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Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:16 pm
by Apoptosis
Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
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.
art.algae.jpg
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. And he is psyched about the potential algae holds, both as an energy source and as a way to deal with global warming.
Pretty crazy idea!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/04 ... index.html
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:09 pm
by stopthekilling77
crazy but in a good way! didn't know half of their weight is oil O.o
awesome!
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:30 am
by bubba
can produce about 100,000 gallons of algae oil a year per acre, compared to about 30 gallons per acre from corn; 50 gallons from soybeans.
Now that is pile of biofuel
. I wonder how much fuel can be made from that 100,000 gal.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:52 pm
by Methious
That might explain why so much oil is found drilling in the oceans.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:54 pm
by T-Shirt
This will be the best choice of any of the bio-fuels, why waste huge areas of food cropland to make very little net energy, when you can harvest the sunlight energy via alage in a relitively small space and still grow fairly cheap food too.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:46 pm
by Sapientun
Too bad it's patented, which might hinder the speed of how this new energy is researched
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:56 pm
by T-Shirt
Sapientun wrote:Too bad it's patented, which might hinder the speed of how this new energy is researched
I don't think so.
almost all new technology is patented, what this company plans to sell is licenses to use it, so they only make money if many other companies are willing to invest, build, and operate these algae farms.
Sure the license cost adds some to the end product cost, but probably alot less then the R&D on switch grass does to that product, plus (if it works as they say) the yield (total energy out after energy,fertilizer, refining, etc.) is more than 10x the yield per acre from corn.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:01 pm
by dgood
That's so cool, can't believe I haven't heard of this before.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 6:02 am
by butterfly_bh
It's cool ..
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:42 pm
by T-Shirt
I went to the companies website and read more about it. Once they dry the alage and extract the oil (using supersaturated CO2) whats left is a 25%protien, 25% high quality carbohyrate meal prefect for animal feed or even to suplement human diets. this whole system has alot of potential. it will be interesting to see how the test farm does later this year.
Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:30 am
by vicaphit
A quarter of the byproducts are useable as livestock food? Thats great!