Permachar
The problem
Here's an example of breaking down a research problem into it's parts and generating some learning issues to test hypotheses and maybe build Australia's renewable energy system... though I have
to admit, it's a loaded 🎲 which wouldn't be unusual for the energy industry!!
Here it is:
Natural Gas (NG) exports are causing East Coast NG shortages.
NG is considered a 'Transition fuel' by the NG industry and any journalist, lobbyist and politician that repeats their marketing propaganda.
There could be an opportunity for adopting 'Carbon neutral' biomass fuels and 'Carbon negative' stoves such as Top-Lit UpDraft (TLUD) stoves that pyrolyse the biomass fuels eg. Wood pellets, into
Biochar to meet household cooking and water pasteurization/boiling demand to replace NG stovetops.
NG peakers are still used on the grid in some places.
'Carbon negative' bioelectricity has not yet replaced NG peakers.
Many hot water systems still use NG that could be replaced with electric heat pumps.
NG Corporations are paying minimal tax.
A fossil Carbon export tax could be on the table to raise money for various policies.
A circular bioeconomy could be goalposts for a more resilient and sustainable future.
The plant industry feeding biotechnology applications and industry is key to a bioeconomy.
Data points/Keywords
- natural gas (NG)
- NG exports
- NG East Coast shortages
- NG marketing propaganda
- transition fuels
- 'Carbon neutral' biomass fuels
- wood pellets
- 'Carbon negative' stoves
- TLUDs
- biochar
- cooking and water pasteurization/boiling demand
- NG peakers
- 'Carbon negative' bioelectricity
- electric heat pumps
- fossil C export tax
- circular bioeconomy
- plant industry
- biotechnology
Hypotheses
1. NG exports can be diverted to a NG domestic National Reserve to avoid NG shortages in the future
2. NG is a fake or false transition fuel and doesn't meet adopted criteria
3. Biomass can be converted to Biochar in TLUD stoves which is 'Carbon negative'
4. Biomass fuel meets adopted circular bioeconomy criteria
5. Bioelectricity converting biomass to Biochar can replace NG peakers on the grid with AI load prediction since it can take some time eg. 1 hour, to fire up a bioelectricity kiln to full
capacity
6. There could be an opportunity for electric heat pumps to replace NG hot water systems.
7. Affordable heat pumps could be manufactured in Oz with Gov subsidies
8. A fossil C export tax could fund manufacturing of biotechnology for a circular bioeconomy
Learning issues
- What are the criteria of a transition fuel?
- Does NG meet the criteria?
- Does biomass meet the criteria as a transition fuel or as a circular bioeconomy fuel, the endgame of a transition, and therefore not a transition fuel?
- Would a NG National Reserve meet East Coast/National demand and would NG Corporations cooperate? Eg., could the Gov legally prevent some NG exports and instead lock it in for domestic
consumption? Alternatively, would a fossil C export tax disincentivise fossil exports, to a degree, and ensure domestic NG demand is met?
- Are biomass to Biochar technologies 'Carbon negative'? Eg. If it produces Biochar, is that 'Carbon negative'?
- Will we ever run out of biomass fuel in Australia? Eg., will we ever run out of wood, rice husk or sorghum pellets etc.?
- What is the current uptake and future predicted uptake of NG, electric and biomass stoves?
- Can TLUDs meet the demand of stoves to replace NG?
- What TLUDs can be safely used indoors, eg.Fabstove and outdoors, eg. Navigator 'Awesome' V2, Navigator 'Versatile' etc.?
- Can NG peakers be replaced with 'Carbon negative' bioelectricity that produces biochar as a by-product?
- Are there affordable electric heat pumps manufactured in Oz?
- If not, is this something the Gov could subsidise in their 'Future Made in Australia' policy?
- what is a circular bioeconomy?
- what manufacturing could build a circular bioeconomy?
- could a fossil Carbon export tax subsidise manufacturing of biotechnology for a circular bioeconomy?
- what could be the main biotechnology applications and industry for a circular bioeconomy?
Also, just one more question for now for an AI chatbot eg. Perplexity.ai
"can problem based learning logic be applied to LLMs for research"
- it came up with some great mapping for PBL onto the LLM to 'keep the chatbot honest'!
- but, in saying that, the old medical school PBL algorithm pioneered by Dr Ted Cleary, published in the "Fact check this for a Biochar materials revolution" blog (18/7/25) in the blogs section
on my website, can be used very effectively, especially in group learning environments
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