Boosting Algae Oil Yields: Priority Number 1?
Algae, the breakthrough third-generation crop for biofuels, looms on the near horizon as a potential source of massive energy production. In the United States, it is not impossible to imagine foreign oil dependencies to be obliterated within a period of several years as the technology matures and more capital is put into play.
Algae, commonly known as pond scum in several of its many forms, is a varied group of plant life, many of which species and varieties contain substantial percentages of oil in the form of lipids. Some algae varieties contain as much as 70% usable lipid oil after the water has been extracted from the plant.
To put this in perspective, other crops that produce oil are soybeans (48 gallons of oil per acre), rapeseed (about 127 gallons), a plant known as Jatropha (435 to 2,000 gallons), compared to algae at 5,000 to 50,000 gallons per acre. (Source: Alternative Energy News) That is when the algae growth is fostered in water (some fresh, some are salt varieties). When algae is grown in a “bioreactor” yields can be even higher, because the temporary condition of sunlight during the day is not required to photosynthesize the algae.
Other studies have shown algae to outproduce palm oil, coconut, castor beans, sunflower and safflower seeds by at least one and in some cases two orders of magnitude (10-100 times). Interestingly, the algae growth does not require intensive farming. Quite the opposite effect has been noted, which is that oil production of the algae tends to increase during periods of distress, e.g. lack of sufficient nutrients in the water.
Nitrogen starvation and the introduction of certain enzymes into the aquaculture are currently being tested in order to discover means of increasing oil production. Interestingly, and of great potential environmental interest, the introduction of sewage into the aquaculture speeds up algae growth and oil production within the algae.
Here we have the most promising potential energy source anyone could imagine! Easy to produce, incredible production capacities compared to other bio fuel production efforts, as well as a potential positive usage mechanism into which which CO and CO2 can be pumped, and sewage can be disposed with little or no environmental impact.
Whether one believes in mankind induced global warming or not, there is no question that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions- a pollutant resulting from both power plant operation and diesel exhaust – need to be curbed.
Algae based oil production could be close to a silver bullet. With technological advances algae oil could eliminate oil vulnerability to our country, reduce gasoline and diesel pollution, burn up carbon based pollutants that still exist, and solve sewage processing problems all at once.
