NationStates Jolt Archive


Sugar cane fuel

Kubra
22-05-2006, 21:19
In Brazil, most cars are run by alcohol made by sugar canes. So, why not use that same technology in weapons of war? Imagine, killing the enemy while saving on oil! So, the engines in current ground vehicles and air vehicles well be replaced or converted to the alcohol run engines. Although, it will be quite costly. We expect it will take a few years before it's completely finished. Then we want to move on to our commerical vehicles. This can take over 10 years or so, considering we would need to make our gas stations sell the suff. But in the end, we won't be subject to rising gas prices.

Although, the sugar cane industry in Kubra is non-existant. Not that the land can't handle it, people just grow other sutff like wheat and pasture. Plus there's the problem with land speculators. So, we have decided to buy the unused land form the land speculators to be used for the sugar cane industry. We also need quite a few hundreds of sugar cane seeds to be planted. So, we are willing to buy sugar cane seeds off any willing nations. We will pay top price for them.
Kubra
22-05-2006, 21:24
OOC: Does nobody want to sell me seeds?
Siap
22-05-2006, 21:25
Anything with carbohydrates can be converted to fuel. Cellulose, like wood chips can be converted into alcohol. That being said, Siapian Absinthe makes a fine fuel, drain de-clogger, or brain cell killer.
Seriously, Siapian Wormwood grows anywhere, in almost any condition. We can sell seed to you for $100 per 1000 seeds (About 47% germination rate).
Kubra
22-05-2006, 21:26
Anything with carbohydrates can be converted to fuel. Cellulose, like wood chips can be converted into alcohol. That being said, Siapian Absinthe makes a fine fuel, drain de-clogger, or brain cell killer.
Seriously, Siapian Wormwood grows anywhere, in almost any condition. We can sell seed to you for $100 per 1000 seeds (About 47% germination rate). No, we're more happy with sugar cane alcohol. It's edible.
-Rome-
22-05-2006, 21:32
Just so you know, their cars are not run on only sugar alcohol. It is a mixture of 10% alcohol, and 90% gasoline. So its really not saving a lot of oil. I guess its better than not saving any, but still, not very effective.
Kubra
22-05-2006, 21:33
Just so you know, their cars are not run on only sugar alcohol. It is a mixture of 10% alcohol, and 90% gasoline. So its really not saving a lot of oil. I guess its better than not saving any, but still, not very effective. OOC: Are you serious? Damn, that sucks. Still, at least I'm not contributing to a future gas crisis as much as I would be.
-Rome-
22-05-2006, 21:44
True, and I applaud you for that.
Commonalitarianism
22-05-2006, 22:13
No they are flexible fuel vehicles capable of running either on 100% ethanol/ or 100% gasoline in Brazil. They also use biodiesel a which can run in any diesel engine without conversion. Do your homey work, homey. Pay attention GM has 85% ethanol/ or 100% gasoline vehicles on the road in the United States. We can provide you with sugar cane seeds. $50 a bag for 10,000 seeds. We'll sell them in 1,000 bag lots.
The Colony of Albion
22-05-2006, 22:25
I used to play Twillight 2000 and they listing for Wood and Grain Fuels for the military ground vechiles. The problem is that Grain is good and runs about 3/4 the range of gas, but Wood fuels are less so powerful and is about 2/3 a range as gas....
Siap
22-05-2006, 22:32
if its processed enough, its all, chemically, the same thing. Its either ethyl or methyl alcohol. Vehicles can run on it. I am not sure of the mileage difference, but I think it gives less mileage than gas. It burns cleaner. Its cheaper, but it is also more corrosive to the engines. Ethyl and methyl alcohol come from anything that contains sugars, or cellulose for that matter.
Me li
22-05-2006, 23:08
Am I the only one to have flash backs of Flying Cars and Cabro-Converters? Candy-canes, Sugar and Spice...Everything Nice. Thats what cars are made from!?! It sounds weird. BACK TO THE FUTURE! I want a flying car! When are they going to get around to that?

You know if we weren't side-tracked by cheap fossil fuels our bio-tech fuels tech would be much better. Peanut bio-deseil was one of the first engines...almost a centry ago...We took a different eddy and now come full circle. Funny how that works out.
Khurgan
23-05-2006, 00:08
OOC: Sadly, this wouldn't really be feasible. Ethanol (which is what I assume you'd be using) has an energy density (both volumetric and gravimetric) less than half that of diesel. There was a good thread on this that popped up again a while back, I'll see if I can dig it up.
Commonalitarianism
23-05-2006, 00:44
Biodiesel is very feasible. More feasible than ethanol. 20% Biodiesel B20 is the standard mix. A standard diesel engine can run biodiesel without modification. There is a slightly different way of making biodiesel than ethanol. There is a national biodiesel organization biodiesel.org more active and successful than ethanol in many ways. It is used mostly in vehicle fleets like heavy trucks, buses, and military vehicles.

If you like I could build you a sugar cane biorefinery-- it would make sugar, ethanol, and bioplastics. For a capacity of 20,000 50 gallon barrels per day, it would cost $50 million dollars. It would also produce sugar and bioplastics.
Khurgan
23-05-2006, 01:22
Biodiesel still has some rather large problems. While its energy density is only about 10% less than that of petrodiesel, it turns into a gel at lower than 40 degrees farenheit, and at warmer temperatures, it becomes home to swarms of bacteria. Thus, if it's used in, say, tanks, you can only use them in warm climates where your fuel tank doesn't turn into a solid block of tar.

Then you have to throw in the fact that to make enough fuel for every diesel vehicle in a reasonably sized country (America), using conventional crops, you'd need more arable land devoted to farming than all of the arable land in the USA.
Leocardia
23-05-2006, 01:34
Leocardia, known for its massive sugar cane industry wants to trade sugar canes in exchange for these great fuel technology.

Can we trade technology for sugar canes?
Kubra
24-05-2006, 03:02
Leocardia, known for its massive sugar cane industry wants to trade sugar canes in exchange for these great fuel technology.

Can we trade technology for sugar canes? Ok, reasonable enough.
Commonalitarianism
24-05-2006, 03:11
Plug in hybrid flexible fuel vehicles. Yup there is such a thing, you run on electric most of the time, but occasionally need a little gas to go fast. 100 MPG. You can also run hybrid diesel trains, and boats. Not incredibly fast but reduces the need for pure ethanol. Most likely thing for the long run. Don't laugh the Astra Opel is an example of this. Run it on biodiesel with a little extra electric kick.

http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/100_news/astra_011005.html
Colorado and Texas
24-05-2006, 03:24
We think that is a good idea. We however use steam power in many of our military things.
Kubra
24-05-2006, 03:25
Plug in hybrid flexible fuel vehicles. Yup there is such a thing, you run on electric most of the time, but occasionally need a little gas to go fast. 100 MPG. You can also run hybrid diesel trains, and boats. Not incredibly fast but reduces the need for pure ethanol. Most likely thing for the long run. Don't laugh the Astra Opel is an example of this. Run it on biodiesel with a little extra electric kick.

http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/100_news/astra_011005.html OOC: My sister wanted to buy stocks to hybrid cars, says they're really going to soar.

IC: The project is underway, no point stopping in the middle of it for osmething else. Still, hyrbird engines are a great idea.