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According to Edmunds.com, fueling your car may be as easy as cleaning out your fridge. It may be as easy as taking out the trash too. Granted, this is still in the future. However, there are many research projects in the works now to make this a living reality.
Here are a few of the alternative fuel research projects going on right now:
Garbage: Waste Management Inc. is actually already using this. they liquefy and purify landfill gas to fuel their trucks. Liquid gas reduces emissions, and the stink too!
Soybeans and animal fat: Soybeans, animal fats, and even vegetable oil can be used to make clean, nontoxic diesel fuel. Current diesel engines needs a few modifications to accommodate this fuel.
Sawdust: This world has a lot of sawdust. An add-on “gasifier” would allow the dust to fuel your car.
Corn: I know we’ve all heard about this one. E85 flex fuel engines run on E85 ethanol which is derived from corn.
Hemp: This plant can be fermented to make ethanol. Also, fermented oils of hemp seeds or stalks can also be used to create biodiesel fuel.
Air: With the right tanks, high pressure compressed air storage tanks could possible run cars. If scientists can figure this one out, this would be the most widely available and cleanest fuel ever.
Sun: There are already cars out there run solar power. (There is even an annual solar power car race in Austrailia). Right now, they aren’t too pretty to look at, but give it time (and fashion changes).
Algae: This could take the form of biodiesel and bioethanol fuel.
Bacteria: Scientists can genetically engineer microbes to make the output crude oil. This oil could then be sent to refineries to be made into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and tar.
I know some of these alternative fuel ideas are out there. However, they are all eco-friendly and would help us all become green parents. Which ones of these alternative fuels would you like to fuel your car with?
For other ways the world is becoming more eco friendly, check out our Green Trends section!
Wow! Those are some exciting options. I’m open to using them all.
I’d be most interested in garbage fueling our cars.
if they could find some way to fuel a car with dog/cat waste or even baby DIAPERS that would be awesome!!
if not, i’ll take garbage!