Alternative Fuel Technology, LLC in Ontario, Canada has come up with a discovery that can help change vehicles that run on diesel fuel into vehicles that don’t pollute (or pollute very little).  Alternative Fuel Technology is an organization specializing in research and development.  They are currently designing and developing prototype manufacturing of fuel systems that will be able to use a new alternative fuel called dimethyl ether (DME).  

Alternative Fuel Technology has developed fuel injector systems for vehicles that run on DME.  They also provide DME fuel systems  for testing and research. 

An exceptional attribute of these systems is that they are low cost and efficient, and they can be retrofitted to work with most diesel engines.  The diesel engines that are equipped and retrofitted can then run on the new fuel, DME, which will burn cleaner, lower NOx emissions, eliminate smoke emissions such as soot particulates and eliminate exhaust odor. 

DME is considered by many to be the ultimate bio-fuel because of the attributes we have already discussed.  It is cheaper, better for the environment and can be derived from numerous natural resources including methanol, coal, natural gas and biomass.  Another factor making DME a great bio-fuel is the fact that DME can be administered and sold through existing propane infrastructure.  This provides DME a great advantage over other alternative fuels.  DME can also be used in most diesel engines with little or no modifications to the vehicle.

There has been a lot of research regarding alternative fuel, but most of the research has been geared and directed toward fuel for engines other than diesel engines.  The DME fuel systems being created by Alternative Fuel Technology, LLC are a giant step in the right direction.  With so many diesel engines on the road – from cars to trucks to 18-wheelers – the DME fuel systems can not only help the environment, but also help drivers of diesel run vehicles at the same time.

As we look at the rush toward finding the best alternative fuels and the best ways to distribute them and provide choices for the American people and people in countries around the world, some things that may not be as obvious to us besides creating independence from fossil fuels are the additional benefits of this quest.

Of course, alternative fuel will cut or eliminate our dependence on foreign oil.  We also know that there are benefits to the environment for various reasons, especially lower or no emissions and more self-containment.

In addition, there are plusses for the economy and employment, which are inextricably linked.  With the economy in the shape it is in, some good news about economical improvement and more jobs is music to the ears of politicians and just plain everyday people.

Before we get too over-the-top excited, it is important to remember that this is not an overnight fix.  Though there are many organizations, corporations, cities, states and the federal government working diligently to find ways to develop fuel alternatives and some have already started their work – it will take time for the migration from fossil fuels to the “greener” alternatives to take place. 

Researchers estimate that it can take up to 2.5 to 3 decades for the transition to be complete, but along the way, at least 4.2 million jobs will be created, new training opportunities will exist, and additional jobs will be added along the way.  Jobs can involve every area from working on wind turbines for energy to creating alternative fuel – and everything in between.

In all, it is agreed by lawmakers and corporate executives alike that a concerted effort to use various forms of alternative fuel and energy and continue working hard to do this sooner rather than later will make a positive contribution to the environment, the economy and employment prospects from here forward.

It’s no secret.  We’re in a fuel crunch reminiscent of the 1970’s.  The difference is that since we didn’t do some of the things to follow up after the 70’s and 80’s, the crunch is bigger and there are many more cars and other vehicles involved.  To top that, since we are in the midst of just about the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, the fuel situation is simply one of the critical issues we are facing.

Lawmakers and automakers have begun talking about how working together might help everyone and everything out of the entire mess.  It is essential that since the country did not take the warnings of the 70’s and 80’s seriously and begin to make changes, the time to make those changes is now.

People cannot afford fuel at current prices.  In addition, the United States uses 25% of the world’s fuel, but only controls about 3%, not a good combination.  The environment is also being affected by fossil fuels and autoworkers are losing jobs because all of a sudden, there is no fuel for gas-guzzling SUV’s so nobody is buying.  It’s like dominos, or, as the President said recently, “a house of cards.”

