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Fuel Additives Containing Ethanol or Alcohol

Back in the 1970’s, America was experiencing a gasoline shortage which prompted many people to look for a fuel additive containing anything that would extend the life of a gallon of gas.  What they found was that adding a fuel additive containing ethanol or alcohol was the answer to their problem.

Researchers started looking into this trend and found that fuel additives that contain ethanol or alcohol really can extend the fueling power of a gallon of gasoline.  Ethanol is a corn based alcohol – also called grain alcohol – that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and boost gasoline performance notably.

Because ethanol contains alcohol, using products containing these ingredients as fuel additives can actually improve the performance of your vehicle.  However, be aware that a regular combustion engine may not be able to handle products like this without some type of conversion or adaptation.

Ethanol itself is a type of alcohol, so using it as a fuel additive might seem a little odd to most people.  However, pure alcohol such as ethanol provides an amazing energy boost, if you will, to the already huge performance of your engine.  Race car drivers are always using alcohol – and ethanol – as a fuel additive to improve their ability to go faster and further on less fuel. General consumers are starting to realize this on their own.

When you use fuel additives containing ethanol or alcohol, you will find that your gasoline lasts longer and performs better.  What you need to do is find an additive that will be compatible with you vehicle and its engine.  If you don’t take the time to do this, you may find that you have a car engine that may seize up.

However, technology has helped make fuel additives containing ethanol or alcohol are actually quite engine friendly – for most engines!  Have you heard of STP fuel additive?  It contains alcohol.  And it is one of the most popular fuel additives on the market today.  When you add STP, you will get increased engine performance.  That’s why the product was made and marketed.

Research shows that adding fuel additives containing ethanol or alcohol to your gasoline tank will help improve the performance of your engine as well as the fuel that’s inside of it.  It’s something that you can do to help the environment as well as yourself.  The trend is towards a “green” movement when it comes to our vehicles.  Join in and feel better about yourself as well as your transportation.

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Fuel Cell Research

Research of fuel cells are revealing new technologies that have real promise for the “green” movement that is taking place when it come to fueling our cars with alternative fuels.  Fuel cells are mechanical devices that use hydrogen or hydrogen-containing fuel such as methane to produce an electric current. Fuel cells are clean, quiet, and highly efficient sources of electricity.  Scientists are doing extensive research on how new, smaller fuel cells can benefit the alternative fuel industry, and their research is very promising.

In 2003, President Bush announced a program called the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI) during his State of the Union Address. This initiative, supported by legislation in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) and the Advanced Energy Initiative of 2006, aims to develop hydrogen, fuel cell and infrastructure technologies to make fuel-cell vehicles practical and cost-effective by 2020. The United States has dedicated more than one billion dollars to fuel cell research and development so far.
A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity too. This means that a battery eventually “goes dead” and you either throw it away or recharge it.  With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead — as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.
The fuel cell research that is being done today focuses on making the fuel cells smaller and more efficient.  As more and more alternative fuel vehicles are being planned and produced, making the energy source that powers them the best that they can be.  Early fuel cells were large and cumbersome, but research technology has made them smaller and easily adaptable into an alternative fuel vehicle.
Pollution reduction is one of the primary goals of the fuel cell. By comparing a fuel-cell-powered car to a gasoline-engine-powered car and a battery-powered car, you can see how fuel cells might improve the efficiency of cars today.  That’s why scientists have devoted much of their research time towards making these tiny engines smaller and cleaner burning.
The trend these days is toward reducing pollution and the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.  With extensive fuel cell research, we are well on the way toward converting our gasoline powered engines (gas guzzlers, if you will) into clean burning vehicles that will run just like the traditional car.  But researching fuel cells needs funding.  It’s a good thing the government has agreed!

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Mines Reopen as Coal Takes Lead in Energy

In the mid-1990s, coal was not king, but today, it may be taking back its throne. Back then, natural gas was at center stage as the preferred energy source of environmentally conscious Americans everywhere.

But in 1998, a slight, yet significant, change occurred. According to a U.S. Department of Energy study, “The trend towards reduced levels of consumer coal stocks was reversed.” This change coupled with continuing low prices for coal brought it back to the forefront, revitalizing the coal industry to this day.

For example, more than half of America’s electricity is now generated from coal. Coal mines that had been shut down in the 1990s are reopening, and former workers are going back to the mines and getting back to work.

America has a lot of coal to be mined. With 274 billion tons of recoverable reserves, coal is 39 times more abundant than natural gas and 54 times more abundant than oil.

Coal is also becoming safer for the environment. Because of efforts by the coal-based electricity industry, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions have dropped.

The most recent study on these emissions shows that between 1980 and 2001, the sulfur dioxide emission rate dropped 38 percent, and the nitrogen oxide emission rate dropped 32 percent.

