Years ago I recall reading a wealthy individual put to rest the cliche by making a silk purse out of a sow's ear (thought uneconomically). Decades ago, man-made diamonds were shown possible with enormous hydraulic presses and heat (a PBS program document one Russian lab though many exist. Interestingly enough, maybe there will be a market in non-industrial diamonds - Cremation Diamonds). I was curious to find the thoughts on where crude oil comes from and if anyone has, for the sake of fame, tried to produce it in a laboratory. While it appears plant decompositon and pressure produces coal, some are divided whether crude oil is the result of microscopic bacterial decompositon and/or larger animal (dinosaur) decomposition. Note: it it the incomplete (oxygen deprived) decomposed material that is required to be put under pressure. Before recent laws, my city broke down our sewage with bacteria and pumped the sludge into a deep ocean channel (now they are required to perform a more complete "decompositon" and dispose it on land). What if it were found that crude oil could be a renewable resource from this type of activity (albeit it may take many many years it's under pressure already)? Maybe none of this has been attempted because it's too easy to extract the easy energy via methane. We need a deep pocket person who wants a challenge (like those in the Xprize) to go for it.

Ok, what about the dinosaur equivalent? You can pick the animal of choice. I'll let your imagination run wild about the prospects there (will the source material be what was destined for the fat rendering plant or the funeral plot :(.
-- kamenmann, Jun 23 2003

Fuel http://www.silvio-c...photopigeonhead.jpg
[thumbwax, Oct 17 2004]

(?) The Origins of Oil http://www.davidick...es/reports/oil.html
Codswallop, but interesting. [Cedar Park, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Natural Diamonds http://www.gemsutra.com/diamonds.html
From 2.5 billion years... [kamenmann, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Industrial Diamonds http://www.htracyhall.org/History/bio.htm
to research diamonds... [kamenmann, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Gemological Diamonds http://www.napa.ufl...99news/diamonds.htm
to gem quality diamonds. 1ct/50hrs. [kamenmann, Oct 17 2004]

(?) Thermal depolymerization http://www.changing...tech.com/techfr.htm
Baked and being put into commercial production [scad mientist, Oct 17 2004]

My imagination has finished running wild about the prospects. I have nothing to report.

You're supposed to bring the idea.
-- snarfyguy, Jun 23 2003


Fishbone, for your deletion habit.
-- Zanzibar, Jun 24 2003


Not only is it possible to create crude oil in a short amount of time, it appears that it might be economically feasible using a process called thermal depolymerization. (see link)

They are currently building a plant next to a turkey processing plant to turn all the waste guts and feathers into cude oil. They claim it can also be applied to sewage or just about any other type of organic waste (as well as many plastics).

Unfortunately that does make this idea baked...
-- scad mientist, Jun 24 2003


Thanks very much scad mientist! I was very much in a "mental search block" using "crude oil" keywords. Ah, the power of writing down the problem and re-reading it for clues in searching! Agreed, it's been in the oven a while now :)
-- kamenmann, Jun 25 2003



random, halfbakery