Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? (getting fuel)
Jim Dauven wrote:
I have start looking around for substitutes for Diesel fuel and lubricants for machinery. Well low and behold I found a sub that grows well in the high deserts of Oregon and doesn't need that much water The RAPESEED produces an oil that is a direct substitute for diesel fuel. From what I understand it can be used directly but it is really dirty. If you put the oil through a process of fractional distillation (I guess the old booze still will have more than one use) it cleans up very nicely. According to the Oregon State University agricultural extension service we should expect to get 1200 lbs of RAPEseed per acre in an average year. When the seed is expressed for oil the oil recovery is about 10% by weight. So 1200 lbs of Rapeseed will yield 120 lbs (20 gallons) of low quality diesel fuel. I suspect that through fractional distillation we would probably get 18 gallons of fuel per acre and 1 to 1.5 gallons of lubrication oil. The distilled Rapeseed oil would also provide oil for lamps for lighting. So if we plant 100 acres of Rape seed we could expect to get 1800 gallons of high quality diesel fuel. The Independent Just a couple of thoughts, Jim. Rape (Canola) oil is a non-drying oil and was used (highly refined) as a high-speed lubricant at one time. You need to add pitch or resin to it to make a decent lamp fuel. [ That's what the Ukrainians do, anyway. ] Makes good soap too. Wood gas is a *much* better idea for fuel and light. A fraction of the work. -dir -- The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land. Abraham Lincoln |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? | Gardening | |||
Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? (getting fuel) | Gardening | |||
Where is Bucket?! Was: Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? | Edible Gardening | |||
Where is Bucket?! Was: Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? | Gardening | |||
Where is Bucket?! Was: Self-Sufficiency Acreage Requirement? | Gardening |