The largest source of electricity in the United States, electricity from coal is crucial to America’s energy present and future. Quest Minerals and Mining Corp. (OTC BB: QMMG.OB), is playing a major role in the future of the coal industry. Quest acquires and reopens properties in the southeastern United States that produce coal in compliance with Clean Air Act requirements.

Quest recently announced that it has signed and closed its acquisition of Gwenco Inc., through which it gains more than 700 acres of coal leases with almost 13 million tons of coal in place in six seams. Quest plans to reopen two of Gwenco’s former drift mines and begin commercial coal production. Coal produced at these mines will be sold to public utility companies in Kentucky and Ohio.

Fuel Cell Testing

When it comes to cars that use alternative fuels, you will have to have a fuel cell to convert the fuel into energy to run the car.  It’s important to conduct full testing of your fuel cells at various times to make sure that the fuel cells are operating at their full capacity so that your car will run efficiently.

What does a fuel cell do?  Well, it converts the chemical energy of a fuel, such as hydrogen, and an oxidant, such as oxygen, directly to electricity. The principal components of a fuel cell are catalytically activated electrodes for the fuel (anode) and the oxidant (cathode) and an electrolyte to conduct ions between the two electrodes.

Fuel cells are the lifeblood of alternative energy cars and testing them can mean the difference between an efficient engine and a less efficient engine.  When you conduct regular testing of your fuel cells, you can be sure that the alternative fuel you have chosen to power your car is giving you the maximum performance of your alternative car.

In the same vein of emission testing, testing of fuel cells can help make sure that your alternative fuel is powering your vehicle the way it was meant to be.  Fuel cell testing stations can be found online or in your local car supply store.  When you look for an effective fuel cell testing station, you need to consider the brand, the power, and the reputation of the company who has manufactured it.

Taking a fuel cell and putting it into your alternative fuel vehicle during a conversion is only the first step.  You also need to make sure that your fuel cells are effectively able to process the hydrogen, propane, or ethanol that you are putting into your car to power it.  When you conduct extensive testing of your fuel cells, you can be sure that you have a “green” vehicle that won’t harm the environment while giving you the power and performance that you desire.

Many fuel cell testing stations come with computer readouts so that there’s no doubt that your fuel cells are operating at their full capacity.  The advantage to these fuel cell testing stations is that you will be able to identify any problems and then fix them before they become a problem. 

Technology has come a long way in recent years.  Fuel cell testing is brought down to almost an exact science just as tuning a car engine that isn’t working with alternative fuels.  This is the best thing you can do for your alternative fuel vehicle.  Testing the fuel cells will insure that you have a car that is operating to do what it is supposed to do – reduce harmful emissions and provide transportation without harming the environment.

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Pros and Cons of Alternative Fuel

Just like with any new, slightly controversial subject, there will always be pros and cons to talk about – and that’s no different with the new drive toward the use of alternative fuels to power our vehicles.  People who support alternative fuels – the pros – could list a hundred ways that alternative fuel helps; on the other hands those who oppose it – the cons – could also list a hundred ways we should use alternative fuels.

To begin with, alternative fuel is cleaner burning than gasoline which is good for the environment – definitely a pro rather than a con.  As we are confronted with many environmental problems these days such as global warming, many people feel we really need to take a moment and realize that it’s up to us to help stop these problems.  When you use an alternative fuel in your car instead of gasoline, you are helping to stop the release of counter-productive elements into the air.

Many alternative fuel vehicles also get better fuel mileage which is another pro over con in the use of alternative fuels.  Especially in hybrid vehicles, miles per gallon can be increased by more than 20 percent over a period of time!  That can make a world of difference to many drivers.

There are many tax incentives that can be found when you buy and use an alternative fuel vehicle.  The government knows that there are pros and cons to the use of alternative fuel, so they want to make it as attractive as possible to the consumer to make the switch.  Who doesn’t want to save money on their taxes?  If you can get a tax break, it can greatly benefit you and you’ll be helping the Earth as well.

As for the cons of alternative fuels, while not as numerous as the pros, the problems can be a bit bigger in the general mind of the consumer.  Alternative fuel vehicles are often more expensive than regular gasoline vehicles.  Even though you can get a tax break for buying one of these vehicles, you can still expect to pay anywhere from 10 to 40 percent more retail price for an alternative fuel vehicle.

The availability of alternative fuels is another huge con to offset the pros.  While many places now carry E85 fuel (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), it may be difficult to find other alternative fuel types.  Even the stations that do carry E85 aren’t as plentiful as many people would hope and they often find themselves driving out of their way just to “gas” up their cars.

The pros and cons of using alternative fuels can forever be debated.  What side you’re on depends on your commitment to our environment and what you can do to stop some of the deadly effects of the gases we release from our vehicles.

