Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
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Two Stage Beer Engine

 Beer engine and ethanol biofuel
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This idea contains two parts which interact for extraordinary fuel efficiency.

Part one (main idea): Fermentation engine

A diesel engine is modified to remove glow plugs (amongst other things). Diesel is replaced by fermentable carbohydrate rich slurry with live yeast. This could be based, for example, on malted barley.

The cylinder contents expand without the need for ignition. This is due to evolved carbon dioxide. This engine is not the fastest or most powerful in the world - but it should give some slow power output. Perhaps the engine could run overnight, to wind a large elastic band, just like the Skodas of old.

Part Two: Ethanol Biofuel

The exhaust from the Beer Engine is ethanol-laden liquid. This can be distilled and used for one of the more conventional biofuel / ethanol driven engines. Baked (ethanol engine) the novel part here is that the ethanol comes from a beer engine.

* Don't try telling me the beer engine won't move... the cork I found some meters away from a bottle of homebrew this morning under the pressure evolved convinces me otherwise *

—vincevincevince, Jan 17 2008

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       hey! this is 2 ideas masquerading as one! Part 1 is lovably ridiculous, Part 2 is baked & boring! +/-
—afinehowdoyoudo, Jan 17 2008
   

       Does barley give off any gas during the malting process? If so, perhaps you could make a triple-expansion engine.
—Srimech, Jan 17 2008
   

       I see great potential here: You can run your car, enjoy drinking the results, and you'd be going far too slowly to wreak any havoc due to your ensuing drunkenness. It take forever to get anywhere, but you'd be too drunk to care. As an additional side benefit, the cops would get a good laugh out of it, and happy cops benefit us all.
—Alterother, Mar 27 2008
   

       I think this is somewhat more suitable for a stationary home power generator.
—marklar, Mar 27 2008
   


 

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