Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1395 This kid is a bit cunning (6k)

Gao Zhendong, on the other hand, appeared calm and collected. It wasn't that he was particularly composed; rather, he knew the outcome of this process, and asking was simply a confirmation. After all, this was a patented biodiesel production technology for the 21st century, which was considered advanced technology at the time.

If this were in the 60s, it would be a clear case of overwhelming force.

His nonchalant demeanor unintentionally made him look cool again.

Look, Chief Engineer Gao didn't take it seriously. What does that mean? It means that he had everything planned out in advance. In Chief Engineer Gao's view, a success rate of over 90% is a very normal thing.

The skill, the mindset, the composure...

The chemistry group members' admiration for Gao Zhendong was simply beyond measure.

When it comes to technology, it all comes down to how well you're skilled. This is especially true when the technology is relatively pure, and everyone is working together, eager to make significant progress in every aspect.

"How much biodiesel do you have on hand right now?" Gao Zhendong asked.

He didn't know the exact amount of swill oil that Sha Zhu and his colleagues had brought over from the cafeteria, so he had to ask.

"17.6 liters, oh, not that much. That single-cylinder diesel engine burned about 2 liters, hehehe." The comrades were in a very relaxed and excited mood, and could easily crack a joke.

Gao Zhendong thought for a moment and said to his comrades, "Here's what we'll do: fill three 5-liter buckets for me, I'll need them. Then you continue production, making sure you have enough for the next phase of work."

The chemistry team was thrilled. What did this mean? Such a large quantity meant that Chief Engineer Gao had already made arrangements for the upcoming work.

However, there is a small problem.

"Chief Engineer Gao, we don't have much raw material left..."

What's amazing is that the raw materials weren't lacking in other chemical reagents. The process Gao Zhendong chose allowed for the recycling of a significant portion of the chemical reagents, and the non-recyclable parts were used in very small quantities.

Tetrabutyl titanate, for example, is a catalyst. Compared to sulfuric acid, it is not only safe to use, without the need to worry about corrosion or removal, but it is also inexpensive and, most importantly, requires a small amount.

The amount required is only about one-thousandth of the weight of waste oil, which is extremely economical.

However, the biggest raw material shortage is none other than waste oil.

To put it bluntly, these days, oil was unlikely to end up in the swill bins; it simply wouldn't get a turn. People would try every possible way to eat the oil clean, which is why the huge No. 2 Rolling Mill canteen system went to great lengths to collect only two buckets of swill oil.

After thinking it over, Gao Zhendong made a somewhat surprising decision.

"In that case, you should still try your best to find someone. This matter can be entrusted to comrades from other units who are stationed at our factory for help. In addition, I will give you special approval for three catties of lard and three catties of rapeseed oil for this experiment."

Gao Zhendong's words stunned his comrades; it was quite a grand gesture.

Three catties of lard and three catties of rapeseed oil were considered rare items these days. If it were still the situation Gao Zhendong knew in his previous life, it would have been very difficult to obtain even six catties of animal and vegetable oil. Fortunately, the situation has improved significantly.

"General Manager Gao, isn't this a bit wasteful? We're worried..." The comrades were somewhat uneasy.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "Don't be afraid, this is research, serious business. You need to make good use of these six catties of oil and see what the differences are between animal oil and vegetable oil under this process. As the research continues, we may even need to use all the oilseeds in the country for experiments, such as cottonseed oil..."

Swill oil is essentially residual animal and vegetable oils from food. It is essential to conduct in-depth and detailed research on it, because some vegetable oils were almost always thrown away before this.

Cottonseed oil is also a type of vegetable oil, but it is not popular for human consumption due to its composition, taste, and effects on people.

If we can achieve something in this area, it will bring a lot of relief. At least cotton can be used in a comprehensive way. Cottonseed oil can be used to make diesel, cottonseed meal can be used as fertilizer, cotton can keep us warm, and cotton lint can be used to make nitrocellulose to make propellants. Nothing is wasted. Isn't that wonderful?

Fun fact: the best raw material for making nitrocellulose isn't cotton, but rather the fine lint that remains on the cottonseed after cotton is harvested. The production volume of this is limited; outside of the largest textile countries, the amount of lint collected wouldn't even cover the cost.

Thinking about how, decades later, all of Europe couldn't even scrape together enough cotton wool, and they were stingy even when producing artillery shells, Gao Zhendong couldn't help but laugh. This was truly a case of someone rolling their eyes the moment you choked them, and spouting nonsense the moment you let go.

"Understood, General Manager Gao, we'll get back to work now!" With Gao Zhendong's words, the comrades finally felt reassured. Their focus now was on making the best use of those six jin of oil.

