Algae biofuel

S

swatiraohnlu

Swati Rao
Algae biofuel is a fuel derived from the process of growing algae and decomposing it to extract oils from it that can be burned for energy. It involves the same basic principles underlying all other biofuels, but uses algae instead of corn, wood, sugar, or soy beans to produce the fuel. Algae biofuel is envisioned principally as a fuel for vehicles and a possible replacement for gasoline.
With oil prices rising since 2003 and difficulties with other biofuels, interest in algae biofuel has increased. Venture capital began to flood the emerging algae biofuel industry in 2008.

What are the pros and cons of algae biofuel?
 
* Algae yields much more biofuel per acre than other fuels Compared with second generation biofuels, algae are high-yield high-cost (30 times more energy per acre than terrestrial crops) feedstocks to produce biofuels. Since the whole organism uses sunlight to produce lipids, or oil, algae can produce more oil in an area the size of a two-car garage than an entire football field of soybeans.

* Algae photo-bioreactors require very little land "Algae: Not Only The Best Biofuel By Far...". Ecoversity - "For the algae-culture projects which use large growing ponds, the potential biodiesel production per acre is 30 to 100 times greater than obtainable with corn, soy and palm oil. However the most efficient systems, called photo-bioreactors, stack clear tubes of water with algae in the sun, requiring very little acreage for significant production. This is the system we are demonstrating at Ecoversity."
 
s

* Algae biofuel is commercially viable on an industrial scale Carli Ghelfi. "Turning algae into ethanol, and gold". 11 June 2008 - "Naples, Fla.-based Algenol Biofuels says it has found a way to inexpensively bring third-generation biofuels to industrial scale...And, unlike most algal biofuel companies, it's apparently got a licensing deal for an $850 million project to show for it...The company believes its seawater-based process can generate up to a billion gallons of algal ethanol per year from a facility in Mexico."

* Algae biofuel can become price competitive with oil Jennifer Holmgren, director of the renewable fuels unit of UOP LLC, an energy subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc said, "If you can get algae oils down below $2 a gallon, then you'll be where you need to be. And there's a lot of people who think you can."[2]

* There are no soil requirements for algae biofuel. Biofuels that are created from land-plants all have specific soil-quality requirements. If soil in an area does not meet the specific nutrient requirements of a biofuel plant-type, that plant cannot be built and used to produce the biofuel in the land-area. Algae, because it grows in water (of almost any kind and quality), is not limited by soil-quality.
 
* Algae biofuel is biodegradable. One advantage of many biofuels over most other fuel types is that they are biodegradable, and so relatively harmless to the environment if spilled.

* Algae biofuel is a renewable resource. Glen Kertz, president and CEO of Valcent Products, told CNN while conducting a tour of his algae greenhouse on the outskirts of El Paso - "Algae is the ultimate in renewable energy."
 
* Algal fuels do not impact fresh water resources. Algae can be grown in the ocean, freshwater, and wastewater and sewage. There is really no limit to the types of water in which algae can survive and thrive, and so where it can be produced into biofuel.

* Algae biofuel can grow in salt water, freshwater or contaminated water. There is no limit to the kinds of water where algae can be grown and used in producing biofuel. This contrasts sharply with many crops and fuels where much more specific location factors are at play. That algae biofuel can be produced in more places gives it an sot competitive edge over other fuels.

* Human waste and sewage can be used to grow algae biofuel Nick Hodge. "Biodiesel Bliss - The Second Coming". Energy and Capital. 2 Apr. 2007 - "It is possible to use human sewage and wastewater from agricultural endeavors to enhance the growth of algae...In fact, when done right, algae can double and even triple overnight with the addition of these fertilizers...Compare that to the five-month growing season for soy or canola!"
 
* Algae can filter C02 from coal and be used for biofuel Power plants that emit large quantities of C02 can be fitted with algae biofuel systems, in which waste C02 is used by algae in the process of photosynthesis, creating as a result a useful biofuel. Lisa Colosi, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Virginia, supports this notion, arguing, "the main principle of industrial ecology is to try and use our waste products to produce something of value."

* Using algae to filter coal then burning it emits captured C02 "Leave the algae alone". Low-tech Magazine. 4 Apr. 2008 - "Algal fuel can even be considered a worse idea than "clean" coal. In the "clean" coal strategy, at least the CO2 is captured with the intention to store it underground. In the case of algae, the CO2 is captured only with the intention to release in the air some time later, by a car engine."

* Algae from coal ties the biofuel to fossil fuels "Leave the algae alone". Low-tech Magazine. 4 Apr. 2008 - "capturing CO2 from power plants ties algal fuel production to fossil fuels. If we switch to solar energy, where will the algal fuel producers get their CO2 from?"

* Using algae to filter coal emissions is inefficient/costly .
 
Published evidence of improved algae oil output might spur significant follow-up efforts by public and private sectors, since the fundamentals of this technology are so appealing, Colosi said. Research successes would also open the door to larger grants from agencies like the U.S. Department of Energy, and could be immediately applicable to the handful of pilot-scale algae biofuel facilities recently funded by Shell and start-up firms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top