[TML] fuel production

[Richard Aiken]

On 10/21/07, shadow at shadowgard.com <shadow at shadowgard.com> wrote:
> I expect we'd see a lot of this on worlds without natural oil or gas
> reserves.

Ummm.  The Wiki says that the feedstock for methanol these days is
natural gas.  Getting it from wood seems to be more difficult.  It
didn't seem all that difficult in Twilight: 2000.  Just hellaciously
time-consuming, IIRC.  But I guess natural gas is cheaper/easier.  So
this seems to be a way to transport and use natural gas in vehicles
without worrying about actual transporting it (as a gas).

BTW, the article mentions that methanol's widespread use as a vehicle
fuel would require redesigning current vehicle engines.  It's a mild
acid and using it straight (without mixing it with gasoline) would
quickly wear out gaskets and even metal parts.  It also likes to eat
aluminium (or does that only happen when you're producing it?).

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein