making algae biodiesel at home - HHO: The Myths, The Scams, and The Facts

Heating and squishing microalgae in a pressure-cooker can fast-forward the crude-oil-making process from millennia to minutes.

"We make an algae soup," Savage said. "We heat it to about 300 degrees and keep the water at high enough pressure to keep it liquid as opposed to steam. We cook it for 30 minutes to an hour and we get a crude bio-oil."

Marijuana as an Alternative Fuel?"...little attention is devoted to how marijuana has one other benefit that one might not think is possible--it can be used as an alternative renewable fuel and can be part of the energy mix that enables the U.S. to become independent of fossil fuels. "

One of the things about marijuana is that "Cannabis does not require fertilizer to grow (and) Cannabis does not deplete the soil on which it grows. In fact it can improve the soil by leaf-shedding, aeration and reducing weeds." Clearly, therefore, marijuana is not an energy intensive crop like corn production in ethanol and may, in fact, enhance the fertility of the soil. Furthermore, it is also good news that fertilizer is not required to grow the crop as is often the case with others such as corn or soybeans.

In summary, states and localities should be allowed to vote on whether to use marijuana as an alternative fuel. It has been shown that it can be part of the U.S. energy alternative fuel mix. Voters would likely approve a measure to use marijuana as an alternative fuel especially if it helps their state and locality economically.

I like to think of myself as an "Optimistic Skeptic" when it comes to biofuels or alternative energy. Meaning, there are a lot of new, and old, ideas that work. There's also a lot of hype, scams, and crap designed to suck your money in. The trick is separating the scams from the real diamonds.

HHO gas is the product of electrolysis on H₂O or pure water. Two individual hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The actual chemical composition is H₂ H₂ O₂. As each water molecule consists of two hydrogen and one oxygen atom two water molecules are required to complete the formula. The O₁ from the first atom is an unstable free radical which reacts with the second oxygen atom from molecule two to form dioxygen, O₂. The most common name of HHO gas is oxyhydrogen.

HHO gas is used as the short or slang term for oxyhydrogen among the online community. Many online videos use the term HHO when demonstrating their electrolysis devices for improving car performance.

But to put it simply, HHO is about using water to increase your gas mileage.

As I've said elsewhere on this website, if we wait around for the politicians, the government, to help us with ANYTHING, then nothing is going to move forward. It is up to the individual to take personal responsibility for their own lives, and their own situation, and improve on it. If you don't, I believe you'll be a part of the "too little, too late" club.

If it wasn't for the early biodiesel movement, Flex-fuel cars never would have been designed. Car makers would have been happy to have biodiesel void their warranties. Ethanol wouldn't be available at the corner gas station. Once again, home-grown solutions forced change. I'm all for home grown solutions forcing change. In fact, I think it is the most constructive form of civil disobedience you can engage in. But I digress...

I've come to the conclusion that if we were able to use water for fuel, and the entire world made the switch, then water would cost $3.00-$4.00 a gallon overnight.

Which comes back to the question of "What can I do RIGHT NOW?" Which is what started me looking at HHO in the first place and what this article is about. A very real concern is the cost of gasoline and getting to work for most people.

I know, I know, the hype, the tricks, the out and out scams surrounding this area of alternative fuel is enough to make anyone cry in frustration. But what is the truth?

Hydrogen is indeed a highly combustible gas which can cause cars to explode. However, HHO conversion kits only produce the hydrogen on demand. This means that hydrogen is created at just the right amount to run and accelerate the car and nothing more. The hydrogen is not stored in the car, so there is no risk of cars exploding, even in the sad case of an accident. Those systems are completely safe.

What is NOT said is, gasoline can blow up your car too, so can diesel, and ethanol can as well. Every fuel has the potential to "blow up." And it does so, every minute that you're driving your car. It is called the internal COMBUSTION engine for a reason. That is, after all, the purpose of using it.

Myth #2: This system cannot produce more energy than the energy invested in it

This myth is half true. According to the laws of physics and chemistry, those systems cannot produce more energy than the energy it takes to break down water molecules. However, these systems use the car's battery and the engine. That means a clean energy source is used to create another clean energy source. It doesn't make the engine work more, so it doesn't require more fuel and only reduces the amount of fuel needed to run the car.

This is the biggest lie told about these systems. HHO conversion kits are external to the engine and do not interfere with its work. These water-fuel kits have been tested many times with no damage to the engine. Furthermore, many people already installed those systems and can happily confirm that they work well and save money on gasoline.

Is it a fad? I don't think something that has been around for more than 40 years can be called a "fad."

