A new way to producing biofuels from algae
It is quite normal to find lots of pond scum at the bottom of ponds. This is a form of algae that is usually removed or let to waste at the bottom of the pond. However some researchers form Utah State University has today found a means of extracting the oil from algae, to be converted into biodiesel fuel.
The USU aims at producing an algae-biodiesel that is cost competitive by the year 2009.
The reason the USU got the idea of using algae to produce biodiesel is that it has the capacity of producing a maximum of 10,000 gallons of oil per acre of land. Moreover, algae or pond scum is grown practically everywhere.
With this discovery, it can be considered that it is the most important scientific challenge of the 21st century. Although there are many options to solve the world’s energy problem today, none of them can be considered to be viable for realistic use on a long term basis.
Basically, a biodiesel is a clean and carbon dioxide neutral fuel that is becoming more and more popular by the day. Today most of biodiesel is produced from soybean and corn oil however with the increase of supply and demand, the price of soybeans and corn also increases.
This is because people and animals depend on corn and soybean for food and the competition between commodities and growing sufficient amounts of these commodities lead to an increase in the rate of products.
So to meet this increased demand for commodities, the world has to use practically all arable land possible. However pond scum is readily available in ponds and is usually gone to waste.
The same method that is used in converting crop seed oils into biodiesel are employed to harness biofuels from algae and micro algae oils. Unlike land based crops having long growing seasons, it is possible to harvest algae every one or two days. Moreover some forms of algae have an oil content that is more than 75% of its dry weight.
In addition to all this, algae use carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere to help in its photosynthesis of triglycerides. So it is possible to eliminate 90% of the CO2 emissions from a CO2 producing smokestack with the help of an algae farm. So with algae, you not only have an additional source of energy, you also find a means of eliminating all unwanted CO2 from the atmosphere.
Currently the world consumes about 13 terawatts of energy a year; where a terawatt is equal to 1,000 billion watts. Fossil fuels supplies most of this energy, and this usage is predicted to double to 26 terawatts by the end of 2050.
So with new methods of producing biofuels progressing, there is sure to be a viable market for these biofuels.
Of course, before algae biodiesel becomes a viable market alternative to fossil fuel, researchers at USU have some research and hurdles to overcome to prove to the world that pond scum is indeed set to provide fuel needed for the future.
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Think Solar Energy
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this is intresting. how can I learn ?
Hi Jonathan. You can find something on Utah State University website