Algae could be a promising source of alternative energy. Scientists have been able to turn algae into crude oil in less than an hour. Algae is also a versatility and abundant.
When looking for long term sustainable sources of alternative energy, scientists have found algae to be very promising. One of the reasons for this is algae is very easy to grow and it can be found in oceans in large volumes.
Algae are also promising because of its veritable nature. It can be used as food and also as a building material. Designers like Jacob Douenias and Ethan Frier also believes that algae could have a role in our homes as lighting and furniture, and for heat and light. (Source: Algal infused, living furniture generates heat, food and light (Video) : TreeHugger)
“Algae are emerging to be one of the most promising long-term, sustainable sources of biomass and oils for fuel, food, feed, and other co-products.” – allaboutalgae.com | Algae Basics – Benefits of Algae
Algae as a Potential Source of Biofuel
Algae could be especially useful in the biochemical industry. Researchers believe that algae could be turned into oil, which would be cheap enough to compete with gasoline. Oil produced from algae closely resembles the fossil oils, but biodiesel from algae burns much cleaner.
When Henry Ford designed his first car, he never intended his cars to run on gasoline. He designed his engines to run on biofuels, particularly from hemp oil. But back then, fossil fuels were cheaper and easily available, and people were not so aware of the environmental impacts of burning fossil fuels.
“Out of all the clean energy options in development, it is algae-based biofuel that most closely resembles the composition of the crude oil that gets pumped out from beneath the sea bed. Much of what we know as petroleum was, after all, formed from these very microorganisms, through a natural heat-facilitated conversion that played out over the course of millions of years.” – Smithsonian Magazine
Today, biofuel technology has progresses quite a bit. Algae need heat and light to grow, but recently scientists have been able to successfully grow them in cool climates in Finland. However, the cultivation of algae for energy production purposes hasn’t reached to a profitable level yet because it was a challenging task to grow algae without heat and light in cool places.
Meanwhile researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington have discovered a way to process algae and water and turn it into crude oil in less than an hour.
Conclusion
Algae are emerging to be a versatile source of biomass that is profitable and sustainable. Algae could turn out to be a profitable and economically viable source of energy. It is not only cleaner but also efficient and sustainable. Researchers are finding new ways to use algae and turn it into oil in less time and with greater efficiency. Algae in the biochemical industry are looking really promising at this point.
How the Technology Works – algae to biofuels
Video source: AlgaeTec biofuels
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Source: Environmental Professionals Network
Related articles and resources:
- Scientists Turn Algae Into Crude Oil In Less Than An Hour | Innovation | Smithsonian
- Alternative Energy Sources – What is on the Horizon? | Environmental Professionals Network
- Algae Basics – Benefits of Algae
- Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate — ScienceDaily
- Algal infused, living furniture generates heat, food and light (Video) : TreeHugger
- Ford And Deisel Never Intended Cars To Use Gasoline
- Hemp Business – Environmentally Sustainable & Profitable | Environmental Professionals Network
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reach Record Levels | Environmental Professionals Network
