WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2010-09-22 Time: 14:00:02 Posted By: News Poster
By Safeeyah Kharsany And Chris Stein
Johannesburg – A new solution to power and fuel problems worldwide may be developed by using a resource long characterised as dirty and non-renewable: coal.
Professor Diane Hildebrandt is the co-director of the Centre of Materials and Process Synthesis (COMPS) at the University of the Witswatersrand, which developed the new technique, called Any Carbon Source to Liquids (XTL).
“We can take almost any carbon source and turn it into liquid fuel,” Hildebrandt said. She was speaking at a two-day science and skills-training conference titled From Evolution to Revolution being held at the University of the Witswatersrand from Sep. 21 to 22.
One of the possibilities, Hildebrandt said, is converting solid coal into liquid fuel using the Fischer-Tropsch process, where coal is converted into hydrogen and carbon monoxide before being exposed to a catalyst such as iron or cobalt, then finally condensed into diesel, synthetic lubricants and gasoline.
The downside of this process is the amount of amount of carbon dioxide that is released during the coal’s transformation, Hildebrandt said. To solve this problem, Hildebrandt said the refiners can harvest the emissions and use it to grow algae.
Professor David Glasser, who directs COMPS along with Hildebrandt, said the technique was developed specifically to address Africa’s power needs while using the resources available.
“A rubbish dump in South Africa is a source, not a problem,” Glasser said.
Organic materials, from coal to compost, are stores of energy for conversion into liquid fuel, Glasser said. And by harvesting the carbon dioxide and using it to grow algae, jobs can be created and fisheries developed, thus increasing the local food supply.
“While other researchers around the world are doing similar research with super algae, in that they try to genetically modify them,” Hilderbrandt says, “we believe that whatever local algae exists in the site area is the algae that should be used.” This would aim to maintain the balance of the ecosystem in the area.
Finally, by increasing the amount of fish available, Glasser said another source of protein will be introduced into the African diet. Currently, most Africans get their dietary protein from chicken, Glasser said, which could be threatened by an outbreak of bird flu.
“It’s no good use building plants the same way as in the developing world when people in here don’t have money. We have to find a better way,” Glasser said. “The African equation is a better life equals access to energy.”
Roll Out
Two small pilot plants in China are currently refining fuel using waste gasses from cooking stoves, Hildebrandt said. The venture is so far a private enterprise, developed in partnership with the South Africa-owned construction firm Golden Nest, she said.
To avoid creating large concentrations of carbon dioxide, Hildebrandt said COMPS was focusing on small-scale refineries, which she characterised as producing 1,000 barrels of fuel a day as opposed to the 50,000 barrels a day at larger plants.
South Africans count on coal for 93 percent of their electricity, which is not only polluting but inefficient, according to Glasser.
“Burning coal to make electricity is very inefficient,” Glasser said. “Less than half of coal’s chemical potential is used when you burn it.”
Glasser said he hopes to establish a number of small XTL refineries around South Africa, each taking advantage of the local resources, be they coal, biological waste or some other type of matter.
“Our vision is to use our technological skills and vision to benefit South Africa,” Glasser said.
The next step is for the technology to receive support from governments in order to build more refineries, Hildebrandt said.
“We would love to work with governments to get access to their resources,” she said.
Original Source: 
Original date published: 21 September 2010
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201009220011.html?viewall=1