Gao Zhendong walked out of the laboratory carrying three five-liter oil drums, with the test results of the batch of oil tucked under his arm. The whole thing, including the oil and the drums, weighed more than 30 kilograms and was unbalanced, with one drum on one side and two on the other. Gao Zhendong walked with a limp.

He went straight to the car at the entrance of the office building. The two comrades who had been waiting saw him and quickly came to greet him and take the things from his hands.

"Mr. Gao, this is..." This thing smells a bit off.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "Diesel! But it's special diesel. Let's go to the National Defense Committee!"

Diesel fuel? But this smells a little different from diesel. As for why Gao Zhendong was carrying three barrels of oil to the Defense Committee, the comrades didn't know, nor did they ask. Anyway, Chief Engineer Gao had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and everything seemed normal to him.

"Gao Zhendong is looking for us with three barrels of diesel oil?" The leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee were stunned when they heard the phone call from the gatekeeper. What was Gao Zhendong up to?
It's not that I suspect Gao Zhendong of any sabotage; that would be a huge joke. The main issue is that diesel fuel is important, yet also quite ordinary; I really can't think of anything worth paying attention to.

Since everyone's already inside, we'll find out soon enough. The manager even called the chief engineer over as well, so the two of them could wait together.

Gao Zhendong made a special trip to find someone; no matter how strange the situation was, it deserved such attention.

"Zhendong, what are you up to?" The two were still a little confused when they saw Gao Zhendong beaming with joy and actually carrying three oil drums to the table.

"Hey, leaders, this is diesel fuel!" Gao Zhendong said cheerfully.

Of course, do you think I wouldn't know this is diesel fuel? The smell may be slightly different, but it does resemble diesel fuel.

"Is there something special about this diesel fuel? Can it increase engine power?" After thinking it over, this was the only possibility.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, this is almost indistinguishable from ordinary diesel, except for one thing."

The leaders of the National Defense Industry Committee and the chief engineer exchanged a glance, and their eyes immediately lit up.

This difference must be the reason why Gao Zhendong came today, and the fact that he came all this way shows that this difference is quite important.

"What's the difference?"

“These three barrels of diesel oil were not refined from a petrochemical refinery!” Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

"Not refined by a petrochemical refinery?" Gao Zhendong's words were intriguing. Could it have been stolen? The two members of the National Defense Industry Committee couldn't help but laugh at this thought.

"Where did it come from?"

Gao Zhendong's answer completely baffled the two members of the National Defense Industry Committee.

"They came from our factory canteen."

"The canteen?" Could it be that Gao Zhendong took the oil from the diesel stove in their canteen? That doesn't make sense.

"Could it be... that you've found a way to save fuel on diesel stoves, and that all this fuel is saved?" the leader asked with a smile.

This is indeed good news. Although diesel stoves are not used much, they are still used in quite a few places. Every little bit saved counts. However, if this is the case, isn't Gao Zhendong's move a bit too formal?

No! No, no! Gao Zhendong isn't that kind of person.

There must be some special reason why he came to find the two of them.

Gao Zhendong smiled and shook his head: "No, it means exactly what I just said. The raw materials for producing this diesel oil come from the canteen of our No. 3 Rolling Mill."

The two looked at each other, slightly confused, and then suddenly turned their heads away.

"What? The ingredients come from the cafeteria? Be more specific!"

Their expressions and tone were very urgent.

The fact that the oil comes from the cafeteria and the raw materials for the oil come from the cafeteria are two completely different things. The former is something you can just steal, but the latter... well, that would be a huge problem.

Gao Zhendong didn't keep them in suspense; these two old men were not young, and he was afraid something might happen if he kept teasing them.

"This diesel fuel was produced using the swill oil from our canteen. After testing, it fully meets all the characteristics of diesel fuel. Our colleagues in the third plant's laboratory have already successfully used it to power a single-cylinder diesel engine!"

As Gao Zhendong spoke, he took out the test results and placed them on the table.

The two old men didn't care about anything else and grabbed it to look at it.

Although I'm not very familiar with the physicochemical properties of diesel fuel, the colleagues in the technical department of the third plant were very thoughtful in adding typical values ​​or typical ranges for diesel fuel after each indicator. Comparing them like this makes it very clear at a glance, not to mention the last column, "Whether it meets the requirements," which is filled with checkmarks.

"Communications officer!" The leader of the National Defense Commission glanced at Gao Zhendong and shouted without saying anything to him.

After the communications officer came in, the leader pointed to three oil drums on the table: "Go, take one of them. Find a diesel-powered vehicle in the committee, drain the oil immediately, and try running it with this oil!!!"

Five liters of fuel is enough for the car to run for a while.

