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[–] • 2 pts

Coal. Read up on coal to liquid fuels processing. Possible, not exactly cheap, but it works.

[–] [deleted] • 4 pts

The Germans did this in WW2. The problem with their method was that it was extremely labor intensive loading low temperature retorts ("ovens") with coal to be be heated to release the liquid components as gases, which were then condensed, and then cleaning the remaining portions of the coal (coke) out of the retorts afterwards. Since this was a pure low skill labor job, they decided to use criminals being kept in "concentration camps" to do most of it. A famous one of these Coal Gasification Plants was called Auschwitz.

[–] • 0 pt

NOT CHEAP! The joo masters won't allow it.

[–] • 2 pts

Because it's one thing to lose oil as an energy source, but it's another to lose plastics and all the fucking amazing things made with them.

[–] • 1 pt

extraction from algae or larger plants, thermal de-polymerization, direct manufacture from elements

[–] • 2 pts

All of what you mention is possible for the production of hydrocarbons, but the amount of energy needed to build long chain or high molecular weight hydrocarbons using these methods becomes economically un-viable. There are processes in hydrocarbon processing (from crude oil) that can take large chains and make them smaller (hydrocracking) or take small chains and make them larger (catalytic reforming), but you're generally not going up or down in big steps.

Big steps takes too much energy for the end result so it's best to start with a hydrocarbon precursor that is close to what you want to end up with (e.g. pentane into octane or methane into butane). Scaling this process up to go from individual atoms of hydrogen and carbon would be extremely inefficient and costly. We use crude oil for a reason since it is made up of many different sizes of chains.

With the improvement in processing the crude oil precursor kerogen, the hydrocarbon industry has opened up new doors to feedstocks a refinery can run. Much of the new hydrocarbon extraction is based on kerogens (think shale fracking) and there is a lot more of it than we can imagine. Kerogen also replenishes itself quicker than crude oil so we're in no real danger of running out. Big Oil is still a problem though, but that will have to be dealt with the old fashioned way, if you know what I mean.

[–] • 1 pt

Are you PET or CHEM?

[–] • 1 pt

Neither, actually. I'm an EE who works in software engineering now. I have worked in petrochem for years though and learned a lot of what the Chem-Es and Proc-Es do in refining. Also worked in power so I have a fair bit of coverage on many engineering disciplines.

[–] [deleted] • 1 pt

flax and peanut farming and skip gas, do deisel.

compost the remnants for reintroduction

[–] • 1 pt

That was Rudolf Diesel's intention with his engine. So farmers can produce the fuel they needed.

[–] • 1 pt

Well, instead people started using diesel to produce crops. That's um, not a cycle that you can repeat forever, either. It takes a lot more energy to produce the crops than you extract from the sun growing them.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

except for trees, pastures, ... not sure what else

[–] • 0 pt

I've seen people run diesel engines off of used cooking oil.

[–] [deleted] • 1 pt

it might be possible to take syn gas, which is largely hydrogen, and [com]press filtered raw syngass into magnesium hydride pellet tanks with a max psi rating of like 75 and a regular operating psi of about 55max. remnants not adsorbed to the pellets(i dont think its called absorbson for this) could be purged out. so thereforethe system would need at least two tanks which are filled alternatively while the other purges co2 mainly with probably a back pressure of of (a guess) 26psi so as to not release to much hydrogen. once the tank starts running (in run mode, not fill mode anymore) the final co2 would be purged out with the first release from the tank.

magnesium hydride pellets is a storage solution forthe future but if it was coupled with syngas production using a heat (steam) powered compressor pump it could be a great way to

fill a car by throwing logs in a gasifier, stepping on a stationary bicycle to fan the fire up and assist the compressor. the speed of the syngas production would be bottleneck in speed of 'filling the tank'. unlike battery techs that take a lot of time

these sort of tanks are not flamable or explosive even full of pure h2

[–] • 1 pt

Earth makes it.

[–] • 0 pt

Switchgrass.

Yep.

Look it up.

[–] • 0 pt

I learned in school that the nazis did it using wood with something called the Fischer-Tropsh process.

[–] • 0 pt

Fossil fuel isn't going to ever run out. We will stop burning it for energy long before we run out and there will be no shortage after that for plastics fertiliser etc

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

i agree but that isnt the issue at hand; if hydrocarbons are made scarce then it would behoove oneself to make their own.

[–] • 0 pt

Fischer trope synthesis

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

so this is a breadth of catalyst assisted coal to liquid reactions used commercially.

with wood gas this would be really neat. the 'stove' design, or reactor for controlling a burn or influx of heat from a previous chamber is interesting to consider for the home user. the use of propane tanks has been done but i wonder what is possible with types of mortar and internal props that can be, say, burned out once it sets.

[–] • 0 pt

You just need the catalyst, a way to regenerate it, proper reactor conditions and a way to separate the products. You could do it at home in small scale as long as you have good ventilation and take proper procautions.

[–] • 0 pt

Sounds like a fun home project. I just wish I had time.