Posts Tagged ‘Fuel Source’

Have you ever gone fishing only to discover that your favorite fishing hole was over grown with algae? Well now they are using that same green algae to power your diesel engine truck. That’s right the algae grown in ponds can be converted to oil and the oil refined into Biodiesel.

Algae have the potential to evolve into a mainstream fuel feedstock. Algae are not a food crops, they grow fast and algae remove massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the air.

Algae are not a food crops and there has been a huge debate and more focus on the food vs. fuel question. Some critics say agricultural based crops are not sustainable as a fuel source. Corn and Soybeans are being used currently as Biofuel which some say are the blame for higher food prices. For example; some waste collections companies have seen the cost of WVO (Waste vegetable oil) or yellow grease increase to an all time high worth as much as $3.50 cents per gallon. Hey!! Correct me if my math is a little off, but isn’t that almost the same price as a gallon of diesel fuel? Algae farms can produce 100 times more oil per acre than traditional oil crops (such as soy oil), which can be converted to Biodiesel.

Algae grow fast. Algae can be grown especially well in desert states that have plenty of sunshine and access to water unusable for drinking. Because of the high salt content in algae, saltwater can be used more economically than fresh water for optimal growth. Meaning our sunny southern states with saline aquifers will make fast and efficient locations to grow algae on commercial farms.

Algae remove massive amounts of CO2 (Carbon dioxide) from the air. Algae farms are glutton eaters of CO2 gas providing a means for recycling waste carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion. It is possible to sequester as much as one billion tons of CO2 per year from algae farms. The United States has one energy plant that produces 25.3 millions tons of CO2 by itself. This new technology has attracted companies that need inexpensive CO2 sequestration solutions. Algae was responsible for creating the Earth’s oxygen atmosphere three billion years ago and it took around two billion years to form the modern atmosphere with 20 percent oxygen. Without algae we would not be here.

Algae Biofuel will play a very important part in meeting the worlds growing energy need, Algae has a place in not only our past, but in our future as well.

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As the world’s petroleum supply experiences skyrocketing prices, looking for a green way to make fuel has become more popular. Biofuel production using algae is one green way to create a fuel source. While it is a difficult and long process, it is a straightforward one and may be the source of energy for the future. In fact, many private companies are working on mass production of algae for fuel use.

Home Made Algae Production

Choosing Your Algae

1. Choosing your algae for biodiesel production can depend on a variety of factors. Cost, efficiency and how hard the algae is to grow are all factors to keep in mind. Chlorella, a green algae, is the most cost-effective because it can be used as food after the oil is extracted. If you want algae that you can remove the most oil from, try Dunaliella and Botryococcus.

Feeding Your Algae

1. When growing algae for biodiesel production, choose the best quality of nutrients. All algae needs is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, plus other components such as iron and chloride. You can use your own nutrient mix, or purchase a blend from a home and garden store.

Placing Your Algae

1. Your algae can grow in a variety of places. While there are kits that you can purchase with hoses to filtrate water and special filtration systems, simpler systems work just as well. Shallow water in ponds works as well as a filtrated water system. Your location should have sunlight for most of the day and some salinity.

Harvesting Your Algae

1. Algae is a fast-growing plant. So harvest frequently to encourage new growth. Up to 90 percent of your harvest can be picked without slowing down your algae production. Harvesting frequently encourages new growth and keeps your supply up.

Extracting Your Algae’s Oil

1. Oil needs to be pulled from the algae. The best way to do this is to combine methods. You can pull through an oil press, but that leaves 1/4 of the oil. Mixing it with hexane, a chemical solvent, absorbs the oil so that it can be extracted.

Algae Providers List

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