Let's see what they're made of! They had no doubts about Gao Zhendong's words, but this matter was no small thing, and trying it was more effective than anything else.

Even if the vehicle can't move, as long as it can power the single-cylinder diesel engine, it's already a major victory. This is quite common in agricultural machinery; compared to gasoline, diesel has many advantages in this regard, with noise and vibration being minor issues.

The leader turned around, smiling broadly at Gao Zhendong, and said, "Zhendong, you always manage to come up with something new. Good, good!"

"What about the cost?" The chief engineer, though excited, hadn't forgotten this point: if the cost was too high, it could only be used as an emergency reserve technology.

Gao Zhendong said, "It's about the same as diesel. Sometimes it can even be a little lower, considering the special nature of the raw materials."

"Almost there, almost there!" The leader patted Gao Zhendong's shoulder heavily a few times.

Although swill oil is not common these days, it is a very difficult thing to deal with. It can only be used to feed pigs, and it's not even good enough to be used as fertilizer.

However, feeding pigs with diesel fuel is undoubtedly a waste of resources.

As a major power, we need to consider not only economic matters, but also strategic and energy structure issues.

They were really desperate. Society could reduce diesel consumption, but war couldn't be fought without diesel, could it? The second-generation tanks and other armored vehicles that Gao Zhendong and his colleagues at the grassland tractor factory had developed, no matter how advanced the technology, couldn't run without fuel.

The rapid pace of the war between the Hans and the Japanese in S2 was due not only to their unexpectedly fast victories in the early stages, but also to their lack of oil. The Hans had no choice but to target the Baku oil field in Northeast China, while the Japanese, having failed to find oil in the Northeast, set their sights on the oil in Southeast Asia.

"Gutter oil, hahaha, you really know how to pick your targets." The leader of the National Defense Commission laughed heartily.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "Actually, it's more than that. The essence of gutter oil is just a mixture of animal and vegetable oils..."

"Hmm? You mean... animal and vegetable oils can also be used to produce diesel?"

Gao Zhendong nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

"Hahaha, so that means diesel can be grown and raised?" Only then did the leaders and chief engineer of the National Defense Industry Committee realize what kind of technology Gao Zhendong had come up with.

While the sources of swill oil are still limited, the availability of both animal and vegetable oils as raw materials means that in emergencies, the supply of diesel fuel is greatly increased. This is certainly not enough to guarantee all national economic and social activities, but it should not be a major problem to support military operations.

With this guaranteed technology, coupled with the discovery and commissioning of several large oil fields, the long-standing problem of oil scarcity, and more specifically oil scarcity, has a promising prospect for a solution.

The discovery of oil fields and biodiesel technology are not mutually exclusive. For any normal country, the diversification of energy sources is of paramount importance, especially for a country as large as ours.

However, there are actually very few truly independent and autonomous normal countries in the world, and that number will decrease over time.

No wonder Gao Zhendong came to find me in such a grand manner; this thing was indeed worth the effort, and it was the right thing to do.

Just as the two old men from the National Defense Industry Committee were overjoyed, the communications officer came in.

"Boss, we found a diesel truck, it's in the yard downstairs. It's drivable, and we'll use this kind of fuel to get it into the yard." Although the communications officer didn't know the secret behind the several barrels of oil on the table, he could still grasp what the boss was concerned about.

The leaders and chief engineer peeked out of their offices and saw an old car circling in the yard, belching black smoke.

This vehicle is quite old; most of the vehicles in the committee are new gasoline-powered. This one was originally used by the canteen for purchasing supplies, and it was quite difficult to find.

Black smoke is a good sign! That's diesel fuel.

The two veteran comrades from the National Defense Industry Committee looked down at the old car belching black smoke and felt that everything was so wonderful. The black smoke was a perfect black!
"Zhendong, the technology you developed has greatly alleviated our concerns about energy, and it also allows for comprehensive utilization, increasing production and income. Excellent! Excellent!"

Even if several large oil fields start production, and we become less worried about fuel supply under normal circumstances, diesel will always be in short supply due to its large consumption and proportion in petrochemical products. Having another supply channel would solve many problems. Besides, if we really can't use it all, we can still export it.

Gao Zhendong said, "Leaders, I have some thoughts on this matter."

It's good that you have ideas! Comrade Zhendong is great; he not only takes charge of the technology but also offers valuable suggestions on its application.

"Speak! We're listening!" The cars downstairs were still churning and sputtering, but to the people upstairs, it sounded like heavenly music.

"Next, I'm considering extending this technology to the conversion of cottonseed oil! After all, the amount of swill oil is relatively limited, and these days it's not easy to scoop out many oil droplets from swill."

