Using our soil to grow enough cotton seed and sunflower oil would seem to me to conflict with growing enough food to feed the 9 billion mouths that will be around soon. Ethanol from corn has sure messed up the price of corn at this point. Unintended consequences eh?
Our biggest challenge? We seem to personalize benefits but socialize costs. (not an original thought) If it works for me and everybody else pays the cost, well why not?
A student club at Boise State University has set a speed record for a vegetable-oil powered vehicle, using a mixture of cottonseed and sunflower oil for fuel. In a 1998 S-10 pickup, the team of students bested the former record standard of 109 mph two consecutive days in a row.
Greenspeed from Greenspeed on Vimeo.
The club, Greenspeed, first broke the record on November 12, topping out at 139 mph. The next day they shattered their personal record, reaching a speed of 155 mph. Club leader and founder Dave Schenker drove the car both times. “The hard part was getting a vehicle running,” he said. “Now it’s all about refinement.” By next summer, the students hope to break the petroleum-fueled truck record, which is currently 215 mph. Such an accomplishment would have significant implications for the future of alternative fuel.
[via EarthTechling]
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