What if the lawmakers in their power to help bail everybody else out – including other countries (even ones who have attacked this country) started really helping the automakers make the changes necessary to control the fuel crisis?  For instance, subsidies or tax incentives for producing hybrids and other cars that are more fuel efficient and do not depend on fossil fuels to run, could help failing automakers stay in business.  This help could also keep thousands of autoworkers from losing jobs and possibly create thousands of additional jobs, strengthening the economy.

At the other end of the spectrum, creating incentives and making it easier for individuals to get car loans with lower interest rates (without being careless or ridiculous), would help wean people out of their fossil fuel cars and into alternatives that would be good for the environment and the economy, as well as the fuel crisis.  Helping people convert cars to be able to use ethanol if possible could also be another way to approach the situation.

These are but a few small ideas from a few individuals among the millions who are hurting from the fuel crisis and the economic crisis we are all currently dealing with.  Maybe they would be workable ideas.  Maybe not.  But working together to save jobs, put money into the economy, find and use alternatives for fossil fuel and help the environment at the same time can’t be all bad.

Last week many of us watched the Democratic National Convention and this week the Republican National Convention, both to nominate their respective party’s candidate for President and Vice-President of the United States.

There were record numbers of people at the conventions and record numbers of people who watched on TV.  Lawmaker after lawmaker gave speeches about all of the issues that need to be addressed, changed, rearranged, fixed and overcome in this country and around the world – sooner rather than later.

One of the issues that was brought up time and again was the fuel crisis.  Though it is a bad situation, it is good news that the topic was noteworthy in speech after speech.  It means that at least there is acknowledgement of the problem even if there isn’t agreement by lawmakers for the solution. 

There are obviously a lot of ideas swirling around as to how to fix the problem.  One of the main ideas is that it is time to become less dependent upon – or independent of – foreign oil.  This is not a new idea.  We’ve been hearing it on and off since the fuel shortages of the 70’s and 80’s, but this is the first time in recent history that everyone agrees that this dependence must change somehow.

Science and research have brought us many new alternatives since the 1980’s and there is the opportunity in this current crisis to explore a variety of ways to hit the fuel crisis head on, long term and once and for all.

In watching the conventions it was obvious that this issue was vital and that with some forethought, direction and actual study and communication across party lines, across ideologies, across education and background, there is enough fuel and energy from enough sources to make sure that it is used wisely and distributed so that everyone has what they need.

There are far-reaching implications to using some of the various sources of fuel that were mentioned including solar energy, wind energy, plant energy, nuclear energy, coal, oil and more.  With the right balance, not only could the fuel crisis be solved once and for all, but it might just help the environment as well.

Now that we have the attention of lawmakers who were willing to speak about the issue on international TV, that is a start.  It’s time for them to move forward and start really speaking to the experts and to each other and come up with a workable solution.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and many inventions have resulted out of necessity.  As the fuel crisis has become more expensive and more frustrating that is what has happened.

There has been extensive research into coal as an alternative to various fuel sources.  Coal can be treated in various ways, including liquefaction,  to create different types of fuel.

Recently, there have been developments involving waste coal that will factor into the fuel crisis and the search for alternative sources of fuel, especially in an effort to replace natural gas. 

To determine the feasibility of creating an alternative fuel from waste coal, two companies have joined forces to research the possibilities.  One company, Synthesis Energy Systems, builds gasification plants and the other, is the largest producer of coal in the United States.

Together they will use coal that would otherwise end up in landfills to produce methanol, ethanol, mixed alcohol, ammonia and SNG.  The gasification process used, called “U-Gas” would create fuel alternatives and alternatives to higher priced natural gas without creating emissions and pollution that other processes create.

The U-Gas system is normally used to create synthesis gas, also called syngas.  Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and has half the density of natural gas.  Since it is made with waste coal an has little or no emissions, it creates a win-win situation for the environment.

The processes being used for this venture have been under development for nearly thirty years, however, the benefit will be that instead of ending up in landfills, 20 million tons of waste coal might now be able to be turned into usable, affordable fuel, helping the economy, the environment and the fuel crisis all at the same time.