Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy' ANTHONY, Texas (CNN) -- Texas may be best known for "Big Oil.
" But the oil that could some day make a dent in the country's use of fossil fuels is small. Microscopic, in fact: algae. Literally and figuratively, this is green fuel. Plant physiologist Glen Kertz believes algae can some day be competitive as a source for biofuel. "Algae is the ultimate in renewable energy," Glen Kertz, president and CEO of Valcent Products, told CNN while conducting a tour of his algae greenhouse on the outskirts of El Paso. Kertz, a plant physiologist and entrepreneur, holds about 20 patents. "We are a giant solar collecting system. Algae are among the fastest growing plants in the world, and about 50 percent of their weight is oil.
Watch how pond scum can be turned into fuel » Most people know algae as "pond scum. " Powerful Ideas: Wringing Oil from Algae. Editor's Note: This occasional series looks at powerful ideas — some existing, some futuristic — for fueling and electrifying modern life. Algae come in all sizes and shapes: from single-celled microbes in pond scum to 100-foot-long seaweeds in kelp forests. They can live in salty, fresh and even waste water. The speed at which algae grow can overwhelm marine habitats and fish tanks, but that same productivity could make these organisms the best choice for supplying biofuels. Attracted by this potential, researchers and entrepreneurs are trying to reduce the costs of current harvesting methods.
The relation between algae and fuel actually goes back millions of years. "We're sort of going 'back to the future' in making biofuels with living algae," said Thomas Byrne, a Minnesota-based renewable energy consultant and secretary of the Algal Biomass Organization. Algae Production Systems - What is Algae Oil? The algae with which we are concerned are microscopic plants referred to as green algae found in all aquatic environments, including marine, freshwater and brackish water. Green algae (singular: green alga) are the large group of algae from which the embryophytes (higher plants) emerged. As such, they form a paraphyletic group, variously included among the Plantae or with the Protista. The green algae include unicellular and colonial flagellates, usually but not always with two flagella per cell, as well as various colonial, coccoid, and filamentous forms. In the Charales, the closest relatives of higher plants, full differentiation of tissues occurs.
There are about 6000 species of green algae. The seminal work on algae-to-biodiesel was performed in the wake of our nation's first energy crisis (mid 70's to mid 90's) by the U.S. Algae Biodiesel. Biofuels From Algae, Wood Chips Are Approved for Use by Passenger Airlines. Airlines won the backing of a U.S.- based technical-standards group to power their planes with a blend of traditional fuel and biofuel from inedible plants, the Air Transport Association said today.
Fuel processed from organic waste or non-food materials, such as algae or wood chips, may comprise as much as 50 percent of the total fuel burned to power passenger flights, ATA spokesman Steve Lott and a Boeing Co. (BA) official told Bloomberg. “The real winners of this type of regulatory breakthrough will be technology companies involved in the production of aviation biofuels,” said Harry Boyle, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance in London.
“The biotech-biofuels business models of Amyris Inc. (AMRS), Codexis Inc. Other biofuels companies that may benefit from opening up the $139 billion-a-year aviation fuel market are Neste Oil Oyj (NES1V) of Finland, Spain’s Abengoa SA and Honeywell International Inc. GREEN DEALS: Airlines approve algae fuel. Algaenergy. Algae Biodiesel. Solazyme's algae diesel ready to hit the road. Tiny algae is ready for some long-haul trucking.
Solazyme, a South San Francisco, Calif. -based company that creates synthetic biological products, said Wednesday that its microalgae-derived fuel is the first renewable diesel to meet the American Society for Testing and Materials' D-975 specifications. The fuel is chemically the same as petroleum-derived diesel, Solazyme said, so it can be distributed using the existing infrastructure. But it burns cleaner than petroleum-derived diesel, with fewer particulates and sulfur levels. A 100 percent blend of Solazyme's diesel has been road-tested in a 2005 Jeep Liberty with a diesel engine, the company said in a statement. Green Diesel. How Algae Biodiesel Works"
The race is on for a new form of fuel.
With gasoline skyrocketing to more than $4 a gallon in 2008, dependence on imported oil and depleting resources worldwide, finding alternatives to petroleum-based fuel and fuel-related products is urgent. Fortunately, scientists have been studying the production of alternative products to make a cleaner, greener fuel for years. It's possible that we may be using one of these alternative fuels in the near future.
Alga (or its plural, algae) may be the miracle element in the search for a more environmentally-friendly, mass-produced product that can be converted into fuel. Algae grow naturally all over the world. You may be wondering exactly how this slimy green stuff can be turned into a fuel for cars and airplanes, and even for the heaters that warm our homes and schools. Biodiesel from Algae Oil - Oilgae - Information, News, Links for Algal Fuel, Alga Bio-diesel, Biofuels, Algae Biofuel, Energy - oilgae.com.