What is your take on oil shale?

[bugstruck]

There has been an increase in discussions about oil shale again and it's potential use for obtaining crude oil. Seems we have the majority of the world's reserves of this stuff. I saw where Shell had done a test site in Colorado by freezing barrier soils and heating the core soils to extract crude. Anybody think this has the potential as a commercially viable source for crude oil? Seems environmental and water are major issues to be dealt with. I understand they extract or hydrocrrack crude from oil sands in Canada. One company went belly up in oil shale in Europe. Where's Skypup on this one?

 

[SkyPup]

At current prices, oil shale is extremely viable and will only increase as the price rises.

Gas-to-oil conversion will also follow, as will coal-to-gas-to-oil conversion and biomass-to-gas-oil.

Agricultural grains and crops are for eating, not for energy resourses, except for recycling.

 

[orangef7]

At current prices, oil shale is extremely viable and will only increase as the price rises.

Gas-to-oil conversion will also follow, as will coal-to-gas-to-oil conversion and biomass-to-gas-oil.

Agricultural grains and crops are for eating, not for energy resourses, except for recycling.

Tell that to Brazil!

 

[jayhaitch]

Eu entendu um pocu di Portugese Brasileru.

My relatives in Brazil have a mixture of gasoline and ethanol requiring vehicles. Even if crop for fuel cannot replace all oil/shale/tarsands/gasification, it helps. And we don't have to fight anyone to grow the crops.

 

[SteveInMD]

According to a recent article in Scientific American ethanol only yields a 25% gain once you factor in all the energy used to make it. Biodiesel has a much higher return, over 80%.

 

[SkyPup]

And if you combine them both together they might be able to account for <1% of current consumption......

 

[orangef7]

And if you combine them both together they might be able to account for <1% of current consumption......

I'm sure that if you had been around 500 years ago you would have been in the world is flat camp.

 

[bugstruck]

I'm sure that if you had been around 500 years ago you would have been in the world is flat camp.

I think that would be your camp relative to that comment. He stated a fact on the <1%. Unless you're sitting on a hidden reserve of alternative energy and know something we don't.

You may reasonably disagree on the viability of ethanol as a credible substantial energy source at US consumption levels. That is arguable at least, albeit barely at current consumption levels.

Three posts so far... you're going to have to be around a lot longer than that before anybody here puts you in Skypup's and many of the other members league on petrochemicals or alternatives.

I'm not usually tough on newbies but there is something about your charge in here that won't work too well with me or the rest of this bunch. It ain't your average joker forum.

 

[orangef7]

So because a current source of alternative energy can't completely replace oil that means it will never be able to? I don't care how knowledgable you are about oil, it doesn't mean that you can't be ignorant and closed minded at the same time.

 

[MikePA]

So because a current source of alternative energy can't completely replace oil that means it will never be able to?

Where did SkyPup indicate this? He didn't. He specifically said current production.

I don't care how knowledgable you are about oil, it doesn't mean that you can't be ignorant and closed minded at the same time.

'Ignorant' and 'closed minded' are two incorrect conclusions you jumped to.

Please review bugstruck's post, specifically the last sentence.

It ain't your average joker forum.

TBN has a unique culture, unlike almost any other forum on the Internet. A culture that seeks to help as well as be helped, to inform and be informed all in an atmosphere of respect. While TBNers are not perfect, the aforementioned attitudes are much more the rule than the exception. You'd be well advised to spend more time reading, and therefore learning what that culture is, instead of responding in a tone more appropriate to the 'average joker forum'.