Algae: A potential source of future fuels?
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently wondered if algae could be the next great breakthrough feedstock:
“Algae have been studied for many years as a potential renewable energy feedstock to produce motor fuels. Below, we discuss the attributes of algae that make it potentially attractive and some of the technological and economic challenges in algae cultivation, harvesting, and oil extraction that must be addressed before algae-based fuels can be commercially produced.
Algae are primarily aquatic plant-like organisms that convert light, carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus into oxygen and biomass, including lipids – the generic name for the primary storage form of natural oils. Single-cell or microalgae are most interesting because of the speed and efficiency at which they produce lipids. However, some of them can be susceptible to contamination from bacteria, viruses, and other undesirable algal species, which can reduce the quality and yield of the lipids. Consequently, researchers are trying to develop algal species that are both efficient at lipid production and resistant to contamination.”
The EIA’s further exploration of algae makes for interesting reading, especially since caveats like problematic scalability are probed. You can read the rest of the posting at:
http://www.eia.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp?src=email
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