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Ethanol as an Alternative Fuel

Ethanol is probably the most well known alternative fuel in the world today as it has been being developed for years.  Ethanol is also known as grain alcohol because it is made most often with corn.  Using ethanol as an alternative fuel is a great way to help the environment and our farmers too.

Currently there is an alternative fuel ethanol product on the market called E85.  E85 is made from 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent alcohol.  There are many cars that can run on E85 fuel and while it isn’t completely environmentally safe, it is still a viable alternative fuel in the marketplace.
Ethanol is a type of alcohol that has been converted to allow it to become a source of alternative fuel for vehicles.  Ethanol is sometimes called grain alcohol and is generally made in the United States from corn. It can also be made from organic materials including agricultural crops and waste, plant material left from logging, and trash including paper.
Brazil, which is by far the largest producer in the world, makes ethanol from sugar cane. Projects are now underway in California to convert some of the state’s agricultural waste, like rice straw that is now burned in fields, into ethanol.  Ethanol as an alternative fuel has really come a long way from the “drawing table” into reality.
In reality, the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. However, the ethanol used for motor fuel is denatured, which means poison has been added so people can’t drink it.
Some people believe that ethanol takes more energy to make than what it gives back and for the most part, this is true.  However, technologies have evolved in such a way that it is possible to increase the efficiency of producing ethanol.
Corn ethanol as an alternative fuel is made today by converting the starch in corn to sugars and then into alcohol in a process of fermenting. A company in Canada, Iogen, has invented a process for converting agricultural waste such as corn stalks, husks, etc. (corn “stover”) and other cellulose rich plant waste like straw into ethanol by using enzymes.
Using ethanol as an alternative fuel is only a part of the alternative fuel trend.  There are many other alternative fuels being developed in the “green” movement.  The reality is that ethanol provides the most promise in use as an alternative fuel.  It will be developed by leaps and bounds over the years and we predict it will become THE alternative fuel to go to in the future.

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Electric Car Conversion Kits

There are many places that you can find electric car conversion kits.  What is an electric car conversion kit?  Well, it’s a set of equipment and parts that will allow you to make your gasoline powered car into an electric car.  Many specialty car places carry electric car conversion kits or you can find them readily available online.

You will first have to make sure that having an electric car will fit your needs.  Before you go out and spend a lot of money on an electric car conversion kit, you will want to be sure that an electric car will mesh with your lifestyle.  There are a lot of things to consider before you go “green”.
The average conversion for an electric car has a realistic range of 30 to 100 miles in everyday driving conditions depending on the type of batteries you have and the weight of the vehicle. If your commute is more then 35 miles one way in very hilly terrain an electric car may not be a good idea. However, if your commute is on average terrain and is about 20 miles each way an electric car is perfect. If you are a two car family and one car is usually used for short trips you may want to consider an electric car.
You will want to have easy access to be able to charge your car.  When you charge an electric car, you will plug it in at night and then be good to go in the morning.  Do you have an acceptable electrical outlet in or near your garage?  If so, then an electric car will be very good for you.
Do you have the proper tools to build an electric car?  With conversion kits available today most people with basic hand and power tools can do the work themselves. Some tasks can be contracted out such as welding. The only special tools you will need are a torque wrench, cable crimpers, and an engine crane; all of which can be rented.
However, if you aren’t really good with engines and mechanics, once you get your electric car conversion kit, you may want to contract the services of an experienced mechanic.  These people know all the components of a car and are able to accurately determine where changes need to be made in order to convert your vehicle to an electric car.
Once you know that you want to make the change, go out and buy your electric car conversion kit.  Then, once it’s done, you will know that you are doing your part for the environment as well as for yourself!

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Sea Foam Fuel Additive

When this writer thinks of the words “sea foam”, I think of a light green color that is soothing and calming.  But there is a sea foam fuel additive that can clean the carburetor and provide benefits towards a more efficient running engine as well as a cleaner burning engine. 
Sea Foam Motor Treatment has been around since 1942, and was originally developed to remove varnish in carburetors in outboard engines.  So the product has been around virtually forever, and is now used as a fuel injector cleaner, carburetor cleaner and all-around cleaner for anything touched by gasoline or diesel fuel.  It’s also claimed to be a fuel stabilizer, an engine top lube, dry gas and de-icer.  The manufacturer claims that it “cures hesitations, pinging and rough idle”.  It carries a money-back guarantee, so what’s to lose?
As a fuel additive, Sea Foam motor treatment can help improve your engine’s performance and help you have a vehicle that runs cleaner and performs better than if you had never added it.  Basically, all you have to do is add it directly into your gas tan and then let it do its magic.

There are all sorts of fuel additives on the market, but research has shown that Sea Foam fuel additives have far-reaching benefits.  You need a clean carburetor to run your engine efficiently.  Using the Sea Foam fuel additive will help with that.

