According to inhabitat.com:
“Chicken consumption in the US creates over six billion pounds of feathers each year. Previously discarded as waste, researchers at the University of Delaware are developing an innovative way to put all that wasted plumage to use — as fuel to power hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. If this technology was implemented in a fuel cell vehicle, it would cost about $200, as opposed to using carbon nanotube tanks (which cost about $5.5 million) or metal hydrides (which cost about $30,000).
Yesterday at 13th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, a team of scientists announced that they developed a way to store hydrogen in carbonized chicken feathers. At present, the major hold-up with making cars powered by fuel cells, is that no one has come up with a way to inexpensively and effectively produce and store all that hydrogen. Researchers Erman Şenöz and Richard P. Wool found that when they heated up quill fibers to extremely high temperatures, carbon nanotubes with nanoporous walls formed, allowing the substances to absorb and store hydrogen.”
Norway had the idea to ban gas cars by 2015. To be more specific, they out forth a plan that would prohibit the sale of cars that run only on gas. Cars already on the road would not be affected. Hybrids that run partially on gas would still be okay.
The plan, put forth initially by the country’s finance minister (from the Socialist Left Party), is apparently thought of as crazy by the majority of the country, and is opposed by the opposition. The general idea is that since the economy is already bad, the car company’s are worrying about staying afloat, not developing new technologies.
Honestly, it’s not the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard a government propose. Read more…
So not only are gas prices astronomical, some gas stations are actually running out of gas. Atlanta is the latest city to suffer from this problem, creating huge line-ups at those gas stations lucky enough to have some left. Check out this reader’s account of the quest for gas in Atlanta. And stay tuned: it’s only a matter of time before this happens to you… Betcha gas prices won’t look so bad when you can’t drive at all.
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