Turning sand into fuel?

Question

While looking through answers here, I saw this ad from moneymorning about this ''new universal fuel'' made of sand, and that people likes Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, etc. are dumping billions into (?).

Then, there's this video that you cannot pause, and that shows the same text the person is reading and some pictures.

I know the website is a scam, but is it true that sand can be turned into fuel and that big companies are investing in this ''discovery''?

Answer 1

Universal Fuel

Answer 2

I viewed the first few minutes of the moneymorning video and I m sure it s some kind of scam but I found two threads about truning sand into fuel. The first is about tar sands, which as CRR says is about the organic tar, not the sands. If you search for "silanes fuel" you will find that the silicon of sand can be processed into a liquid long-chain form that would be an energetic fuel. One reason it s an exciting fuel is that burning it would liberate hydrogen which is itself highly energetic. Ten minutes of searching didn t turn up how the "silanes fuel" is created and my guess is that it currently takes more energy to create the fuel than you get burning it (but that conjecture is simply based on the lack of evidence that anyone is excited about this fuel). There is an easily found paper that examined this fuel as rocket propellant. They conclude: "Preliminary results are suggestive of their potential for some specialized applications, especially where compactness is at premium." So, while they didn t discard the idea altogether, that doesn t sound (to me) like a broad endorsement as a general purpose fuel.

Answer 3

The information I found iss that this is a long chain silane. An energetic liquid fuel that behaves like a hydrocarbon, but contains no carbon. Making it from "sand" will require much energy from some source. If that source does not involve combustion of carbon, the new fuel will be carbon free , and thus of greater interest. On the down side, taking "sand" apart will not be cheap. This isn t free energy by any stretch.

Answer 4

I've left the video on for over an hour now and he eventually gives you enough clues to figure it out. First of all, he comes right out and says that the technology is "solar power." The "trick" here is that the company can somehow make panels for 5 cents per kWH, rather than something like $20/kWH nowadays. Apparently they do this by somehow condensing Si out of some gases. That's the strangest part of the video. This guy claims to have gotten a physics degree at age 16, and yet he doesn't know that Si is Silicon. He keeps pronouncing it like the first syllable of "silence".

Anyway, what company has a $145 million investment from Google and a contract with Foxconn? The company is SunEdison, stock ticker SUNE. The stock is down HUGE in the last few months. Someone is paying this shill to sell you on this crap so they can dump more of it. Don't buy it. Anyone who has the secret to making billions of dollars doesn't tell a soul about it if they don't have to.



Google's investment was actually more of a purchase: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-10/google-to-invest-145-million-on-sunedison-solar-project

And Foxconn was actually contracted to help with manufacturing panels in Mexico: http://www.pv-tech.org/news/foxconn_subsidiary_to_produce_solar_modules_for_sunedison_in_mexico

And the shill's video is on moneymappress.com.



Oh and the video has been on for over and hour now and he's still talking. I don't think he will ever stop.

Answer 5

Italy is using sand for a fuel, but they are heating it with mirrors, and then the steam is turning a turbine. This they say with one set up can fuel a small town, so in my opinion, this seems to be the cheapest and proven route so far. Just wasn't able to pull up a ticker , it may be a private company.

Answer 6

FYI, if you right click on presentation, you can show control buttons to fast forward thru presentation. That being said, the whole presentation is over an hour. It starts with this mysterious sand fuel, transitions to solar power, and ends trying to get you to join to get more information. Scam site. I heard about solar paint years ago. Not sure what this sand energy is, just a hook I guess.

Answer 7

Sand can't be turned into fuel. But you know, air can. Well CO2 in air can. along with H2. Here's how, use adiabatic compression/expansion to suck that greenhouse gas out of the air, and use electrolysis to to separate H2 from H2O, and well the O is a byproduct. Now react the CO2 with the H2 and you will get methane, butane, propane, octane anf all the alkanes of which gasoline and diesel are among the products. So this gives us 'fossil fuels' and it reduces greenhouse gasses. The only problem, is it takes energy to do. But it's a way to turn one kind of energy (solar electric) into a portable liquid form of energy.

