The „SUNFUEL“-Illusion of the car industry

Germany´s car industry- lead by VW and Daimler-Chrysler- have said goodbye to hydrogen and the fuel-cell for the time being; if the need should arise, they might be able to fall back upon the matter in not earlier than a ten or twenty years´time. Recently VW and Daimler- Chrysler put on synthetic fuel namely SYN-FUEL. This is to be extracted from natural gas (as long as available) by means of the Fischer- Tropsch- Method. It can also be made from Sun Fuel which after being produced by a costly synthetic gas production (CO+ 2H2 ) from “biomass” and then has to undergo the same above mentioned Fischer- Tropsch- Method; and so one finally gets the synthetic fuel Parafine, Olefine a. o. The condensation of bio solid matter such as wood or straw according to the synthetic gas method and the Fischer- Tropsch- Method is absolutely practicable from the technical point of view, nevertheless, it should be analysed critically if it is really sensible after all. Because each single step of the converting process is bound up with the expenditure and losses of energy. The expenditure which is necessary to produce synthetic gas from the “biomass” in order to get liquid fuel by means of the Fischer- Tropsch- Method is extremely high and the efficiency factor of the total process (probably < 20 %) is consequently rather doubtful. A procedure of that kind is only justified if the used carrier of energy is available in plentiful supply. Referring to coal for example this was the case during the Second World War. At that time Germany was nearly cut off from any supply of mineral oil from abroad and the consumption of the local hard coal which was available plentiful didn´t cause any problems. Therefore the idea suggested itself to gasify the hard coal and to produce liquid fuel by using the Fischer- Tropsch- Method, so that their war economy would be kept up.

THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF NATUREFOOD FOR EVERYONE.

Today, however,- and even more in future- we cannot afford to waste our valuable “again growing natural materials”. The ingenious natural process of photosynthesis in every plant was optimized evolutionary within millions of years. Up to now we are unable to reproduce it technologically. But it supplies us reliably with simple (e.g. sugar, starches) and highly complex organic chemical compounds (e. g. celluloses, proteins and oils) at an immense variety, and all that only from carbon dioxide, water and mineral material in compound with sun energy.
These natural materials do not only serve us, the human beings, as basis for food but they also supply all organisms. And just that is what we should take into account. As soon as we use wood, straw and other residual matters of foresty and agricultural products from the forest and field ecosystems in order to spend them for energy purposes without considering adequately the sensitive balance of photosynthetical buildingup and consuming decomposition of those organic substances, then we impoverish these systems step by step, also if we return the incineration residues- the ashes- onto the soil. We must be aware of the fact that the food basis for organisms like fungi, collembola (Springschwänze), earthworms gets scarce by that and they cannot develop that much rampant and increase. Consequently there is less food for animals of higher order like birds or hedgehogs- and finally also for people.

WEALTH OR POVERTY?

The richness of the biosphere and also the abundance of soil and its yield will depend on a decisive extend on how much “biomass” in the form of foliage, residual wood and straw we withdraw respectively how much we leave on the expanse. Therefore an energetical whole- plantuse by means of incineration would be fatal in the long term. The socalled common- land- forests of the late Middle Ages may be given as a warning example. At that time not only wood and straw were taken unscrupulously but the areas were also put out to intensive grazing, so that at present, 700 years later, one can still recognize them as degraded forest land. This shows what is called for now: The “biomass” which we take from forests and fields for our nutrition requirements and energy demands have to be used with very economical and efficient awareness. In the long term we cannot afford excessively high losses as they obviously seem to be unavoidable for Sun-Fuel production! There is also the fact that the present method where no ashes with their mineral content will remain which could be returned onto the fields or to the forests. The ashes are to be vitrified into clinker and find a use as a building material. Then how should it be possible to close the nutrient circle?

VEGETABLE OIL- FUEL FROM NATURE

If it is for natural fuel which should replace crude oil extensively and at the same time be produced with lowest application rate, we won´t have to search in the nature for a long time. In nearly every seed we find plenty of: vegetable oil, one triglycerid consisting of only carbon, much hydrogen and little oxygen. It contains the highest density of energy among all bio fuels (9.2 kwh per litre), it is liquid at standard temperature, not volatile, not explosive, not waterhazardous and moreover non-poisonous, rapidly degradable, CO2- neutral and sulphur-free, so it is eco-friendly at highest degree. In Germany pure vegetable oil is already being used in many thousand diesel cars without problems. In spite of that the predominant automobil industry try hard to denigrate or even to ignore it. Why?

FUEL OR ENGINE ADAPTION?

The presently used engine technique shall not be adapted to the fuel- which is incomparably advantageous and worldwide obtainable from vegetable oil-but the fuel- which is e.g. again and again chemically transesterified- shall be adapted to the presently used engine technique. Obviously here it seems unimportant that it ( bio diesel) is far less ecological and about 30 % more expensive. From the point of view of national economy this counts as intelligent and extraordinary sensible. Because of this very fuel adaption which is taking place industrially to an increasing degree since about ten years and which meanwhile seems to be regarded as not good enough by VW and Daimler- Chrysler (although there were no great efforts to optimize the diesel engines to this denaturated fuel), now the “biomass” ( which includes vegetable oil) must be degrated into the separate elements by specific incineration (synthetic gas) and afterwards it must be chemically tied anew in order to receive the needed hydrocarbon compounds. The excessively great requirements, the energetic losses and the real (also ecological ) expenses seem to be of no importance.

TAKING STOCK OF THE FACTS

The again- growing natural materials (the “biomass”) from forestes, meadows and fields are available but not on a large scale and not unlimited if mankind of tomorrow want to live lastingly and with dignity- although it must be without the plentiful supply of fossile energies which were available during the last hundred years. Apart from covering the needs of food for all human beings and the animals of higher order it will be the forestry and agricultural production which can supply on one hand with the requirements of raw material and on the other hand with the energy and fuel demands. Though we have to see for it that sufficient recycling of energy containing natural materials and nutrients (i.a. foliage, barks, residual wood and straw, but as well manure, biogas, semi-liquid manure and ashes) are taken onto the soil of forests and fields, so that the biosphere and the soil do not become impoverished and their productivity does not gradually reduce. Actually it should be the foremost duty of our science to find out how much share of the “biomass” we can remove from the ecosystem of our earth for energy purposes without causing damage and without disturbing the sensitive balance between decomposition and ecological development of organic substances which are the fundamental basis for a rich life.