

 Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete petrol  - prakash
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece?

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dfranke
Dupe: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=217889>

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sc
Maybe URLs with empty query strings should be stripped of '?' before posted.

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rw
Should be: "scientists _fund_ bugs that eat waste..."

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maurycy
Actually "entrepreneurs fund bugs that eat waste..."

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snewe
The fact that the company claims

"if LS9 used Brazilian sugar cane as its feedstock, its fuel would probably
cost about $50 a barrel. "

it appears they are relying on long-term _extremely_ high gas prices. Isn't
sugar cane the most energy rich of the ethanol inputs? If so, then using
agricultural waste (as they say they plan on doing), will likely cost a lot
more than $50/barrel.

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IsaacSchlueter
Even if it currently would cost $1000/barrel, it's still worthwhile to pursue
as an alternative to drilling.

Greater efficiency can come in later iterations. Immediately, at any price,
it's more carbon-responsible and less politically volatile.

This is exciting stuff!

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boredguy8
<http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html> is a wonderful resource.

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GrandMasterBirt
Alternative to drilling = no need to drill in wildlife preserves. [good]

Alternative to drilling = main money-maker of middle east going to be
eliminated (good for us, bad for people living there). [bad]

Alternative to drilling = global warming problems going to worsen because oil-
user companies (car companies etc...) will have less incentive to become more
efficient. I just hope that this "carbon negative" statement they made is not
a pr-ploy [ugly]

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jauco
That thought hit me too, but actively growing new crops will take out at least
as much carbon as the bugs produce (nihil ex nihilo fit).

The problem with fossil fuels is that it takes lots of carbon that was safely
tucked away and reintroduces it into the ecosystem.

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magus_pwnsen
The problem is that drawing energy out of crops is very inefficient. Plants
are very good at generating the complex organic molecules we need to ingest in
order to survive, but pretty inefficient when we just want lots of energy.

We need safer/cleaner nukes, in my opinion, and electric cars/planes + maglev
trains for mid-distance transport. Nukes provide bridge energy during this
probably permanent oil problem; better solar should be the ultimate
destination.

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magus_pwnsen
Hmf. My bugs have created seg-faults, memory leaks, etc., but never oil. I
suck.

