Eureka! Oil From Algae?
Pond scum can be turned into fuel. In fact, about 50 percent of algae’s weight is oil. If algae is such a great biodiesel, what’s holding back the “oilgae” fuel production process?
The difficulties in efficient biodiesel production from algae lie in finding an algal strain with a high lipid content and a fast growth rate that isn’t too difficult to cultivate, and a cost-effective cultivation system that is best suited to that strain. Also, equipment and structures are not yet in place for the widespread mass production of algae for biofuel production. One company, Diversified Energy Corporation has avoided the equipment dilemma by taking a different approach — growing the algae in thin walled polyethylene tubing called Algae Biotape, similar to conventional drip irrigation tubing.
Biofuel testing of algae is currently being done in Marlborough, New Zealand and at The Department of Environmental Science at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines.
Will our tanks “go green,” literally? It’s only a matter of time…
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