Alternative Transport Part II

      One of the main focuses of my posts about transportation is a process call gasification. Gasification is a process by which biomass (e.g. wood, plants, natural fibers) is converted to hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gas. The products of this process can be used to fuel many engines. It can be piped directly into the fuel intake of spark ignition engines (internal combustion engines included) without any alterations, and it can be mixed with a 75-25 ratio with traditional fuel for diesel engines. In fact, a popular DIY project is to build a gasifier to fuel a car. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ag6LoqcVsM&feature=related) I hope to build one myself, eventually. The gasification process is not to burn the biomass in a traditional sense, like a cook stove or fireplace. The gasification process takes place at much higher temperatures. As such, there has to be a chamber that holds the biomass that can hold in the heat to get the biomass to a temperature high enough for the process to occur. The process of building a gasifier is much longer than I have space or time to explain, but I encourage readers to research themselves some of the different methods. There are also kits available for those that do not wish to build one themselves. Anyways, the gasifier and the process behind it is great knowledge for people in a disaster situation, especially if no traditional fuels will be available for an extended period of time.