Algae as a Scrubber and Fuel Source
A reader of this blog was wondering why algae hasn't been a topic of discussion on this blog. I have heard about the super efficacy of algae for biofuels before but never seriously looked at it due to its infancy at the time. To my amazement, reading about algae as a scrubber and fuel source makes perfect sense.
Now people are beginning to actively promote algae as a carbon dioxide scrubber and biofuel producer. An article from New Scientist has proved that CO2 can act as a feedstock rather than a waste byproduct. In what some call an algae bioreactor, algae is fed carbon dioxide as a fuel to flourish the algae in conjunction with sunlight which can then produce an algae that can be used for biodiesel or even hydrogen for local and domestic transportation. This project has already been successfully piloted and should be getting more attention than those that would like to promote carbon sequestration (the storage of carbon dioxide in the Earth).
My friend who is promoting this concept through his blog has a great take on the future of bio algae. There is also a link to a do-it-yourself algae reactor which gives the amateur a chance to build a mini reactor and begin transforming carbon dioxide into a potential fuel source.
The reasons to go algae as stated from oilgae.com:
1. The yields of oil from algae are significantly higher than those from traditional oilseeds
2. Algae can grow in places far from farmlands & forests, minimizing damages caused to the environment and food chain.
3. Algae can be grown in sewages and next to power-plant smokestacks where they convert the pollutants and give us oil!
The innovation can be realized after watching the following youtube video.
Thoughts, Comments, Questions...
4 COMMENTS, ADD YOURS HERE:
How much of a role do you think algae plays in the oceans' ability to convert carbon into oxygen?
I believe in the Planet Earth series they mentioned that oceans remove more carbon from our environment than any other source (including rainforests).
It plays a very important role, thanks for the comment, I'll check out the Planet Earth Series for sure.
Amazing - and it doesn't even look complicated (I guess nuclear power is harder to handle than an "algae farm"). Algae seem to be perfect as a source of biofuel and I really hope we will make use of them in the near future.
It has been calculated that it would only take algae farms totaling an area of 100 square miles to produce enough biodiesel to supply all of the united states current diesel needs. This doesn't have to be all in one spot. It could be spread out all around the coastal regions of the united states, using the old oil platforms as a nucleus and processing plants. That way it's decentralized in the event of hurricanes and other bad weather.
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