The idea is to pipe a marginally processed mixture of ethanol and water to a house or small community, where the water and ethanol will be separated through distillation. The distilled ethanol can then be used to generate electricity and to refuel cars, and generally around the house.

Of course, the mixture in the pipes can also be directly consumed in celebration of the advance of western culture.
-- tiromancer, Dec 25 2004

Full description http://tiromancer.e...com/singlepipe.html
Soused. I love that word. [tiromancer, Dec 25 2004]

Welcome to the United States of Cirrhosis.
-- 5th Earth, Dec 25 2004


People in the county jail have been waiting for your idea a long time.
-- mensmaximus, Dec 27 2004


Between the energy consumed to generate ethanol, and the energy consumed to distill it . . . this idea would not yield a net benefit. [-]
-- contracts, Dec 28 2004


[scothand] Probably not. It'd be a bit like buying things on layaway.

[contracts] (Sorry if I sound over excited about this. I *might* be willing to admit to the impracticality of my proposal, but not so for ethanol as a fuel)

In America, that's probably true, assuming the ethanol is being generated from corn; the corn is grown on large, industrial farms; the ethanol is being compared to petrol. Sometimes the cost of producing anhydrous ethanol is also factored in.

I'm not suggesting this be used in America. Look at Brazil; the situation may not be ideal, but they are producing energy.

Also, the ethanol does not need to be distilled completely, or at all, for all uses. Fuel cells, in particular, can work eith very dilute ethanol. Even combustion engines will tolerate a fair amount of water.

And anyway, the whole point is to reduce and decentralize the expenses of setting up a community, not to replace petroleum.
-- tiromancer, Dec 28 2004


what [contracts] said.
-- gnomethang, Dec 28 2004



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