Answer 8

The answer lies here:



Industrially, silane is produced from metallurgical grade silicon in a two-step process. In the first step, powdered silicon is reacted with hydrogen chloride at about 300 °C to produce trichlorosilane, HSiCl3, along with hydrogen gas, according to the chemical equation:



Si + 3 HCl → HSiCl3 + H2

The trichlorosilane is then boiled on a resinous bed containing a catalyst which promotes the formation of silane and silicon tetrachloride according to the chemical equation:



4 HSiCl3 → SiH4 + 3 SiCl4

The most commonly used catalysts for this process are metal halides, particularly aluminium chloride. This is referred to as a redistribution reaction, which is a double displacement involving the same central element. It may also be thought of as a disproportionation reaction even though there is no change in the oxidation number for silicon (Si has a nominal oxidation number IV in all three species). However, the utility of the oxidation number concept for a covalent molecule, even a polar covalent molecule, is ambiguous. The silicon atom could be rationalized as having the highest formal oxidation state and partial positive charge in SiCl4 and the lowest formal oxidation state in SiH4 since Cl is far more electronegative than is H.



An alternative industrial process for the preparation of very high purity silane, suitable for use in the production of semiconductor grade silicon, starts with metallurgical grade silicon, hydrogen, and silicon tetrachloride and involves a complex series of redistribution reactions (producing byproducts that are recycled in the process) and distillations. The reactions are summarized below:



Si + 2 H2 + 3 SiCl4 → 4 SiHCl3

2 SiHCl3 → SiH2Cl2 + SiCl4

2 SiH2Cl2 → SiHCl3 + SiH3Cl

2 SiH3Cl → SiH4 + SiH2Cl2

The silane produced by this route can be thermally decomposed to produce high-purity silicon and hydrogen in a single pass.



Still other industrial routes to silane involve reduction of SiF4 with sodium hydride (NaH) or reduction of SiCl4 with lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4).



Another commercial production of silane involves reduction of silicon dioxide (SiO2) under Al and H2 gas in a mixture of NaCl and aluminum chloride (AlCl3) at high pressures:



3SiO2 + 6H2 + 4Al → 3SiH4 + 2Al2O3



-------



In short, you get some free hydrogen from chemically processing sand. So yes, theoretically you can turn sand into fuel, but the hydrogen comes from the hydrochloric acid used to process the sand, NOT The sand itself. While silane gas is flammable, you probably wouldn't want to put it in your car, even in liquid form, as the silicon buildup would invariably destroy your engine. And let's not even talk about the effects of molecular silicon dust being inhaled in huge quantities.



Also, lithium aluminum hydride, featured in this process, has been researched for use in storing hydrogen in fuel cells. Check that out here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_aluminium_hydride#Hydrogen_storage

Answer 9

New Fuel Source

Answer 10

the whole thing is a scam, it would be better to turn ambient vibrations into energy, 24/7 or harves ultraviolet energy the same as solar cells. we can make energy eventually with fusion and store it using supercapacitors. solar can also be stored in supercapacitors, but they are extreemly expensive right now because the oil companies have speculated on rare earth metals making them hundreds of times higher in cost than they should be. a new process has been developed using graphene to make super capacitors which should drop the price way below oil. they can make our cars with body panels out of graphene capacitors, which will drop the weight of cars as the battery is the body. The only big problem is this kind of system will have a life of 35 or more years. what are the auto companies going to do if the cars they make last 35 years with no maintainance? they would go broke. /so in short we do have the means to make everything better for the consumer and the environment, but the economy would suffer big time.

Answer 11

I turned the volume down and did something else until near the end.

E=mc^2 happens on the sun.

