Alcohol Can Be a Gas!

Nicholas Covey wrote:The mash only has to be heated to 170 degrees Fahrenheit in order to distill the alcohol from the water and mash. That can be obtained with a solar collector...



Here is a link to an online book called Solargas which deals with just that. http://www.soilandhealth.org/copyform.aspx?bookcode=030223

This link gives a brief intro to SOLARGAS, very interesting:

http://www.csiro.au/en/Organisation-Structure/Flagships/Energy-Flagship/SolarGas.aspx

isn't ethanol an alcohol? if so, then i guess that i did know that alcohol could be a gas. thanks for posting the link to the book, susan! i just heard about permaculture recently through a friend and definitely want to learn more about it.

While i haven't read Dave's book, I have watched his youtubes , I do agree with a lot of what he speaks of , And i am hoping that he talks of this in his book , as i haven't been able source the answer to this question elsewhere ..... "What do we make roads out of ?", we all know roads are either Bitumen or concrete , both are terrible for the environment , Bitumen is a by-product of oil manufacture , so if we all go to ethanol what replaces the road surface ? i know both lignins and cellulose can be made into plastics , and both biodegrade, yet i haven't seen anyone address a replacement road surface or whether it would require additional farming or produced from a waste from alcohol manufacture, nor the life expectancy /replacement of such a product....
Peace and Love Dave oxoxoxox
PS i have done a lot of research on this and many related topics , but seems a question no one asks , or has an answer too , If it has been answered , please forgive my ignorance

David Williams wrote:While i haven't read Dave's book, I have watched his youtubes , I do agree with a lot of what he speaks of , And i am hoping that he talks of this in his book , as i haven't been able source the answer to this question elsewhere ..... "What do we make roads out of ?", we all know roads are either Bitumen or concrete , both are terrible for the environment , Bitumen is a by-product of oil manufacture , so if we all go to ethanol what replaces the road surface ? i know both lignins and cellulose can be made into plastics , and both biodegrade, yet i haven't seen anyone address a replacement road surface or whether it would require additional farming or produced from a waste from alcohol manufacture, nor the life expectancy /replacement of such a product....
Peace and Love Dave oxoxoxox
PS i have done a lot of research on this and many related topics , but seems a question no one asks , or has an answer too , If it has been answered , please forgive my ignorance

I think worrying about 100% use of alcohol as motor fuel is not really relevant at this point in time.

But, to answer to your question, low-temperature geopolymers can and do make excellent road surfaces. Cement could have significantly less impact if different fuels/methods were used for manufacture.

What are you guys paying currently per gal ? $3 give or take , when your paying $8.00 AUD for E10 ($7.09 USD) then you might think the effort is a little more worth while , considering i have to drive 82km for shopping (50 Miles)
Peace and Love Dave oxoxox

Ok i have done a lot more research on this topic ( For Australians / Law ) While you can own a still once you have received a licence to distill, you have to pay a 38.143c/ltr excise tax on the alcohol produced , but the government gives a return of 38.143c/ltr (EPG)... if using NO petroleum denaturant (ie Methanol , Propanol) ... The still basically needs it's own building (lockable) and consent for inspection needs to be given..... Transport of fuel needs an application (waiting on an answer if this includes car fuel tank) .... Huge amount of record keeping, and waiting to hear if "Feints" are classed as a denaturant.... will post when i get more info ..... Location/Set-up would also need to follow ALL HACCP protocols, MSDS ect , has a $500 Liciencing fee for the ATO , and is a state one of between $75-$3500-ish production dependant ... While i think the laws are kind of restrictive , i do think it could be done, although more suited to someone who has a greater need to do so than i at this time.. I currently have Blume's book on order and think it should be an interesting read !!!
Peace and Love Dave oxoxoxo

Hey here is a video lecture about this that i found very informative and well done *** *** Alcohol can be a gas

this is a great book..obvious that w/o gov controls we could be completely energy independent

Bump.

Looking for a short-term transitional solution.  If it's true that "
"Newer vehicles will run of a mix of up to 50% ethanol mixed with gasoline without any modifications.  They don't have to be designated as flex fuel vehicles.  There is nothing special added to make them work that way.  It is the computer controlled engine management system that does the alterations in engine timing." as was posted earlier in this thread a few years ago, then I imagine we could drive by the E85 station if we have a little more than half a tank left and fill the rest of the tank with e85.  BUT would need to keep careful track of whether our last refill was the E85 or regular...I am _not_ the most organized person in the world

Other permaculture strategies that come to mind:

--use magic genie who will grant one wish for an electric car or a hybrid pluggable car
--use magic genie who will grant one converter kit that can work on a Honda HRV even though that is not compatible with the Honda HRV
--cut out the middle-person and simply use magic genie wishes for transportation directly

While I'd love to get into the ins and outs of distilling my own gas, and more power to anyone who can do this, I am simply looking at this time to continue to cut my carbon footprint for 2020.  

Side note--I am now reading that new ethanol-generation processes can use cellulose--so wood waste, agricultural waste, etc., could be used.  (source was wikipedia, I believe).  This is new in the last couple of years.  It makes much more sense than growing sugar cane to make alcohol, and you could also put the really non-edible food waste to use (ie stuff that's too toxic even for chicken feed or composting, or maybe sewage??)  

Long term, I think the real answer is "appreciate where I am more so I don't want to get in a vehicle and go somewhere else," and "appreciate who I'm near more so I don't feel the need to to elsewhere to get my emotional, social, cultural, intellectual stimulation/needs met" but this is a long-term shift.  Medium-term, electric cars.  Short-term, magic wand for the HRV? biodiesel it even though that does wear down the engine way faster, I'm told (Ben Falk said he used to do biodiesel and no longer does because of the wear on engines).

Thanks for any input!

Considering  the recent weather events. Alcohol fuel may become more widely used. Lighting and cooking with alcohol fuel was used in the early 1900s as well as cars. Looking at making an aircrete alcohol stove for heating rooms where rocket mass heater is to heavy.