Algae Biofuel

Record oil price increases since 2003 have been turning consumers to alternative fuels such as biodiesel, ethonol and even vegetable oil as the answer. Many have looked at the possibility of growing more oilseed crops as a solution to the problem of peak oil prices. Due to the fact that oilseed crops are not the most productive or efficient source of vegetable oil and the growing demand for food and the growing issue of the world food crisis, growing more oilseed crops for the production of biodiesel as an alternative to petrodiesel seems a bit impractical. Similar problems exist with most alternative fuels. Other solutions have been researched such as retrieving energy from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water from which the primary waste product is brackish water. (known as "salinity gradient power" and "osmotic power")

More recently, a form of aquaculture involving the farming of species of algae, also known as "Algaculture" for making vegetable oil, biodiesel, bioethanol, biogasoline, biomethanol, biobutanol and other biofuels has been researched and practiced and with much success. First of all, microalgae have much faster growth-rates than terrestrial crops. The per unit area yield of oil from algae is estimated to be from between 5,000 to 20,000 gallons per acre, per year (4.6 to 18.4 l/m2 per year); this is 7 to 30 times greater than the next best crop, Chinese tallow (699 gallons). Algae can also grow on marginal lands, such as in desert areas where the groundwater is saline. It has been speculated that an acre of algae can produce 50 times more oil than an acre of soy. Many hope that algae-based fuel can sell for around $40 to $50 a barrel.

In addition, growing algae is very good for the environment. Algae facilities can suck significant amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The fumes coming out of utility smokestacks can be piped into algae growing facilities. And to top it off, algae's not a massive food crop at the moment, so you aren't using a valuable food crop to gas cars.

There are a few problems associated with the use of algae, but so minuscule that calling them problems could be understood as a joke. Prepare to chuckle. One challenge is removing the water. It's not uncommon to have 1 gram of usable algae in every liter of water. The other problem is deciding how to cultivate it best.

So should algae been grown in controlled or open ponds? In controlled facilities, engineers can regulate the growth of organisms and control what kinds of species grow in the environment. These facilities cost quite a bit. Controlling the rate of growth can also be a problem. It is argued that open ponds are the cheapest and simplest solution, but it is much harder to maintain consistency in an open pond than in a controlled pond, but, once again, controlled facilities cost quite a bit.

Other alternative methods of growing algae have been researched such as a new process combining genetically modified strains of algae with an uncommon approach to growing algae to reduce the cost of making fuel. Rather than growing algae in ponds or enclosed in plastic tubes that are exposed to the sun, some have been growing the organisms in the dark, inside huge stainless-steel containers. Sugar is fed to the algae, which the organisms then convert into various types of oil. The oil can be extracted and further processed to make a range of fuels, including diesel and jet fuel, as well as other products.