Is it a scam? You would certainly think so by the number of shrill voices exclaiming that it is. In fact, go on the internet and the "scam" articles far outnumber the fact-based ones. Sounds like "someone" has an agenda. Which is usually a good sign. It means the powers that be want to scare off the masses. And THAT usually means, it's because it works and they would lose money.

Having said that, some (many) of the programs I looked at most certainly are scams. Others are simply filled with disinformation. This is another area of alt. energy where there are powerful vested interests who don't want this to become main stream. Like algae biodiesel, they want you to believe this is "too complicated" for the normal Joe to comprehend, so just leave it up to the "big boys" and "buy our products instead."

If it is a total scam, and doesn't work, why are most of the major car makers coming out with hydrogen models? Once again, a case of "leave it up to the big boys and buy MY SOLUTION instead." (For big bucks, I might add. They aren't doing anyone any favors here.)

If hydrogen fuel is a scam why does NASA use it for their rocket boosters? Why are their hydrogen bombs? For that matter, why did the Hindenburg blow up? Obviously because hydrogen has a lot of combustible qualities. If it has combustible qualities then it can be used as fuel.

My conclusion is that HHO does, in fact, work. It will INCREASE your gas mileage, yes. But not replace gasoline. But a 25%-50% increase in gas mileage is something to take seriously. The "Hydrogen Economy", on the other hand, is something NOT to take seriously.

I looked at a lot of HHO eBooks for this article. (Over 10) And most were pure crap. Or a rehash of other more serious books. Don't get me wrong, some were good, and well intentioned, many had slick websites and by the time I was done reading the sales page, my credit card was out and I was salivating. Rather than list the pros and cons of each (Which can become pretty tedious) I'm going to concentrate on one, which in my opinion, I found which stood out from all the rest.

http://hybridwaterpower.com/ was my first pick, for a number of reasons. One, I've been following this guy's (Robert Volk) work for a number of years. This guy has been around a long time. More than 10 years. On the internet, scammers don't last that long.

Click here (check it out here) to download a certified report with charts and photos of a Titan 772 installation on a Nissan Pathfinder that was performed and document by a Certified ISO Auditor. It's kinda tough to scam an independent auditor. Not impossible, after all you can pay them off I suppose.

But the difference here is, I know he didn't...I know the ISO Auditor. He is a good friend of mine, Howard Bankston. Howard has made, and continues to make, beneficial changes to all my manuscripts. When I go off the deep end, he reels me back in.

Third, the eBook and supporting documentation is hands down, excellent. This is a guy who knows what he is talking about and "walks his talk."

This is a new section I thought long and hard about adding to this newsletter. One, because I didn't want it to get political. Who did what, and when, serves no one's interests. It simply perpetuates the blame game.

This section is ultimately about solutions, not problems. But to come to a solution, you first have to understand the problem. And understand how that problem is going to effect you personally. Hence, we start connecting the dots...

Definition: Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. What this means to you is that your entire lifestyle, and everything you know is about to change.

It's pretty much a fore-gone conclusion at this point. And it is going to, and is beginning to, effect every aspect of life as we know it. It is only going to get worse.

There are also those who believe it is a manipulated scam to drive up the price of oil. It has happened before. The truth is, it doesn't make much difference.

Like Jack Nicholson said in "The Departed"... "If someone is pointing a gun at your head, what difference does it make if it's a cop or a criminal?" (Or Republican or Democrat)

Currently it is driving up the cost of just about everything and leading to massive inflation. This is only the beginning.

I'm NOT one of the people who believe it will lead to a "mass die-off" of the planet. I believe we're going to rise above it. I think we're going to find totally new solutions, and re-invent old answers as well. I'm hopefully optimistic.

I do believe it will alter the very fabric of our lives though, and leave nothing untouched. The first effect will be inflation. Possibly even hyper-inflation. We're starting to see this now. No one is talking about it yet, but has anyone else but me noticed the prices of JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING creeping up EVERY SINGLE month?

The question is, what to do about it? Once again, you can't count on the goverment to help. It appears they are actively involved in the deception. Your friends, neighbors, and family are going to be in the same boat. No help there. It's time to Cowboy Up. It's time for self-reliance, and self-responsibility. It's time to get ahead of the curve, while it is still possible. It's time to quit depending on others, and start depending on ourselves. This means re-defining everything as it relates to your life. Energy, food, shelter, transportation, heating/cooling, medical care, and too many things to list here.

I'm going to use this space in the coming weeks and months to outline what I hope to be a coherent plan for the coming times. I'm going to outline ways in which an average person, living a surburban and/or urban lifestyle in the USA, Canada, or Western Europe can not only survive, but thrive.

