Home Fueling

by Divingheader in Workshop > Energy

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Home Fueling

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I believe that automotive fuels will have to expand beyond the limited inventory we are using up today. As a close friend explains it, "Fossil fuel is fossil thinking".

My name is Jon Priest and my DOB is 4/20/1948.

I work as a Fleet Maintenance Manager caring for more than 1200 University fleet vehicles. I am an ASE master certified Automotive Repair Technician including certification in Alternative Fuels and I have direct access to some of the brightest, most advanced, forward thinking people in the world.

Most biofuels require special engine modifications to work efficiently in today's automobiles but Butanol does not. It is a direct replacement alcohol fuel that can be made from a variety of non-food agricultural garden wastes such as leaves, woods and grasses and producing it at home is my goal. Butanol has a much higher energy value than ethanol, is non-corrosive and can even be blended with diesel fuel up to 40%. The task with home production is separating out all the unwanted chemistry during the distillation process.

The tool I have constructed is designed to deliver 99% pure alcohol by efficiently controlling the internal temperatures and pressures during the production process. I am also experimenting with different raw materials by attempting to grow European sugar beets in my own garden expecting to improve the quality, quantity and the overall cost of fuel production.

The prize money will enable me to enhance the overall design to include easier cleaning, assembly, transportation and add some additional automation, filtration  and adequately address the end-product testing process. My 1989 Chrysler Conquest Turbo will become the frontline training center.

I will need to obtain an Alcohol Fuel Producer permit from the US Treasury Department along with all the necessary liability insurance. Your participation in this effort can directly impact the future of personal transportation fuels.

Thank you for providing this leg-up opportunity.