Cow manure, hot rocks, corn whiskey, sugar cane, garbage — it’s all COOLFUELTM, and it’s a lot less expensive than regular gas! Learn more about the alternative energy sources Shaun, Sparky and the crew used to power their incredible 16,000-mile journey across America.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is made by combining alcohol (usually methanol) with vegetable oil, animal fat or recycled cooking grease. It can be used as an additive (typically 20 percent) to reduce vehicle emissions or in its pure form as a renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines.
Biomass
We have used biomass energy or "bioenergy" — the energy from plants and plant-derived materials — since people began burning wood to cook food and keep warm. Wood is still the largest biomass energy resource today, but other sources of biomass can also be used. These include food crops, grassy and woody plants, residues from agriculture or forestry, and the organic component of municipal and industrial wastes. Even the fumes from landfills (which are methane, a natural gas) can be used as a biomass energy source. Biomass can be used for fuels, power production and products that would otherwise be made from fossil fuels.
Cow Power
Cow power is electricity generated using the methane gas from cow manure. The manure is collected and placed into an "anaerobic digester," where the waste decomposes with the help of bacteria to produce the methane gas. This form of eco-energy is a cost-effective, safe and renewable way of dealing with organic wastes. Methane is a greenhouse-forming gas. Thus catching the methane in the "digester," before it escapes to the atmosphere, is an ecologically sensitive way of producing electricity.
Ethanol
Ethanol is an alcohol, the same as in beer and wine. It is made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates through a process similar to beer brewing. Today, ethanol is made from starches and sugars, but scientists are developing technology to allow it to be made from cellulose and hemicellulose, the fibrous material that makes up the bulk of most plant matter. Ethanol is mostly used as a fuel additive for vehicles to increase octane and cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions.