Energy from the sun hits the earth.

Sand make photo-voltaic solar cells

That produce electricity for $.05kwh he claims.

Down from $1/kwh 10 yeas ago.

He is selling a news letter for the best solar stocks for $50/yr.

His claim is solar is cheaper the oil at $1/barrel in 10 year.

Maybe this is why Saudi Arabia has declared war on the world.

Dropping oil down from $80/bbl to $35/bbl to eliminate the competition.

It worked in the 1980.

The problem with solar and wind is night and clouds.

Batteries is the next recommendation he had.

I already have solar and batters in my stock watch list.

I also like Robots, CAD software, electric cars...

At $35/bbl, electric cars may fail like the EV1.

Saudi is buying these companies at a discount.

Economic war 101.

Answer 12

You guys have it all wrong. They are talking about magic carpet fuel. It was around back in the 60s. Steppenwolf had a song about it until Ted Nugent stole it to take a trip to the land inside of his mind until he caught cat scratch fever a few years later. But there have been all kinds of sightings recently of Jerry Garcia lately which has all the Saudis spooked so they are trying to dump all the oil they can because when everyone stops driving to work any more the price of oil is going to really start to plummet. I would get ready for this because it is going to make Woodstock seem like a picnic compared to what's coming. Please contact me right away to find out where to send your money for all this inside information.

Answer 13

I think this is a scam using a sorta truth. You can get energy from sand. If you use the trace amounts of thorium found in each grain of sand. Then use that thorium to fuel a salt based reactor for nuclear energy.So... the answer is yes. But not the way these guys say it can be done or used. They are a scam. You need about a 3 billion to research and develop and another 2 billion to make the reactor. Once you did? You would have energy from sand. Well sort of. LOL This is what they are talking about and are trying to make a quick buck from it by LYING!



They are not investing in a new form of energy just a different way of getting energy from sand. They are investing in a new kind of nuclear power plant called a salt based reactor..



Note: China is about 5 years away from bringing the worlds 1st Thorium based salt reactor online. When it is completed. in 2020 It will produce about 3 metric tons of usable rare earth materials a day and power about 400,000 homes and their factories. This is way China is making those islands in the south china sea. THEY NEED THE SAND!!!

Answer 14

Sand is silicon and oxygen. I'm listening to the ad. It's been going for a long time. They still haven't said what this amazing fuel is. Apparently they want us to invest money in the company that's "bringing this revolution." Snopes, where are you?

Answer 15

Money morning press is scam central. I subscribed to their posts until having to suffer through never ending

presentations, like the one on fuel from sand. I terminated their emails twice, but am still receiving them.

Answer 16

P.T. Barnum said it best, "There's a sucker born every minute." Get this ad in front of a million unique visitors per day, and if 99.9% of them recognize it's a scam, that's still 1000 suckers per day. Sell 900 of them a $50/yr subscription to a scam stock tip sheet, Sell 90 $500 in stock in your fake corporation, and make 10 of them major partners in the future windfall for the low low investment of $5000 each. After a few days you can afford to run scam ads all year long. It's a numbers game, and you can survive as long as you walk that line of vague generalities without making any fraudulent statements. CONvincing victims definitely takes an ARTIST.



And who knows, you might also be that long lost prince of Nigeria they have been searching for, to award his rightful inheritance to!

Answer 17

These long winded videos that NEVER seem to end are all the same. Someone, usually a financial or scientific 'genius', is trying to sell something (books or newsletters) or urging you to invest into something which they are describing as the best investment ever and you will become rich if you act now. I have never seen one of these ads that was not a scam. Even former U.S. Representative Ron Paul is involved in one.

Answer 18

So Says Sam, Tar sands can, scam I am. I will not eat green eggs and scam... Especially when in the sand.



