commercial algae-based biodiesel production possible? who are the turn key suppliers?

Answer 1

Hi -

I am not big on biodisel production. From what I have heard, they use the algae to create liquid hydrogen. A high cost, slow, inefficient process.

So, I was always promoting the production of electric cars. Such as the Prius. The Prius actually has something called EV Only mode. Wich uses the battery more then the engine. Toyota disabled the feature for Prius's sold in North America, but have it available for other countries. People are still able to turn that EV Only mode on here with the US models, though. They just need a few wires.

So, all the time I was thinking that hydrogen was pointless, and that it could never be used effectively in the world. Well, after some research, I bumped into some information regarding electrolysis, and a few other different methods of producing hydrogen gas/HHO. Here is how it works. With a simple kit, for almost any car, you can run your car as a hybrid using just water. It costs about 150 up to 1000 dollars, depending on what you get. The method of electrolysis seperates the water into hydrogen, and oxygen. The gas is directed through your air intake, and is burned up with your gasoline. You can get up to a 80% increase in gas mileage, depending on the type of kit you get, and a few other factors. You could run a car on pure hydrogen gas from water. But there is one small problem. Once the hydrogen/oxygen is burned, it turns right back into water. This causes rust. You would need everything to stainless steel, and other things be ceramic coated. But, since your engine produces a lot of heat, when you mix the gas with the hydrogen, your engine is hot enough to just turn the water into vapor, and it won't rust anything at all. You can use this technology to power almost anything.

Why isn't it widely known, or mass produced?

What would happen to the oil companys?
What would happen to the energy companys?
What would happen to the car companys?
The HHO gas is a super-fuel, not a fossil fuel. Your car would last forever. You would never need tune ups, and would never need a new car. The car companys wouldn't sell any cars! And since water is virtually free, the energy companys would go out of business as well, along with the oil companys. They would never let this happen. The technology is available for anyone to use. Anyone here can get this stuff.

Answer 2

Biofuels are an alternative to fossil fuels. They do not necessarily reduce pollution. They are not 'success' yet, but have potential. Yes, Gliocladium roseum does show great potential as part of a biofuels process. It provides simpler digestion of cellulose. You have the right idea of trying to 'combine' the best of our current ideas. The mechanism most likely to achieve this is the very new field of synthetic biology. Look at artificial porphyrins, and the work of Nocera, Kanan, and Heyduk at MIT. The conceptual ideal is a 'gadget' I can expose to sunlight. The desired end product is as much energy as possible that I can use (preferably at another location) to accomplish a purpose.

Answer 3

I don't know if algal biodiesel would work - corn and soybeans work because they have oils, and I don't know if those are components of algae.

As for supply - anyplace where a small amount of water could lie on a relatively flat surface would work - perhaps desert areas could be turned into algae ponds?

Answer 4

This link, and links from it, provides some answers and discussion:

http://technocrat.net/d/2006/5/17/3525

The concept may be possible but is still very much in the research phase with a long way to go before cost and possible operational problems have been addressed to see whether it is a viable industrial process.

Answer 5

What an amazing topic you've chosen! I'm a 10th grade high school student, and last year I completed a long term project for my honors biology class in which I produced biodiesel in my garage. Although I was using waste vegetable oil from burger joints and Chinese restaurant's around town, I become entirely fascinated with biodiesel and all the different methods of production.

If you would like my personal opinion, backed up by most of a years worth of research and experimentation, biodiesel needs to be invested in. And you asked a good question- who are the people who are going to make that happen (the "turn-key suppliers)? Well, I have found that our present situation makes it entirely unpractical for the United States or really any other country to be producing biodiesel from soybeans or other traditional crops. Oddly enough, most all biodiesel producers, large and small, end up using oil produced from traditional crops- whether it be recycled or fresh. If the United States wants to replace all of its usage of "dinodiesel" (petroleum based diesel) than we simply just don't have enough farmland that we can devote to growing oil crops like soybeans. Algae is a different story.

If my memory is correct, in 1996 the funding for the National Renewable Energies Laboratory (NREL) algael biodiesel program was cut entirely. At the time, they were making great progress on the study of biodiesel from algae. In fact, they determined that it would be possible to replace our entire consumption of fossil fuels with biodiesel! There are types of algae out, found in nature, there that are as much as 50% by mass lipids (or oils). This algae can be raised quickly in areas with high sunlight exposure (Arizona, for instance). They can squeeze the algae and what they are left with is half oil ready to make biodiesel with and half organic matter, which is entirely natural and you can even use that organic matter to make ethanol! This ethanol can be used in gasoline engines until the country gets smart and switches over to diesel, as Europe has already done (still, most people don;t reallize it but there is a HUGE amount of diesel fuel consumed in this country with commercial trucking, trains, ships, and even a lot of private sector vehicles- all of which can be run on biodiesel with little to no modifications to the engine systems).

So now that research in this field has been scrapped by the government, it is up to universities and individual companies to develop this industry. Colorado State University has launched a program exploring algae's potential, and I'm sure others have as well. I do believe that once the cost of petroleum gets too outrageous for it to be practical, large oil companies will be forced to look elsewhere to maintain profits. And for a practical alternative where the technology is here today as we speak, you can't beat algael biodiesel.

It seems strange to me, but the US government is investing hugely into fuel cell research when you compare it to the investments they've made in biodiesel. Electrolysis requires for more energy to do than the end products are capable of producing. In other words, it takes more electricity to break water into hydrogen and oxygen than those two elements produce when recombined in a fuel cell. I'd know, I own a fuel cell (it was a birthday present). So consequently, people who even begin to think about using fuel cells are getting their hydrogen by busting up hydrocarbons into their elements! I thought that we were trying to wane ourselves from our addiction to petroleum, not increase it! At the moment, it is entirely ridiculous to be devoting all our time and effort into fuel cells when we know of know practical application for them, which is jut what our government is doing now! All the while, if we would've spent that money on biodiesel from algae research, we would be WAY closer to a cleaner future- instead, what progress have we really made? Biodiesel, while it does produce some NOx emissions, does not produce CO2 when it is burnt, which is todays greatest contributer to global warming! I suppose there is some of my own opinion in that last paragraph, but it certainly does have some academic basis.

So to answer your question, hell yes it is possible! And who's gonna do it? Well, as long as we are content with burning fossil fuels, development will be left to those of us with some insight and consideration for our future- a rapidly shrinking demographic.

Answer 6

Ponds, bayous, tributaries, marshes, streams and neglected swimming pools.