TIL that whales were saved from massacre when kerosene appeared (1860s) because, until then, whale oil was widely used as illumination fuel.
TIL that whales were saved from massacre when kerosene appeared (1860s) because, until then, whale oil was widely used as illumination fuel.
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Fun fact in case anyone didn't already know but the diesel engine was originally powered by whale oil but it's such a resilient engine that it was later fueled by what was once considered a waste byproduct of gasoline refinement.
My understanding is it can actually run on a pretty wide variety of fuels (in general; not every specific model can run on a wide variety).
Biodiesel was gonna be the next big thing before EVs started gaining traction. Arnold drove around a Hummer that was modified to run on vegetable oil while he was governor.
Travel between the east and west of Australia is made difficult by a lifeless expanse called the Nullarbor Plain. In America, long haul travel is supported by the truck stops, which I understand to be huge complexes involving McDonald's and sometimes even entire malls. In Australia, it's a little different. Truckers and travellers are supported by the noble establishments known as chip shops. They sell chips. Sometimes with gravy. And there is always a shaker of chicken salt on a little table next to the door. And if you want some protein in your diet, then you can instead order one of Mrs Mac's Famous Beef Pies. Make sure to get a little squirty pack of tomato sauce. Many people have claimed certain things as universal Australian experiences and been wrong. Chip shops are the UNIVERSAL Australian icon.
There are chip shops on the Nullarbor Plain, but they're not connected to an electrical grid. Which means that until recently, you couldn't drive an electric car from Adelaide to Perth. But you can now. They installed electric car changers. And what powers the chargers? Why, a biodiesel generator that runs on waste oil from the chips.
Everything old is new again.
I was always told kerosene and diesel, in that order, were the products of interest. Standard Oil didn’t know what to do with gasoline because it was considered too dangerous and explosive to transport, so they bankrolled the development of the Otto cycle to power their own equipment.
It was originally designed to run on peanut oil.