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Do-It-Yourself Fuel Takes Off with Home Device
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findingDulcinea Staff
by findingDulcinea staff
The E-Fuel Corporation recently unveiled a device that turns sugar, yeast and water, or even left-over booze, into 100 percent ethanol.
The E-Fuel Corporation recently unveiled a device that turns sugar, yeast and water, or even left-over booze, into 100 percent ethanol.
30-Second Summary
With ethanol and other biofuels gaining in popularity but not always easy to find, many consumers are taking their fueling and energy needs into their own hands. One company is trying to make doing so a bit easier.
The MicroFueler hooks up to a water line, a 110 or 220 volt power supply and a wastewater drain, similar to a washing machine. Company founder Tom Quinn predicts that the home device will cause a “paradigm shift.”
“Just as the PC brought desktop computing to the home, E-Fuel will bring the filling station to the home,” Quinn told Wired magazine.
Wired notes that it is debatable whether the home-brewed ethanol will save consumers money, as the device costs almost $10,000 and the user has to pay for sugar, yeast and water. Other skeptics point out that quality control is an issue.
But the market for ethanol has boomed with the introduction of “flex fuel” vehicles that can run on either gasoline or ethanol.
The Micro-Fueler is just one in a long list of alternative fuel devices available to consumers. Other options include home biodiesel production kits and solar panels. In addition, the Internet has available instructions on everything from how to convert your car to run on vegetable oil to creating your own wind turbines.
The MicroFueler hooks up to a water line, a 110 or 220 volt power supply and a wastewater drain, similar to a washing machine. Company founder Tom Quinn predicts that the home device will cause a “paradigm shift.”
“Just as the PC brought desktop computing to the home, E-Fuel will bring the filling station to the home,” Quinn told Wired magazine.
Wired notes that it is debatable whether the home-brewed ethanol will save consumers money, as the device costs almost $10,000 and the user has to pay for sugar, yeast and water. Other skeptics point out that quality control is an issue.
But the market for ethanol has boomed with the introduction of “flex fuel” vehicles that can run on either gasoline or ethanol.
The Micro-Fueler is just one in a long list of alternative fuel devices available to consumers. Other options include home biodiesel production kits and solar panels. In addition, the Internet has available instructions on everything from how to convert your car to run on vegetable oil to creating your own wind turbines.
Headline Link: ‘Make fuel at home with portable DIY refinery’
The MicroFueler uses raw sugar and a proprietary time-release yeast mixture. “It’s so simple, anyone can make their own fuel,” says Quinn. He said that the MicroFueler can make ethanol for less than $1 a gallon, depending on the cost of electricity and water.
Source: Wired
Video: Homemade biodiesel
Paul Davis, the creator and designer of SweetHome biofuel products, demonstrates how to make biodiesel at home with his biofuel production kits. He claims that he makes fuel for $0.70 per gallon.
Source: YouTube
Related Topics: Alternative fuels and transportation
Once an environmentalist’s dream, different types of alternative fuels are proliferating, but their uses pose new challenges.
Source: findingDulcinea
Wood-burning stove use is on the rise because of increasing oil prices. The development could have serious environmental effects.
Source: findingDulcinea
More Americans are using public transportation as gas prices climb. Yet prices still aren’t high enough for some drivers to say goodbye to their cars.
Source: findingDulcinea
Background: The energy crisis
Many experts believe that the supply of oil, America’s primary source of energy, is leveling off and may soon begin to drop permanently. Americans must begin to conserve now to avert a drastic shortfall. FindingDulcinea suggests 10 practical ways to do so.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: Ethanol, vegetable oil, solar energy
Ethanol is one of the most popular alternative fuels today, as carmakers have started to produce “flex fuel” vehicles that can run on either gasoline or ethanol. But questions have been raised about quality and environmental effects. A 2007 press release from the Natural Resources Defense Council tackles some of the challenges of introducing this new fuel into the market.
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council
The blog Smells Like Fries chronicles a do-it-yourselfer’s experience converting a car to run on waste vegetable oil.
Source: Smells Like Fries
The blog Altenergy includes instructions on do-it-yourself alternative energy projects, such as installing your own solar panels or constructing your own wind turbine.
Source: Altenergy
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