Gasoline gunks up an engine.  That’s why using a fuel additive such as Sea Foam fuel additive can significantly improve the performance of your engine.  It cleans the parts of your engine that get all “gunked” up and makes them operate the way they were meant to be.

Plus, Sea Foam fuel additive is environmentally friendly.  Even though you are using a gasoline burning engine that emits toxic substances into the environment, when you use Sea Foam fuel additives, you are reducing the amount of toxins that are being burned and released into the air.  It’s an all-natural product that will make your car run better and harm the environment less.  Isn’t that what we all want?  I know it’s what I want!

You can find Sea Foam fuel additive in many places.  Try your local automotive store first.  If you are met with frustration, then you should look online.  There are all sorts of places that sell Sea Foam fuel additives through mail order, and it’s easy to do!  Then just pour that sweet liquid into your gas tank and know that you are doing your part to make our world a better place!

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Homemade Fuel Additive

Believe it or not, you can actually make a homemade fuel additive that will help your vehicle emit less toxic emissions.  However, this is a complex process that shouldn’t really be taken lightly.  When you are messing around with products like hydrogen, methane, and such, you don’t want to do so without some training and some know-how.

There are plenty of fuel additives available on the open market available for purchase, but there are still some people who think that they can make homemade fuel additives to help increase gas mileage and improve engine performance.  This article will not tell you how to make your own homemade fuel additive.  What it will do, however, is tell you what a fuel additive is and what it can do for your engine.

In general, fuel additives will improve your gas mileage.  It takes the natural components of whatever fuel you are using and then extends the natural properties of that fuel so that it performs above and beyond what it was meant to do.  Most fuel additives contain a certain amount of alcohol.  Alcohol can help regular gasoline run through your engine cleaner and more efficiently.

A homemade fuel additive will contain a certain amount of alcohol.  That doesn’t mean you should shove a pint of Jack Daniels down your gas tank.  Real fuel additives contain much more than just plain old alcohol.  Although we will say that ethanol – which is an alternative fuel being embraced by the nation – is basically moonshine.  But be aware that a standard internal combustion engine is not equipped to handle pure alcohol without modifications.

If you are trying to undertake making your own homemade fuel additive, do so with caution.  The ingredients that fuel additives must contain are highly combustible and can be explosive if combined in the wrong way.  It might be very appealing to you and a way to boast and brag to your friends that you were able to improve the efficiency of your engine with your own homemade fuel additive, but you might just be putting your life at risk.

Now, you should realize that we understand that there are people out there who really know what they’re doing when it comes to homemade fuel additives.  What we’re saying is that if you have experience, by all means, give it a try.  On the other hand, if you have no clue – or little clue – what you are doing, leave it to the pre-made brands you can buy at Wal-Mart.

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Construction Going Green – Green Architecture

Our planet is really feeling the heat of Global Warming. Humans are consuming resources like never before. A new coal-fired power plant is built in China EVERY WEEK!

This all signifies that consumption of raw materials will keep on increasing. And it doesn’t seem to be sustainable. We are loosing natural resources fast, and if nothing is done to stop this drain, we will be hit hard. We already see the effects of Global Warming, like the El Nino effect. These tornadoes and Cyclones keep increasing in intensity and frequency every year.

Can fixing energy-wasting buildings stave off global instability? Former president Bill Clinton thinks so. In the biggest project his foundation has taken on since securing a supply of cheap generic AIDS drugs for third world countries, Clinton has brokered a $5 billion effort to finance the retrofit of old buildings in 16 cities around the world.

The project, which Clinton announced at a climate conference in Manhattan yesterday, creates a financing and labor pool to replace energy-hogging light fixtures, as well as install better building insulation and more efficient HVAC systems. ABN Amro, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS will offer loans, which landlords will repay with the savings gained on their utility bills. Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Siemens, and Trane will manage and audit the work while three trade associations, including the U.S. Green Building Council, will train minority contractors and “long-term unemployed” laborers in the construction techniques. “This will create a system to make it easier for building owners to make improvements,” Clinton said.

Sounding a bit like his former vice president, environment guru Al Gore, Clinton added that cities emit three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gases and that buildings account for between 50 and 80 percent of this toll. The program’s first wave of cities—Bangkok, Berlin, Chicago, Houston, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Toronto—will start by retrofitting publicly owned buildings. Proponents are keeping the program open to private landlords as well—the landlord of Clinton’s offices in Harlem, Cogswell Realty, has signed on. Clinton’s foundation will also team with the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, a coalition of mayors and business, to promote the program and spread it to other cities.

Ever the optimist, Clinton promised the program would reduce utility bills and create good jobs everywhere it goes—including here at home in the U.S. “Much of the material needed will be made in this country,” he said, “and with all due respect to the mayor of Mumbai, you can’t outsource the greening of a roof.”

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