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The Story:
It’s the 29th of September, 1913. We’re in Antwerp, Belgium. Rudolf Diesel calmly boards the steamboat Dresden, and is escorted by a porter to his cabin. That night, Diesel dines with the passengers and retires at 10 p.m. He takes out his diary, turns to today’s date, and draws a single cross. That was the last time Rudolf Diesel was ever seen alive – a mysterious and remarkable death of a remarkable man.
1894, Berlin, Germany. Diesel filled the tank of his combustion engine with oil, and pulled the string to fire it up. The resulting explosion could have killed him, but by a stroke of luck he emerged unscathed. Despite the great risk he was undertaking with his life, and despite the odds, inspired by his wish to level the playing field between craftsmen and monolithic factories, Diesel persevered. Two years later he demonstrated a combustion engine with a theoretical efficiency of 75%, blowing the steam engine’s 10% out of the water. By 1898, Diesel was a millionaire.
This was the engine that could ignite fuel without using a spark, and that was what made his name – or at least his last name – a household name. What people don’t know is that Diesel wasn’t using petroleum, but biofuel. The oil that almost killed him, and the oil that lead to his success, was made from the humble peanut.
For many years, people used diesel fuel made from petroleum, but now in the 21st century, there have been predictions for many decades that the world is fast approaching peak oil – the condition in which every litre of oil extracted is accompanied by a litre or more of water used to flush it out. People around the world are seeking alternatives, and using a product that’s renewable such as vegetable oil is a very attractive option. With a homemade product, people are getting a discount of up to 80% at the pump. It’s 10% less toxic than table salt, much safer to transport than petroleum diesel due to its high flash point (300°F/149°C), can extend the life of a diesel engine, and, with exhaust that smells like popcorn or french fries, it’s hard to say no.
But it’s not just oil that people are turning to. More and more people are looking to the reduced prices of solar panels to provide electricity to their homes, buying electric cars, or converting their cars into electric cars. Beyond that, people are looking at ways to reduce their use of resources and energy in general, turning to solutions such as tiny houses – houses around 25 m² or 270 square feet, or “Earthships” – self-sustaining houses.
How might we see the energy industry change in the next few years? What new sources of power will people find? What ways will they find to reduce their use of electricity, or avoid it entirely? We ask these questions, and might even supply some of the answers, in this exciting chapter of… The Paradise Paradox!
The Links:
Rudolf Diesel on Wikipedia
Mythbusters – using cooking oil in diesel car
Australia Household – Fuel Usage
Peak oil on Wikipedia
New research promises boost to biofuel production
Cellulosic biomass – Bacteria found to break down all vegetable matter
Earth in 2050 and the biofuels of future HD Documentary 2014
DIY Biodiesel
Methanol for biodiesel
Earthships – 1970s by American architect Michael Reynolds – self sustained house using recycled materials
Baghdad battery on Wikipedia
Global warming – What else did the 97% of scientists say?
Global warming – An oopsie in the Doran-Zimmerman 97% consensus claim
Elon Musk’s reveals the Powerwall
Japanese oil to plastic machine
Cover image used and modified under Creative Commons. Original image.