At current coal usage, the supply will last 1500 years. However at a 5% growth rate the supply will last only 86 years. We can expect even greater usage as other fossil fuels become scarce. The way our country uses oil is absurd. When are we going to realize we cannot rely on fossil fuels forever?
Scientists are looking for species of algae that are rich in lipids, which is where they can extract the oil.
Algae is very prolific, it has a 28 day life cycle from inception to when its ready to be harvested. If you think about that in contrast to other plants, sources that take a lot of time like corn, the potential number of crops you can get per harvest is high.
If you think about algae as a source of biomass, it grows quickly compared to other sources.
When your talking about algae biofuels, your talking about using one small part of algae, which is the lipids and the oils it contains. It also has inherent value to beyond that. The remaining parts of the algae could be turned into animal feed or as a human nutrient supplement.
The only chance algae is going to become commercial is if they are collocated next to a power plant, or a wastewater treatment plant. The economics and benefits of how its needs can come together, and more beneficiary than a field of algae alone.
One of the biggest issues of algae is water. The good news is that algae doesn’t require fresh water. It is capable of growing in fresh water, but a number of species grow in brackish or saline water.
There is a plant species out there that holds a lot of promise. It takes sunlight, water, CO2, nutrients to grow, All of these aspects are abundant in certain areas, and would solve a lot of our problems, such as CO2 reduction, and wastewater reduction.
SOURCES:
- Campbell , Matthew . "Algae as a renewable source for liquid fuel ." Guelth University . N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2009.
. - Algae biomass can be carbon neutral and produced intensively on relatively small areas of marginal land. - The quality of the fuel product is comparable to petroleum diesel and can be incorporated with minimal change into the existing fuel infrastructure. - Innovated techniques, including the use of industrial and domestic waste as fertilizer, could be applied to further increase biodiesel production. - The world’s oil production is expected to decline in between one and ten decades. - Our reliance on fossil fuels has caused carbon dioxide enrichment in the atmosphere and is the primary contributor to the generally accepted phenomenon global warming. - Two/Thirds of the world’s energy consumption is derived from liquid fuels - Biodiesel is a biofuel derived from organic oils, plant or animal, through the Process of tranesterification Species: Chrorella Oil Content: 28-32% Species: Nitzschia Oil Content: 45-47% Species: Nannochloropsis Oil Content: 31- 68% Species: Schizochytrium Oil Content: 50-77% - Hossain , Sharif. "Biodiesel Fuel Production from Algae as renewable energy ." American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology . N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2009.
. - Algae produce 7 to 31 times greater oil than palm oil. - Very simple to exact oil from algae - best algae for biodiesel would be micro algae - microalgae has more oil than macro algae and faster and easier to grow - microalgae can provide several different types of renewable biofuels - Algae are an economical choice for biodiesel production because of its availability and low cost. - Results prove that Biodiesel can be produced from algae Treatment: Spirogyra Fresh weight Petri dish: 24.5 grams Dry Weight: 8.09 grams, 33 % Extracted Oil: 1.8 grams, 7.5% Biomass: 3.5 grams, 43.3% Treatment: Oedogonium Fresh weight Petri dish: 34.2 grams Dry Weight: 11.3 grams, 34.8% Extracted Oil: 3.0 grams, 9.2% Biomass: 3.8 grams, 33.6%
I really like your writing style for this. The fact's you included are reliable (since sources are cited).
ReplyDeleteWhy should we care? Maybe personalize it a little more.
Great start!