"Cottonseed oil?"

"Yes! I checked. Our cottonseed oil production this year is about 300 tons. The total amount of oilseeds this year, including kerosene, gasoline, and diesel, is more than 30 million tons, of which about half is diesel. If half of the cottonseed oil can be converted into diesel, it can fill a 5% to 10% gap. You should know that this year our oilseed demand growth rate is about 20% to 30%."

With economic development and social progress, the demand for oil is also increasing significantly. Besides obtaining this data from the statistics bureau, Gao Zhendong also obtained relevant data on the biodiesel production process, supplementing the statistics bureau with indicators that they hadn't yet compiled or considered, making the data quite comprehensive and persuasive.

"So many?!" The leaders were somewhat surprised, and at the same time, they were impressed by Gao Zhendong's thorough work.

Don't be fooled by the fact that 5% to 10% may not seem like much, and half of 30 tons may not seem impressive. In the 21st century, it wouldn't even be enough for a day's consumption, but in this era, it's a considerable sum.

One very important reason why the German Desert Foxes ultimately failed to defeat the British in West Africa was that oil tankers weighing thousands of tons were repeatedly sunk by Maltese aircraft and ships outside the port of Topruk.

15 to 20 tons of diesel oil can do a lot of things. Not to mention war, even if it is used for national economic production, it is a huge amount.

"Yes, and the reason I chose cottonseed oil is that it's bad for people if you eat too much of it, so it's better to use it to make diesel." Cottonseed oil has a high content of gossypol, and eating too much of it is bad for people's health.

"Hmm... Your idea is very good. Cotton is a good thing. We should ask our comrades in the western region to work harder, hahaha." The leader laughed. Comrade Gao Zhendong was still so thoughtful.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "As for the gutter oil, I do have an idea."

"what idea?"

“We’ll import gutter oil from abroad! And we won’t pay them; they’ll pay us!” Gao Zhendong laughed.

If Gao Zhendong suggested importing gutter oil from abroad for consumer purposes, the two old men would probably just swing their canes at him and ignore it, leaving the people to suffer that indignity.

However, now that we know about the existence of biodiesel and that Gao Zhendong's idea is to import swill oil for biodiesel production, there has been no overreaction.

However, Gao Zhendong's statement seemed a bit unreliable to them. He wanted someone else to give him money? Where in the world would such a good thing come from?

"Someone else will give you money? That's impossible, isn't it?"

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "The disposal of kitchen waste is a problem all over the world. We don't say that we are going to import gutter oil and set up waste disposal companies abroad through certain channels. Waste disposal costs money, after all. Moreover, kitchen waste is different from metal, paper, plastic and other waste. It has no value and no one will come to steal our business."

Before waste-to-energy incineration technology has developed to a certain level, kitchen waste has never held a prominent position in waste utilization.

"Hiss~~~~~~" The leaders and chief engineer gasped upon hearing Gao Zhendong's words. Gao Zhendong's brain...

"Moreover, the requirements for environmental protection are now rising, and the difficulty and requirements for waste disposal will gradually increase. Kitchen waste, which is difficult to dispose of, is a headache for any country."

Environmental protection officially emerged around 1962.

"We can't possibly bring all the kitchen waste back, can we?" the leader asked, finding the question intriguing and wanting to clarify further.

"No need. We can use the garbage disposal fee they give us to buy a piece of land in a remote area, separate out the useful parts, and bury the rest on the spot. Of course, this method won't work everywhere, but we should find a way based on local conditions," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

Landfilling is a common method of waste disposal, and it's considered a standard practice. Gao Zhendong's approach is to leverage our ability to produce biodiesel to gain more profit from food waste disposal, thereby securing a price advantage and increasing its attractiveness.

Because vegetable and animal oils are lighter than water, separating oils from kitchen waste is actually not difficult. Just heat it up, take the top layer, and then filter it.

Gao Zhendong's idea left the two veteran comrades of the National Defense Work Committee somewhat speechless... This kid is cunning.

"Hmm... We'll discuss this with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later. If all else fails, importing some cottonseed oil or palm oil wouldn't be a bad idea. These oilseeds are cheap, and the producing countries are happy to export them." The chief engineer had some knowledge of these matters.

The main problem is that Gao Zhendong's idea requires a lot of effort and planning, and can only be done well by going deep into the local areas abroad. It's a bit slow to see results in a short time.

"Well, or we could just ask for imported swill oil. I reckon if we're willing to bring it back ourselves, they'd be happy to help us with the separation and processing, and even if they charge, it won't be too high." These Westerners have a long-standing tradition of dumping other people's garbage; they're second nature to it.

(End of this chapter)