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RE: How?
By AnnihilatorX on 2/22/2008 12:07:05 PM , Rating: 2
For some strains of bacteria you can extract oil from them.
I wouldn't think they mean directly combusting them.

The word ideal means the fuel is green because the energy is generated from bacteria eating waste.

RE: How?
By JasonMick on 2/22/2008 12:15:02 PM , Rating: 2

Its ideal in its "calorific content" meaning it has lots of energy in a small space. Caloric/calorific content is a key measure of how good a combustible fuel a resource would make/contains. Calorific content is why oil is a better fuel than carpet or the silicon in your pc -- aside from other chemistry involved, it simply contains more energy released during oxygen combustion reactions, hence why it burns so readily and nicely ("There Will Be Blood", anyone?).

The idea is that the waste material contains a lot of combustible material in a small space. If the excess bacteria could be harvested and this fuel extracted, it could easily be burned to produce substantial power.

The burn might not be green or "clean" as it would likely release carbon, just like any fossil fuel, but at least it would raise total efficiency of power generation, but squeezing a bit more energy out of power plant's waste.

RE: How?
By clovell on 2/22/2008 1:57:22 PM , Rating: 2
Very cool.

RE: How?
By drank12quartsstrohsbeer on 2/22/2008 3:49:07 PM , Rating: 2
Depending on the contaminant, burning the bacteria would just release the pollutants back into the environment.

The atricle doen't specify what types of pollutants could be used with this process.

RE: How?
By Xs1t0ry on 2/28/2008 7:06:27 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, it's all about the caloric content. Every substance has one... things like fossil fuels just have higher caloric content. It's funny... if you drink gasoline you will get a temporary burst of energy (then die). They used to give it to cheap horses to carry heavy loads up hills because it was cheaper to replace them when they died at the top (gold rush era).

