2008 Woodie Awards
Algae may be an alternative fuel source
Earl Parsons
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: Features
Reports from organizations and universities around the world indicate that algae could be used as an effective form of biofuel, perhaps better than corn or soybeans, although its ability to replace petroleum as the de-facto fuel source for the world wouldn't become feasible until several decades down the road.
Unlike corn and soybeans, which comprise most of the biofuel produced today, algae's faster rate of photosynthesis allows it to triple in volume every day.
Due to algae's higher lipid density, it theoretically could yield far more oil per acre and reduce the cost of biofuels.
According to Martin Tobias, CEO of biodiesel company Imperium Renewals, algae could theoretically yield 10,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre of algae.
Palm oil, currently the highest oil-yielding crop being used, only nets 680 gallons per acre.
Biodiesel, in general, is far less volatile than hydrogen fuel, another proposed solution of ridding the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
The hydrogen airships used during the early 20th century fell out of favor after Germany's Hindenburg zeppelin caught on fire on May 6, 1937 and killed 36 people.
A worldwide conversion to hydrogen fuel would also require everyone to use a different engine in their car, while biodiesel can work in any car that has a compression-ignition, or diesel, engine.
Biofuel made from algae can be produced in factories, unlike corn and soybeans, which must be grown on farmlands.
This could reduce the biological hazards associated with creating land for sustainable agriculture.
Many people worry that biodiesel produced from crops would deplete the world's food supply.
By using algae instead of crops for biodiesel, the food supply, and the money the US makes from agricultural sales would remain the same.
Another ecological benefit to using algae as the primary source of biofuel is that it is effective at absorbing carbon dioxide, as proven by a group of scientists at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in Moss Landing, California.
Unlike corn and soybeans, which comprise most of the biofuel produced today, algae's faster rate of photosynthesis allows it to triple in volume every day.
Due to algae's higher lipid density, it theoretically could yield far more oil per acre and reduce the cost of biofuels.
According to Martin Tobias, CEO of biodiesel company Imperium Renewals, algae could theoretically yield 10,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre of algae.
Palm oil, currently the highest oil-yielding crop being used, only nets 680 gallons per acre.
Biodiesel, in general, is far less volatile than hydrogen fuel, another proposed solution of ridding the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
The hydrogen airships used during the early 20th century fell out of favor after Germany's Hindenburg zeppelin caught on fire on May 6, 1937 and killed 36 people.
A worldwide conversion to hydrogen fuel would also require everyone to use a different engine in their car, while biodiesel can work in any car that has a compression-ignition, or diesel, engine.
Biofuel made from algae can be produced in factories, unlike corn and soybeans, which must be grown on farmlands.
This could reduce the biological hazards associated with creating land for sustainable agriculture.
Many people worry that biodiesel produced from crops would deplete the world's food supply.
By using algae instead of crops for biodiesel, the food supply, and the money the US makes from agricultural sales would remain the same.
Another ecological benefit to using algae as the primary source of biofuel is that it is effective at absorbing carbon dioxide, as proven by a group of scientists at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in Moss Landing, California.
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Dillon
posted 10/23/08 @ 1:59 PM PST
This artical is very unimfromative it sucks
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