On another note, did anyone actually watch this until the end? I have a theory: The guy in the video is sitting in front of the camera, continuously spouting his nothing nonsense, improvising ad-nausium about this freekin great energy source- it's free as unlimited sand! It's the next big thing!, please send us all your money, we need your money, you'll be sorry if you don't, you'll have missed the next great thing! Don't delay!!!! Without actually really saying anything specific about anything, and he's still there, he just never quits, he goes on and on, hey, and maybe he has a twin and they work in shifts, around the clock, the video just never ever ends, it goes on and on about... nothing, its all hyped up about nothing! I really hate this sort of thing landing in my inbox!

Answer 19

...and gummy bears can be used as nuclear fuel. Beam me up Scotty.

Jack, Ph.D. (chemistry)

Answer 20

Why no coherent explanation of who has made this reaction?

Or actually tested some in an engine or fuel cell to test it s

efficiency in real life tests.

Or, is it straight from Area 51?

Answer 21

Drop little bags of sand from a great height onto the paddles of a generator wheel. That has 100% chance of working according to the laws of physics. This idea - not so much ; )

Answer 22

How can you cash in on the potential growth that penny stocks have to offer? Learn here https://tr.im/DpHyq



There are three things you'll want to look for when picking a penny stock to make sure that you don't get penny stuck: Underlying business, financials, and footnotes.



When it comes to penny stocks, a company's underlying business is even more important than it is in exchange-traded stocks. That's because the penny stock world is home to "shell" companies that are legally incorporated, but don't have any business operations

Answer 23

Manage Groups



I can’t make any sense out of groups. These are some things I would like to do and can not figure out how.

1. Subscribe to/ follow a specific group.

2. Get email notices when someone replies to something I’ve posted.

3. Delete old groups that I’m no longer interested in.



This is one I want to get email notices from:

https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20151123141755AAwCXgm



Can someone tell me how to do these things?

Answer 24

not quartz sands. Well, maybe if you made a giant hourglass to turn a giant turbine or something that ultimately required putting in energy up front so you could recover it later. Not from any chemical conversions that I can think of though, and they aren't radioactive, so you figure it out. Maybe if you let it soak up sun and then collect the heat, but that isn't very efficient.

Answer 25

No, THE ANSWER IN THE VIDEO IS SOLAR POWER. Sand is a major component in the mfg process of Solar Panels. It s the only way to generate power with zero pollution and emissions (outside of manufacturing). A good page on solar is on facebook, it s called One Nrg.

Answer 26

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

The cleanest burning, that I ve ever seen

Tiny sand grains like roses and clover

Then tell us that our penniless nights are over



Sandman, you re so alone

Don t have no money to call your own

Please turn on your magic beam

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

Answer 27

I want to know when it ends. What is the name of the company? What is this new fuel? This might be some kind of test...

Answer 28

Only God can do that and I don't think He is in the fuel business

Answer 29

It's too bad Yahoo allows this kind of Scam stuff to go out to the public.....Just pay up the money and they'll put anything out there

Answer 30

No way, if it s that simple the Germane scientists had figured that out long time ago before WW 2. They don t have to make pink gas.

Answer 31

Does this really mean my "Ocean front property in Arizona" is worth a lot of money??

Answer 32

scam site. The only energy being produced is the way this guy turns his lunch into hot gases

Answer 33

I have a water bridge I want to sell you if you believe this BS

Answer 34

it's a pyramid made out of sand BS (BULLSHIT SAUCE)===GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND THEN GET OUT AFTER YOU MADE A FEW BILLION===I ONLY HAVE A FEW BUCKS--I HAVE TO PASS....

Answer 35

thinkolator says Si is made from what company

Answer 36

Well well I think its another one of those "put money in and watch it disappear" setup.

Answer 37

Tar sand can; but it's the tar they use, not the sand.

Answer 38

truly stupid, however tritium is used in fusion and found in the dirt

Answer 39

Simple answer, its all bull **** until it real.

Answer 40

You say you know it is a scam - stop there.