Scientists have repeatedly touted the possibility of turning algae into biofuels. Now a Florida-based company called Algenol is working with Dow Labs in Texas to convert carbon dioxide produced by algae farms into ethanol, which will then be used to make plastics. Even better, the oxygen byproduct left over from the conversion can be used to produce cleaner, more efficient coal power.
The New York Times' Green Inc. blog says that the best part about burning coal in oxygen is that it produces more carbon dioxide in return, which can be pumped back into the algae. So essentially what you get is an ethanol-producing cycle of sustainability.
This is just the first step for algae-based energy, as both small startups and large corporations have discussed plans to create oil from the plant as well.
[via Green Inc.]
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A sustainable cycle with close to 100% efficiency has always been the dream of scientists. However, the reality is that there is currently no feasible way of achiecing this golden apple without putting in some serious time and money. Algae has been investigated before as a source of ethanol, but the reality is that it is difficult to produce large quantities of ethanol from algae without expending a lot of energy in the process, more energy than you get out of the ethanol being produced! If they can find ways to make the conversion process more efficient using less energy, then we have something to go on with.
Is it me or has the site been really slow lately?
Anyway, it does sound great creating combustible fuel from something that would otherwise be an eyesore or worse, a source of disease and infection. But how much algae would one require to generate enough fuel to say, fill up my car? And surely that fuel would be completely different from petrol, so would we have to design a whole new engine just to burn it? I sense a vast number of changes which will have to take place before any of us starts filling our cars with plant soup!