Hello from new member

[DrQuantum]

Hello to all of the Hypography members. I look forward to lots of stimulating exchanges about all sorts of things.

[freeztar]

Welcome Dr. Q! :hihi:

 

What are you interested in?

[DrQuantum]

I am interested in Cosmology, quantum "wierdness", alternative energy sources, information theory, and other technical things. I have degrees in Physics but I have been working in the commercial and industrial arenas for 25 years. I am an Organizational Leadership consultant, a Six Sigma (statistical process control) Blackbelt and an IT analyst and I spend most of my time in these professional pursuits. I am also a pilot and spend a lot of time flying between client sites.

 

Thanks for asking. What are your interests?

[Essay]

Artificial Intelligence maybe? ....mmmmm... Cosmology :doh:

 

re:

Alt. Energy: Are you familiar with TP (Terra Preta), soil sequestration, biochar, pyrolysis, bio-oils...?

...or any thoughts on "clean coal?"

===

 

May I recommend:

http://hypography.com/forums/terra-preta/13302-lobby-for-terra-preta-3.html#post244344

 

...especially the last link (.gov).

 

~ :hihi:

 

p.s. ...but watch out for Topics where they misspell the Title!

[freeztar]

I am interested in Cosmology, quantum "wierdness", alternative energy sources, information theory, and other technical things. I have degrees in Physics but I have been working in the commercial and industrial arenas for 25 years. I am an Organizational Leadership consultant, a Six Sigma (statistical process control) Blackbelt and an IT analyst and I spend most of my time in these professional pursuits. I am also a pilot and spend a lot of time flying between client sites.

 

Thanks for asking. What are your interests?

 

Thanks for replying so eloquently.

My interests reside mainly in the fields of ecology, botany, astronomy, and cosmology (and everything else science related :doh:). I have a severe penchant for physics and mathematics, but I am not well versed in either. Poetry is my middle name and I like to riddle for game. Music is a big passion of mine, both playing and listening. But mainly, I come here to learn from those more knowledgeable than myself and hopefully help those less knowledgeable than myself. I want to participate in evolution, and not merely be a bystander.

 

I'm much obliged to meet your acquaintance, sir. May we pass words many times. :hihi:

[DrQuantum]

Thanks to Freeztar and Essay for the responses.

 

Regarding the question:

------------------------------------------------------------

re: Alt. Energy: Are you familiar with TP (Terra Preta), soil sequestration, biochar, pyrolysis, bio-oils...? ...or any thoughts on "clean coal?"

-------------------------------------------------------------

I have been to the Amazon basin in Brazil - but only to the mouth of the Amazon in the city of Belem. I have discussed Terra Preta (Dark Earth) which is found there but only at a very superficial level. I do not know much about its potential for CO2 sequestration. As far as biochar is concerned, I grew up in an area where there were peat bogs and occasionally there would be a fire which would smolder underground for months at a time and would create a form of biochar. However, this was long before any concerns about greenhouse gases and so it was more a curiosity than a remarkable discovery. The biochar was excavated and used by the farmers to replenish their soil but I never heard anything specific about how well it worked.

I have done some research on "clean coal" - though the term is actually very broad and covers a lot of approaches - my study has been primarily in the areas of coal gasification and I think that there is a lot of potential in that area. Like a lot of alternative fuel sources, the commercialization will take time and money and will make more sense as oil prices continue to rise.

 

My primary areas of interest are cellulosic ethanol (it avoids the "corn dilemma") and nuclear fuel reprocessing - a technique that reduces the volume of nuclear waste by up to 90%. We would be reprocessing fuel here in the US (as the rest of the world does) if it had not been for an executive order by the Carter administration banning it due to an unfounded conviction that the rest of the world would also avoid reprocessing if we led the way.

 

I will review the links that you provided.

 

Thanks.

[Moontanman]

DrQuantum, I too am very interested in nuclear fuel reprocessing and promoting nuclear power. Nuclear powered space craft "the Nuclear Light bulb rocket" I think Nuclear power has the potential to bring us out of the energy crisis we are currently experiencing if we have the will power to pursue it!

[DrQuantum]

I think Nuclear power has the potential to bring us out of the energy crisis we are currently experiencing if we have the will power to pursue it!

 

Of course! There are only two basic, renewable, globally available, energy sources in reality - solar and nuclear. All others are derivatives of these two. Yes, there are other non-depleting sources such as geothermal, hydroelectric, and tidal (wave) generators which are independent of solar/nuclear but they are limited geographically and also in capacity (also, hydroelectric, technically is solar-based since that is where the water cycle originates). Any carbon-based fuel is non-renewable, and any bio-fuel is really just solar-based. Some may claim that hydrogen is a third basic source but for the most part hydrogen is not actually a source of energy - it is only an alternate form of storage. Current methods take as much - or more - energy to produce Hydrogen as is gained. The one exception is fusion-reactors, but even fusion can be viewed as nuclear in a sense (it is, although it does not have the waste problem) but the real issue is that is is not yet available. Hopefully, it will be and if it becomes commercially feasible and some "purists" resist putting it into the "nuclear" category, I will be only too happy to agree to call it a third basic, renewable source.

[Moontanman]

Of course! There are only two basic, renewable, globally available, energy sources in reality - solar and nuclear. All others are derivatives of these two. Yes, there are other non-depleting sources such as geothermal, hydroelectric, and tidal (wave) generators which are independent of solar/nuclear but they are limited geographically and also in capacity (also, hydroelectric, technically is solar-based since that is where the water cycle originates). Any carbon-based fuel is non-renewable, and any bio-fuel is really just solar-based. Some may claim that hydrogen is a third basic source but for the most part hydrogen is not actually a source of energy - it is only an alternate form of storage. Current methods take as much - or more - energy to produce Hydrogen as is gained. The one exception is fusion-reactors, but even fusion can be viewed as nuclear in a sense (it is, although it does not have the waste problem) but the real issue is that is is not yet available. Hopefully, it will be and if it becomes commercially feasible and some "purists" resist putting it into the "nuclear" category, I will be only too happy to agree to call it a third basic, renewable source.

 

Good luck, I have been all but drummed off another forum because I questioned a letter from an anti nuclear activist that said Chernobyl is proof positive that nuclear cannot be trusted. Like saying the Wright brothers biplane is proof positive that air travel is inherently unsafe.

 

BTW fusion does indeed produce nuclear waste, anything within the containment area will be very radioactive after exposure to fusion by products after some time has passed unless of course you are using aneutronic fusion but all fusion is pie in the sky for now anyway.