil that meets the ASTM standards.  You drive right up and pump directly to your car or buy in bulk using five gallon containers called carboys.

These enterprising ladies are not only selling the fuel, they’re teaching you all about it as well!  They offer a monthly fuel filter changing workshop.  Since running biodiesel will actually clean out your fuel system you may notice a loss in power which could be a symptom of a clogged filter.  Running biodiesel in a diesel engine does not mean a huge over haul to your existing engine just making sure you keep your filters clean.  Talk to these ladies they are a plethora of knowledge and very willing to share it, so much so, that they’ll sell you the how-to guide on brewing your own fuel or even setting up your own station.

Please note, regardless how good your intentions may be on recycling, they want you to know please don’t come here to donate your old cooking oil!  Running your vehicle on biodiesel is different than running it on straight vegetable oil.

There are a few drawbacks to biodiesel that are easily remedied such as cold weather (not a problem here but if you’re going up to the snow in Tahoe, use diesel), and the already mentioned of filter clogging, but the benefits are cleaner emissions, non-toxic, sustainable, renewable, and it’s easy.  Their website lists all this information on the pros and cons of biofuel.

With all that I’ve learned it’s funny to think the oil used to fry my favorite donuts can also run my car…hmm, perhaps not so funny!