6 / 114
4
The International Magazine
for the Wire and Cable Industries
US copies only
:
EuroWire
(ISSN No: 1463-2438)
is published bi-monthly by INTRAS Ltd and distributed
in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.
Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA.
Postmaster
: send address changes to EuroWire, PO Box 437, Emigsville PA 17318-0437
www.read-eurowire.com© 2010 Intras Ltd, UK
ISSN 1463-2438
* US$33 purchase only
Front cover: Maschinenfabrik Niehoff GmbH & Co KG
See page 108 for further details
Whenyouhave finishedwith
thismagazineplease recycle it
E
DITOR
: .......................................
Gill Watson
F
EATURES
E
DITOR
(USA)
:
.........Dorothy Fabian
E
DITORIAL ASSISTANT
:
.................Christian Bradley
D
ESIGN
/P
RODUCTION
:
................Julie Tomlin
P
RODUCTION
:
..............................Lisa Benjamin
S
ALES
& M
ARKETING
:
................Giuliana Benedetto
(
I
NTERNATIONAL
)
Italy
Hendrike Morriss
Germany, Austria,
Switzerland
Linda Li
中文
Jeroo Vandrevala
India
A
DVERTISEMENT
C
OORDINATOR
:
............................Liz Hughes
A
CCOUNTS
M
ANAGER
:
................Richard Babbedge
S
UBSCRIPTIONS
:
..........................Liz Hughes
P
UBLISHER
:
..................................Caroline Sullens
F
OUNDER
:
....................................John C Hogg
INTRAS OFFICES
E
UROPE
:
46 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa
Warwickshire CV32 4HY, UK
Tel
: +44 1926 334137
Fax
: +44 1926 314755
:
intras@intras.co.ukWebsite
:
www.intras.co.ukWebsite
:
www.read-eurowire.comUSA
:
E
DITORIAL
Dorothy Fabian
272 First Avenue, Apt 12G
New York, NY 10009, USA
Tel
: +1 212 614 9266
Fax
: +1 212 614 9266
:
dfabian@rcn.comI
NDIA
:
Jintras Ltd
,
Jeroo Vandrevala
Subarna (Ground Floor)
P21/N, Block A, New Alipore
Kolkata 700 053, India
Tel
: +91 33 2407 07 01
Fax
: +91 33 2407 07 00
:
jeroov@vsnl.com“Now is the time to get
serious about algae”
Browsing through an issue of
Professional
Engineering
magazine this quote from
DrJeanBotti,chieftechnicalo cerofAirbus
manufacturer EADS, caught my attention.
As green fuel sources go, it’s hard to think
of anything that could be greener than
algae but, puns aside, it’s apparently one
of the most promising sources of biofuel to
replace kerosene in aircraft.
Unlike other biofuel crops (such as maize or
sugarcane) the cultivation of algae doesn’t
competewith foodcrops; it canbegrownon
thepoorest of land. Other biofuel crops also
make high demands on irrigation water;
the amount of water needed for processing
biomass is dwarfed by the amount needed
to grow the crops (a litre of sugarcane
ethanol demands a staggering 3,500 litres
of India’s irrigation water) whereas algae
makes good use of non-potable or even
saltwater.
However, Dr Botti’s enthusiasm for
algae isn’t con ned to its cultivation. His
research indicates that algae biofuel has a
higher energy content than conventional
JET-A1 fuel, reducing consumption while
maintainingperformance, andtheresulting
exhaust gases contain considerably smaller
amounts of hydrocarbons than those
produced by crude oil derived kerosene.
Nitrogenoxideandsulphur oxideemissions
are reduced too; in the case of nitrogen
oxide, by up to 40%.
The technology exists to develop and
produce biofuel from algae (it’s already
been used for a test ight), but more
development is needed to produce the
necessary economic and industrial scale of
both algae and fuel.
The point is that Dr Botti is calling on its
traditional rival, Boeing, to join forces with
EADS in order to accelerate investment and
research into algae biofuel. I’m keeping my
ngers crossed that Boeingwill beprepared
to take up the challenge, though I’d prefer
to see a joint-government-funded research
project, in the spirit of CERN.
Our natural resources,
including fossil fuels
and water, are being
depleted
and
the
burgeoning
global
population
needs
food; surely the poten-
tial rewards of this
technology are too
great to be con ned to
powered ight, or to
remain in the hands of
just two companies?
Gill Watson