Algae Oil Fuel

For two decades research scientists have been studying the production of oil from blue-green algae and other plant sources. One of the greatest obstacles to production of a plant based petroleum product has been the cost. The United States Department of Energy looked at the production of petroleum from algae for several years abandoning the project in the mid 1990’s when oil was selling on world markets for about twenty dollars a barrel. More recently as fuel costs soar with rising demand and the shrinking supply of fossil fuels a new interest in plant based fuel oil production has taken hold of the scientific community and enterprising companies renewing the enthusiasm for oil from blue-green algae.

Blue-green algae also known as cyanobacteria is a simple organism that is single cellular or a collection of cells. As a primary energy source in the world’s oceans blue-green algae converts light energy to chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis. Blue-green algae are also present in many lakes and ponds growing easily in areas with abundant sunlight. Blue-green algae is believed by many scientists to be the original source of chlorophyll, the chemical that is present in plants which converts sunlight to stored energy.

Major petroleum production companies already have some experience with biofuels from corn and soybeans and yet these plants yield relatively small amounts of oil when compared with blue-green algae. An acre of corn may yield almost 20 gallons of oil per year where algae may yield as much as 100,000 gallons of oil per acre each year. Newer methods of growing the algae in vertical columns will allow for even higher production levels. Because algae and especially blue-green algae or cynobacterium has such a high growth rate more oil can be produced.

Many mechanisms of fuel production from algae have been suggested. From growing and processing the algae to produce biofuels much as corn has been use to produce ethanol as a gasoline additive in the past year to producing biodiesel that can be used as a standalone fuel by existing engines algae is an excellent source for this fuel. Using blue-green algae for the purpose of producing this fuel will reduce the land mass needed to grow adequate amounts for production. Using algae also negates the requirement for pesticides and does not leave large amounts of waste.

Production of oil from blue green algae also make possible a solution to the problem of industrial runoff and the algae blooms that are produced from the waste products such as carbon dioxide, chemicals and heat. These waste products cause algae blooms particularly in the Pacific Northwest.