Proposal 2008 C Technologies Beyond The Scope

APPENDIX C. TECHNOLOGIES BEYOND THE SCOPE

Other valuable technologies that are presently beyond the scope:


 * 1) Algae for fuel oil - Ommitted due to significant technical barriers. May be revisited in the medium term (>5 years from now)
 * 2) Bioplastics - Omitted due to technological complexity. The potential for using local feedstocks (biomass) in bioplastic production  makes this a worthwhile endeavor, to be pursued in the near term (>3 years)
 * 3) Solar cells - Omitted presently due to technological complexity, feedstock insecurity, or significant intellectual property requirements. All issues may be overcome, and this project should be revisited in the medium term.
 * 4) Hydrogen fuel - Omitted due to technical barriers, primarily storage, and current availability of more robust solutions, such as compressed gas, fuel alcohol, or oil palm.
 * 5) Fuel cells - Omitted due to technical barriers and easier alternatives such as boundary layer turbine electrical systems.
 * 6) Microelectronics fabrication - omitted due to technical barriers, and relatively cheap present supply of components.
 * 7) Palm oil as fuel - Large yields are possible in the tropics (10 times greater than the most productive temperate crops), but we are located in the temperate zone, so we cannot grow this locally at present.
 * 8) Wire and metal extrusion - wire extruded metal is used everywhere, such as electronics, structures, and fencing. We will return to this after developing metal casting.