Re: [Amc-list] The Pickens Plan (not)

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

It's hard to get and pricey because there are only a few industrial uses for it. The Butanol link you provided states that. The site also states that Butanol is mainly derived from petroleum products right now, another reason it's costly.

I just wonder if butanol can be derived from natural gas? Hydrogen is derived from natural gas now, as that's more efficient than "cracking" water molecules (see the Honda Hydrogen car site... search on the net). Natural gas isn't a real efficient mobile fuel source, but changing it into something better might be a good idea -- the US supposedly has large natural gas reserves... 

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Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:36:15 -0400
From: "Bruce Hevner" <scramblr@xxxxxxxxxxx>

I guess many of you have seen the "ads" on TV promoting the "Pickens Plan".
If not ,basically he is promoting the conversion of vehicles to "CNG"
(compressed natural Gas) as an answer to reducing imports of foreign oil.

While a worthwhile goal on the surface, more investigation reveals it's just
NOT doable for the average person. How many vehicles are out there for which
a $3,000 conversion makes sense?. This fellow has done a good job of summing
it up.

https://www.cngoutfitters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=86

Take a look at it and then compare CNG to BUTANOL.

http://www.butanol.com/

Butanol requires NO CHANGES to the vast majority of gasoline vehicles on the
road NOW. It is VERY close to gasoline in BTU content (unlike Ethanol) so
your mileage would remain relatively the same. It does not absorb moisture
like Ethanol so can be transported in the SAME infrastructure NOW IN PLACE
for gasoline.
Has MUCH higher octane than gasoline so with the proper modifications (more
compression) it can get BETTER mileage than either gasoline OR Ethanol!

It can be made from biomass meaning WE could make it HERE in the USA!

Right now vehicle grade Butanol is VERY hard to get and pricy. WHY???

I would like to try Butanol in some of my vehicles but so far have found NO
bulk sources.

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)

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