America is addicted to foreign oil.
We’re not just a casual user; we’re
completely hooked, to the tune of
almost 13.6 million barrels a day. It’s
our lifeblood. But you already know that,
and you’re probably tired of people like
me harping on it.
However, closing our eyes and
clicking our heels will not transport us
out of our problems. It’s going to take
a concentrated political effort mixed
with a good bit of scientific genius. Not
only do we need a clean, long-term fuel
source, we have to develop an efficient
short-term system to start alleviating our
dependence today. Thankfully, VCU is
doing its part in finding solutions to
these looming difficulties.
This week, VCU hosted the International
Symposium on Material
Issues in a Hydrogen Economy, which
addressed the current issues of using
hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles.
Scientists and engineers from all over
the world attended, sharing their work
and exchanging ideas.
I attended one of the first sessions
discussing hydrogen fuel cells, which
are a new and intricate technology, and
though I didn’t understand half of what
was said, one thing was clear to me: This
is not going to happen for a long time. We
do not yet have the technology to create,
store or even transport hydrogen fuel
efficiently. Hydrogen fuel cells might be
a good long-term solution, but they will
do nothing to solve our oil dependence
in the next few years.
A possible answer is renewable diesel.
Not bio-diesel, or ethanol, but renewable
diesel, made in a process called thermal
depolymerization. TDP basically turns
any hydrocarbon-based waste into oil
and gas. This waste includes agricultural
waste, municipal liquid waste, medical
waste – basically anything except for
radioactive material. So instead of consuming
a valuable crop like corn, TDP
uses garbage, which people are generally
trying to get rid of, and turns it into oil.
This concept is not new, but not until
recently have people been able to raise
the efficiency of the procedure up to a
desirable standard. Currently there is
only one working plant in America, and
a few more are being built.
My question is, why aren’t we hearing
more about this? Although TDP might
not be a viable long-term solution, why
haven’t we started implementing this
to try to curb our vast imports? All the
information I have found on TDP seems
promising, and yet the public doesn’t
even know what it is.
Perhaps it is environmental issues.
Yes, building TDP plants on a wide scale
would prolong the use of the internal
combustion engine, and all the emissions
and pollutants associated with it.
However, diesel fuel burns cleaner than
regular fuel, and with the promising
growth in hybrid technology, diesel
hybrid cars running on renewable diesel
would be a big step in minimizing our
environmental impact. In addition, we
would be getting rid of literally tons,
garbage in a clean, safe way.
Chris Smith, a Ph.D. student at the
University of Oxford who attended this
week’s hydrogen symposium, said the
situation was very intricate. He related
how governments across the world have
to choose the correct balance between
long- and short-term energy solutions.
The process is very political.
Is that what it is? Politics? Not to
be a conspiracy theorist, but are oil
companies holding too much sway over
our government? I can’t answer these
questions, but I can certainly bring them
to the public eye.
Or, perhaps the consumer just needs
to get involved. Kevin C. Ott, who
worked at the Los Alamos National
Laboratory and was also in attendance
at the symposium, said scientists can
push technology as hard as they can,
but ultimately the consumer has to
accept it.
So is TDP the nicotine patch to curb
our addiction to foreign oil? Maybe,
maybe not. But let’s not just stand here
theorizing about quitting cold turkey
– let’s slap the patch on and try it out
today.