We need home-grown solutions. We need low cost solutions we can put into place immediately. Not only to our energy problems, but also food, shelter, and water. I'm going to put my money where my mouth is. I'm going to take my own house, my own life, and turn it into an "off-the-grid" self-sufficient urban homestead. I might not be able to do it totally, but I bet I can do it 85%-95% or so.

Chances are, I'm going to piss off quite a few people and challenge a lot of assumptions in the process. So be it.

I'll leave this discussion with these 2 videos. While one of these videos is about the fiscal policies of the US government, understand that the underlying culprit is oil.

Oil Extraction

Ok, here's the deal with oil extraction. Doing anything at home, limits your options. Period.

If you want to spend a lot of money, have a nice big laboratory, and have engineers on your payroll, then there all kinds of ways to do it. Including all the ways you hear about in the press. But remember, these guys have $500K to spend on a oil extraction system. Do you?

Neither do I. So that limits your options. Space limits your options. Custom fabrication limits your options. Which means, in the real world, you are down to...

Manual Pressing and chemicals.

In "Making Algae Biodiesel at Home" I go into building a press, as well as how to build a hydraulic press, so I won't go into detail here. Some people have had luck with screw presses. But I don't see how they can generate the kind of pressure necessary to burst the cell walls. but I could be wrong. (I haven't tried one yet.) Also many species of algae are quite small, (5 microns) they could easily slip past the screw.

The only other option is using chemicals.

Chemicals have been, and still are, used today in commerical oil extraction of all kinds. Hexane, Acetone, and D imethyl Flormamide (DMF) are the ones most commonly used. But guess what?

These suckers are DANGEROUS.

And I don't just mean, dangerous in the sense that not brushing 3 times a day and flossing is dangerous to your oral hygene. I mean, they will kill you dead. They are cancerous. They can be absorbed through the skin as well as inhalation. I personally know people who didn't heed the warnings and ended up in the hospital. One has health problems to this day as a result of trying to short-cut the oil extraction process.

I don't know about you, but I kinda like my health. They are also highly flammable. So in addition to be being hazardous to your health, you could also blow up your house or a portion of it if you're not careful. This is not something you want to use around children or pets. The risk is simply too great.

It sounds like the only option available are manual presses, at least at the moment.

Other "Home-Grown" methods which may prove out:

The Pressure Cooker Method described above has potential. I can see that working. I think you might have to take it a step further, or there is more to it than what they are explaining, but I'm going to experiment with it and try it. If it works, I'll let you know here.

Ultrasound: There's some talk that ultrasound at a specific frequency has the ability to breakdown cell walls. This what I think OriginOil with its "Single Step Extraction" system uses. If so, with some experimentation, you could find the correct frequency, at least in theory, break down the cells walls releasing the oil cheaply using nothing but a 9 volt battery and a frequency modulator. This is also a good area for experimentation.

Microwave: I've also heard chatter about using a microwave. What you do is put your algae into a microwave with some water and zap it for about a minute. Supposedly this will burst the cells from the inside. It make sense, and sounds like it might work, but I haven't tried it.

If anyone knows any other methods which might work, tell us about it below.

Free Stuff

DOE Hydrogen Fuel Cell factsheet:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/doe_h2_fuelcell_factsheet.pdf

DOE’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Activities: Developing Technology and Validating it through Real-World Evaluation

http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/pdfs/43325.pdf

GUIDELINES FOR USE OF HYDROGEN FUEL IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/research-technology/report/Guidelines-H2-Fuel-in-CMVs-Nov2007.pdf

Making Biodiesel Books News and Specials

I'm thinking about doing a complete re-design of this website. It is big enough now that it can become a community in it's own right. It will be/have a membership site, one-on-one coaching, a forum, comments, videos, audio downloads, a ton of free products and downloads, and is going to stretch way beyond biodiesel into solar, wind, geothermal, urban homesteading, hydroponics, aquaponics, and more. I want this website to be a resource for not only all forms of alternative energy, but redesigning a global lifestyle.

This month's Special: Limited time. (Offer Ends Nov. 1, 2010) Buy them all and save $100 Discount code: "onetime"

Buy For $250...Save $100 off individual price.

Till the next time and thank you for allowing me to email you.

David Sieg

www.making-biodiesel-books.com

Coming Next Month...
Hybrid Cars...Are They Worth the Extra Money?

Affiliate Disclaimer: From time to time, I will promote, endorse, or suggest products and/or services for sale. My recommendation is ALWAYS based on my belief that the product and it’s author will provide excellent and valuable information or service based on a review of that product, my relationship with that person, and or previous positive experience with the person or company who’s product I am recommending. In some cases, I will be compensated if you decide to purchase that product based on my recommendation. In some cases, I will receive the product for free for review purposes. Always do your own due-diligence before making any purchases. Never purchase anything that you cannot afford.