Algae to Biofuels
What if you could power your life using pond scum? Algae, plant-like aquatic microorganisms, produce oil similar to petroleum and can be grown almost anywhere, don’t need to be fed and actually remove pollution from the air.
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- Stacy Leigh Baker
- (505) 664-0244
Near industrial plants on undesirable land, scientists raise algae that suck up harmful exhaust and thrive in the non-drinkable wastewater.
Algae produce at least 32 times more oil than corn per acre annually-and use in fuel does not compete with the world's food demands. Unlike other biofuels, algae create enough energy to be used for jet fuel and long-haul trucks.
To make algae competitive, researchers seek ideal algal strains that grow quickly, produce large amounts of oil, need less in food, CO2 or water and withstand large variations in temperature and water quality.
Algae's products are diverse-coastline, cosmetics, plastics, and food supplements, to name a few. Some species double their mass daily and half their body weight is energy-rich lipids.
To maximize hydrocarbon and lipid production, scientists must find the right balance between rapid growth (less oil) and slow growth (more expensive).
Separating the algae from water, and then squeezing the oil out of each cell can be almost one-third of total costs.
