Coskata process

Remember that name because it may become a household name soon. The Coskata process is a relatively cheap method to create ethanol using a variety of feedstocks. Materials like agricultural waste, purposefully grown crops, switchgrass and waste materials like old tires and municipal waste call all be used.

The Coskata process is fundamentally a biological reaction that takes place inside a specialized reactor (which is simply a vessel to contain the microbes and keep them in an environment where they are happy to live and produce ethanol). Anaerobic bacteria are fed carbon monoxide and hydrogen (known as syngas), which are produced by gasification, which can be done a number of different ways, depending on the feedstock material. Scientists can even produce carbon monixide from CO2 and sunlight.

The reactor for this process is a sealed plastic tube filled with millions of filaments on which the bacteria live. Having bacteria living on the filaments provides an enormous amount of surface area for them to live on in a very concentrated volume. The syngas is passed through the reactor, and bacteria feed on the carbon monoxide and hydrogen and produce ethanol.

Office Building Warmed by Commuters

In Sweden a new office complex will be heated through the power of body heat. The offices will be attached, or really close, to a major train station that is already heated by the people who use it.

“We had a look at it and thought ‘We might actually be able to use this’,” said Karl Sundholm, project leader at Jernhusen, which also owns the station. “This feels good. Instead of just airing the leftover heat out we try to make use of it.”

Jernhusen markets the building as “environment smart” and aims for its energy consumption to be half of what a corresponding building usually is.

The bodily warmth from the central station will be redirected to heat up water. The investment will be around 200 000 Swedish crowns, Sundholm said.

A Future Never Seen

Carectomy.com, who tries to remove people from their cars, has posted a great video from 1958 Disney animation studio. As you can imagine, Disney’s futuristic vision for the car is quite dreamy, far fetched and would just be inconceivable considering todays energy situation. Heated highways, tubes and vast sprawl are all promoted in this movie and I for one would like to take a moment and celebrate that not all things turned out the way Disney predicted.

Apple Cider Vinegar Can Solve Nearly Everything

We’ve covered the wonders of vinegar before, and thanks must go out to all the commenters that left their tips on use to vinegar.

Now I’ve found out that apple cider vinegar picks up where regular vinegar drops off. I’ve never heard of this stuff until recently. I wish I could get past the smell so I can enjoy all the health benefits. Here’s a collection of things you can use apple cider vinegar for. Add your wisdom to the comments!

One reader reported that a shot of ACV saved him from going to the emergency room for heart pain. Apple Cider Vinegar also breaks down fat and is widely used to lose weight. It has also been reported that a daily dose of apple cider vinegar in water has high blood pressure under control in two weeks!

Take the Stairs and Save Energy

Caludio sent me an email with a simple message:

Hi guys,
January Green Thing

Take the stairs instead of the elevator, even if it looks like
climbing the Himalaya

Thanks Claudio!

Claudio just told me that “Dothegreenthing.com has been shortlisted for the 6th annual Yahoo! “Finds of the Year Awards” so we need people to vote, vote, vote for us as the People’s Choice here”