Algae Study

In the past, algae biofuel has been criticized due to its great water needs; algae only grows in water, and devoting large proportions of already-precious fresh water to the growth of algae seems a counterproductive solution the the fuel crisis.  It would mean sacrificing one endangered resource to compensate for the loss of another.

However, new research is bringing this criticism into question.  The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has crunched some numbers with the consideration that algae can be produced in already existing water supplies—that is, algae could be grown and harvested for biofuel without destroying natural ecosystems to create new artificial water bodies.

Algae is, really, a viable alternative fuel.  It is converted into fuel by extracting the oils, lipids, that algae produces naturally, and making those oils into usable fuel.  The new study shows that “21 billion gallons” of algae fuel could be produced with existing American land and water.  Readers of this blog will recall posted criticism of corn ethanol for the environmental costs of production; while algae biofuel hardly causes no harm, it is remarkably efficient when compared to corn ethanol. According to the article, algae can produce “80 times more oil than corn per hectare a year.”

While support for this initiative has hardly overtaken the government’s crutch for corn ethanol, this may be promising new technology.  For the complete article, see below:

Source: “Study: Algae Could Replace 17% of U.S. Oil Imports,” by Franny While, April 20, 2010.